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With a history of pottery production stretching over 300 years, the
City of Bristol can justly claim its place at the forefront of pottery
history in this country. In fact, the Bristol Pottery in its lifetime
claimed to be the oldest pottery in England., although the original
Pountney, John Decimus, only came into the business in 1813. There was
however a history of potting stretching back to the1650s, and the firm
which eventually became Pountney and Co Ltd was set up in 1683 as the
Temple Back Pottery. After passing through periods of prosperity and
recession , and many owners, the advent of John Decimus Pountney brought
considerable success to the company. After his death in 1852, his widow
assumed control until 1872. By this time, owing to ill health and
increased competition the pottery was sold again.
The new owners, Messrs Johnston and Rogers, allowed the firm to
decline further, until in 1884 a nephew of Mr Johnston, Thomas Bertram
Johnston (T.B) , took over. He was a man of considerable foresight and
enterprise and under him the Bristol Pottery was relocated to a new home
at The Victoria Pottery in St Philip's Marsh Bristol in.1886. This had
been built twenty years earlier and served as a temporary home, and in
1889, together with an ex employee Charles Burns as joint Managing
Directors, the firm of Pountney & Co Ltd was started. Johnson had
plans to build a really modern works, but was prevented by lack of
personal capital and the inability to raise the necessary finance.
However, through the help offered by a close friend who had come into a
large amount of money, and who joined the board, a site was acquired at
Fishponds a few miles outside Bristol. Here was built , a modern and by
the standards of the day, well designed works. Pountney &Co Ltd.
moved to Fishponds in 1905 and remained there until the final closure in
Bristol which came in 1969.
This site is mostly concerned with this last period in the history of
the pottery . It is intended to be entertaining rather than
instructional, but I hope that someone somewhere will find it useful! |
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