Nigel Shuttleworth
Phoenix Works, Longton
Thomas Forester started a small pottery business at the Church Street works, Longton in 1877. His business thrived and in 1879 he knocked down the old potbank which had stood for over 100 years, at the same time purchasing the two adjacent works. He built a large new factory of over 40,000 sq ft. which was completed within two years, naming it the Phoenix Works. In 1881 Forester received the largest order ever for Staffordshire majolica-ware of 8,000 pieces, from the United States. By the end of the century Thos. Forester and Sons Ltd. employed 700 people. When Thomas died in 1907 the business was successfully continued by his descendants until after the Second World War but then majolica-ware fell out of fashion and the Clean Air Act of 1956 prevented the use of the enormous coal fired bottle ovens; without the profitability necessary to convert to electric or gas fired kilns the Company ceased production in 1959. There were originally six (very unusual) downdraught bottle ovens but only these two with their connected chimney remain and are Grade II listed, as is the whole site. In 1961 the Phoenix Works was purchased by the Milner family for their wholesale pottery business and Mark Milner, the latest generation has embarked on a major renovation scheme to provide space to different enterprises. One of which is the excellent Glost House Café where my brother, visiting from Canada and I enjoyed a very good lunch of traditional Staffordshire oatcakes just this week! Taken with a 1976 Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera Alpha 1 on Polaroid (TIP) film
Phoenix Works, Longton
Thomas Forester started a small pottery business at the Church Street works, Longton in 1877. His business thrived and in 1879 he knocked down the old potbank which had stood for over 100 years, at the same time purchasing the two adjacent works. He built a large new factory of over 40,000 sq ft. which was completed within two years, naming it the Phoenix Works. In 1881 Forester received the largest order ever for Staffordshire majolica-ware of 8,000 pieces, from the United States. By the end of the century Thos. Forester and Sons Ltd. employed 700 people. When Thomas died in 1907 the business was successfully continued by his descendants until after the Second World War but then majolica-ware fell out of fashion and the Clean Air Act of 1956 prevented the use of the enormous coal fired bottle ovens; without the profitability necessary to convert to electric or gas fired kilns the Company ceased production in 1959. There were originally six (very unusual) downdraught bottle ovens but only these two with their connected chimney remain and are Grade II listed, as is the whole site. In 1961 the Phoenix Works was purchased by the Milner family for their wholesale pottery business and Mark Milner, the latest generation has embarked on a major renovation scheme to provide space to different enterprises. One of which is the excellent Glost House Café where my brother, visiting from Canada and I enjoyed a very good lunch of traditional Staffordshire oatcakes just this week! Taken with a 1976 Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera Alpha 1 on Polaroid (TIP) film