It is thought that during the early 19th century there were around 300 factories in the Staffordshire Potteries, all churning out huge numbers of beautiful ceramics. This previously peaceful backwater had turned into a hellish landscape of bottle kilns firing day and night, belting out their noxious fumes and heat, surrounded by tightly packed workers' houses. While the famous factories are still celebrated today, much of the hard work in The Potteries took place in anonymity. We will never know the names and styles of every factory, and new discoveries are still being made today.
These lesser-known factories weren't necessarily smaller than the great ones, but they weren't founded by geniuses like Josiah Wedgwood, Josiah Spode or Job Ridgway. They were founded by families of smart people who built flourishing businesses, producing whatever happened to be the fashion of the day, and hiring the best workers they could afford. They may not have run showrooms in London or Bath, but they did well for themselves and weren't too fussed about the exact style of their items: they were in the business of making pots'. The result was a truly British style of porcelain that mixed up many trends. And they did one very important thing: they made new fashions mainstream. Their wares - less expensive than those of the major' factories - reached countless homes all over the world.
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Denne historien er fra January 2023-utgaven av Homes & Antiques.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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48 hours in FUNCHAL
Jenny Oldaker discovers Madeira's capital to be an elegant, artistic place with wide open spaces, verdant beauty spots and a picture-perfect sea-facing location...
LUKE HONEY'S Enthusiasms
On an autumn day in 1783, a sheep, a duck, and a rooster became the first living creatures to fly in a hot air balloon.
Collecting NUTCRACKERS
Not just for Christmas, these nostalgic keepsakes come in an abundance of novelty shapes and styles, offering character and affordability for budding collectors
WHY I COLLECT Medals
Oliver Miller, managing director of Bishop & Miller Auctioneers and Valuers, is fascinated by medals - for him it's all about the preservation of stories for future generations...
Fashionably CURATED
Roni Lang's home in Deal, situated above her clothing store, is every bit as creative and stylish as you'd expect from a fashion designer
Work life balance
Lucy and Guy Rutter - a ceramicist and artist respectively - have found the ideal place to live and work: a Victorian property in Faversham attached to a once-neglected studio...
Farm FUSION
A farmhouse near Cape Town has been given a rustic-meets-industrial makeover, using found materials and objects, as well as treasures brought back from afar
SAVVY Sophistication
Affordable and intriguing charity shop and eBay finds are teamed with statement pieces in this impressive Victorian home in West Yorkshire
DARREN APPIAGYEI
The wood artist talks to Dominique Corlett about seed pods, creative reinvention and the life-enhancing feeling of turning a lathe
Collecting Dioramas MINIATURE WORLDS
From elaborate taxidermy museum displays to humble folk art creations, a diorama can transport us to another time and place