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    Beswick Pottery
    Beswick Pottery
    Beswick Pottery
    Ebook119 pages1 hour

    Beswick Pottery

    By Val Baynton

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    About this ebook

    Founded in 1894 by James Wright Beswick, Beswick Pottery remained in the family for three generations before becoming part of Royal Doulton in 1969, and is now independently owned. As owners and collectors of its products will testify, Beswick aimed, and still aims today, to produce well-made ceramics at affordable prices: wares which could be used daily in the home as well as decorative ornaments for animal lovers of all ages to cherish. In this volume Val Baynton explores the range of products, revealing that far more than horses – for which Beswick was so justifiably famous – were made. The wares are placed in context with the company's history, and information about important sculptors and designers is also included.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBloomsbury Publishing
    Release dateJul 20, 2012
    ISBN9781782001058
    Beswick Pottery

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      Book preview

      Beswick Pottery - Val Baynton

      VISIT

      INTRODUCTION

      BESWICK’S international reputation is based on its ceramic studies of animals, especially of horses and cattle, and of anthropomorphic models inspired by popular characters from literature, film and television. These ranges were introduced from the 1930s and evolved rapidly after the Second World War, but the company originated in the 1890s.

      When the business was founded it was a small-scale pottery manufacturing a vast assortment of ornamental and useful wares for the home; the variety ranged from spittoons to mantelpiece figures and from bread trays to hand-painted vases. In the early years products were similar to those made by numerous local competitors, yet remarkably Beswick survived while many of these other firms have long since disappeared.

      One of the reasons for the company’s success was that the Beswick family, who ran the business until it was sold to Royal Doulton in 1969, understood that they had to make what the housewife or gift buyer wanted at a price that was affordable, and something for every taste and every pocket. So traditional styles were produced for as long as demand dictated, but new lines reflecting the trends and fashions of the day were regularly introduced as well.

      Quality was also important and formed an essential part of the appeal of both the animal sculptures, where meticulous modelling ensured anatomical accuracy, and of the small character studies, which faithfully reproduced the spirit and detail of original drawings by illustrators such as Beatrix Potter.

      Mantelpiece dogs were a constant part of Beswick production during the twentieth century. This pair dates from 1933 to 1955.

      Beswick’s products have found their way into the homes of animal and ceramic enthusiasts around the world. Well-made, yet affordable, the sculptures have graced the shelves of children’s bedrooms and have been regularly handled by their young owners. The quirky humour and the decorative details of other designs have similarly attracted many collectors. Some of the early pieces, as well as some more recent models, have become comparatively rare and are eagerly sought at car boot sales, auctions and on eBay.

      This book explores the development of Beswick, tracing its progress from what was essentially a very ordinary Victorian pottery to a twenty-first-century brand. It looks at its broad product mix and at some of the people involved, including the Beswick family, key sculptors and designers. It also places Beswick in the context of the twentieth-century ceramic industry with its continuing issues of mechanisation and contraction. The story is remarkable because Beswick has endured and because of the widespread popularity of its products; it has just as important a place in the overall history of the Potteries as larger companies, or of more prestigious firms or individuals who promoted avant-garde, but short-lived designs.

      Selection of characters inspired by the illustrations of Beatrix Potter and introduced between 1948 and 2002. (Left to right) ‘Old Mr Pricklepin’ (1983–9), ‘Duchess Holding a Pie’ (1979–82), ‘Peter Rabbit Gardening’ (1998–9), ‘Ginger’ (1976–82), ‘Head Gardener’ (2002), ‘Anna Maria’ (1963–83), and ‘Jemima Puddle-Duck’ (1948–2002).

      A FAMILY FIRM 1894–1925

      ENTREPRENEURISM was a key characteristic of the area of Staffordshire known as the Potteries in the 1890s. Comprising the six towns of Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley, Stoke upon Trent, Fenton and Longton, the district was a hive of industry; businesses were starting and closing, but some survived through sheer hard work in often uncertain times, to be passed down to sons and grandsons. It was in this environment that a pottery was founded by James Wright Beswick in Longton.

      James’s father, Robert, a colliery proprietor in Great Chell (a small village near Tunstall) died in 1890, and this is likely to have provided the impetus and the finance to establish the pottery. There was family involvement in ceramic manufacture dating back to 1842, when Robert built and ran the Church Bank pottery in Tunstall. Later this was leased out to other potters on the understanding that they bought coal from the Beswick mine to fire the kilns. It is not recorded whether James and his elder brother, Robert, worked in the pottery but they were certainly involved in the colliery business, being listed as proprietors in the 1887 Directory of the Potteries and District. In 1890 they went their separate ways, Robert junior remaining at the colliery and in the family home, Chell

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