Old Pottery Kiln Uncovered during excavation work for central library.

[Kev]

Old Pottery Kiln dating from pre 19th century. A photograph of an old pottery kiln uncovered during excavation work before the construction of the extension to the central library.

Courtesy LRO.

I makes one wonder what was there before what is there now :)

[wsteve55]

Wonder what else they might come across?

[dazza]

Shaw's Brow [William Brown Street]. Kay Parrott writing in Pictorial Liverpool...says "by 1790, there were 74 houses on Shaw's Brow, occupied by 374 people, all of whom were connected to the potteries." An example [below] of a kiln which formed part of Seth Penninton's works, north of the street, though not thought to be on the Library site.










Picture SOURCE: LRO WG Herdman Collection 459

[Ged]

Shaw's Brow was full of these and mills during that time. Mill Lane still stands between the Art Gallery and Sessions House. Although there were inns and pubs near the bottom of the street, as William Brown St, it is one of the longest thoroughfares never to have contained a pub.

[dazza]

Ha, except this one. Although this pub probably knows more of Shaw's Brow, than of William Brown Street.

I bet all the potters spun themselves into a right ole state in the 'Angel' Inn? :PDT_Aliboronz_24:


What's your order? A pint of Harp, a glass of Blue Nun and a couple of pieces of stinking bishop to go with that please? :)






William Brown Street, 1897 courtesy of LRO online catalogue.

[ChrisGeorge]

Hi all

Nice to see. It looks as if Shaw's Brow was a minor version of the Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent. Let's not forget the Herculaneum Pottery by the Dingle. Centuries earlier, the Romans had pottery kilns in Wilderspool near Warrington and in Manchester. See here. (http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4SUNA_enUS307US213&q=Wilderspool+pottery+kiln)

Chris

[Kev]

J.Fred Smith 1897

LRO

[dazza]

J.Fred Smith 1897

LRO
Ha, he must have been standing right behind the photograper? "Tripod, black box, hours to develop...it'll never catch on" :)


The ads/ signs in the illustration are exactly the same as in the photo.

[squiggs]

Wonderful photo !, all the little shops against such a grand building !, and boy did they advertise their wares !!

[Ged]

Yes, those pubs were the remnants of the old Shaw's Brow. How grandeur stands next to ramshackled dwellings there. That's Livesly Place which leads through to the old courts off Hunter Street.

[Victor Judge]

went through the 1766 Trade Directory for Liverpool some time ago and listed the potters and related trades that I could find.

I imagine the kiln found was from a factory producing delft by one or more of the following :-

Liverpool Directory 1766

Edward Alcock Painter east side South Dock
William Ball China Maker Ranelagh Street
Thomas Billinge Engraver Rainsfords Buildings
Bird and Jones Mug Warehousemen Bird Street
Phillip Christian Potter Lord Street
James Cotter & Co. Potters Hay Market
George Drinkwater & Co. Potters Duke Street
John Dunbibin Potter Shaws Brow
Frederick Fisher Potter Harrington Street
Robert Kennish Mugman Chapel Street
Hugh McCormick Mug Warehouseman east side dry pier
Samuel Poole Potter Dale Street
John Roscoe Potter Shaws Brow
William Stringfellow Enameller Park Lane
Richard Thwaites Potter Park Lane
Robert Tyrer Potter Shaws Brow
Robert Willcock & Co. Potters Park Lane
John Willams Potter Shaws Brow

[wsteve55]

went through the 1766 Trade Directory for Liverpool some time ago and listed the potters and related trades that I could find.

I imagine the kiln found was from a factory producing delft by one or more of the following :-

Liverpool Directory 1766

Edward Alcock Painter east side South Dock
William Ball China Maker Ranelagh Street
Thomas Billinge Engraver Rainsfords Buildings
Bird and Jones Mug Warehousemen Bird Street
Phillip Christian Potter Lord Street
James Cotter & Co. Potters Hay Market
George Drinkwater & Co. Potters Duke Street
John Dunbibin Potter Shaws Brow
Frederick Fisher Potter Harrington Street
Robert Kennish Mugman Chapel Street
Hugh McCormick Mug Warehouseman east side dry pier
Samuel Poole Potter Dale Street
John Roscoe Potter Shaws Brow
William Stringfellow Enameller Park Lane
Richard Thwaites Potter Park Lane
Robert Tyrer Potter Shaws Brow
Robert Willcock & Co. Potters Park Lane
John Willams Potter Shaws Brow

Well,there are 4 listed at Shaw's Brow,where the excavation is/was,so probably one of those?!

[Ged]

Christian Street, Liverpool 3 was named after the potter Philip Christian.

[Victor Judge]

It's a shame no industrial archaeology took place as delft is simply stated to be 'Liverpool' without any further classification as to factory, which could be discovered by the style of decoration on pottery shards from the acfual factory sites.

[dazza]

There's an analysis of the extent of finds published in The Changing Face of Liverpool 1207-1770, by the Merseyside Archaeological Society 2007.

It says "Pottery was produced in south west Lancashire during the Medieval period but evidence for earthenware manufacture in Liverpool is not found until early in the eighteenth century, when Samuel Shaw established a pottery on the slope of the hill which became known as Shaw's Brow (William Brown Street). The early Liverpool pottery was of the Dutch type of tin-glazed earthenware, with a coarse body and thick white or blue glaze, commonly known as Delft.

By 1766 there were six potteries in Shaw's Brow [this must be from the 1766 trade directory] and a futher eight potteries in town, including Alderman Thomas Shaw, the son of Samuel"

[spionkop35]

The potteries on William Brown St - Shaw's Brow as was are well documented. They initally made tin-glazed earthenware, or Delftware before starting to make porcelain as well. There were 2 main factories. The first owned by Samuel Gilbody the elder and Thomas Morris from 1714-1752 and then Samuel Gilbody the younger up to 1760. They made porcelain from about 1754. the other main factory was owned by a succession of pottes from about 1747. These included Richard Chaffers (1747-65), Philip Christian (1765-78), Seth Pennington with assorted partners from 1778 to about 1805. There were many other manufacturers across the city - Zacariah Barnes and James Cotter on Haymarket, William Reid on Brownlow Hill, Park Lane pothouse, Copperas Hill Pottery, one ion Islington, the afore mentioned Herculaneum (a bit later than the others 1796-1840) and the print works of John Sadler and Guy Green - whom wedgwood sent things to to be printed on. these guys invented the technique.

Much of the wares can be seen in the Walker Art Gallery or the Williamson in Birkenhead.