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Burleigh (pottery)
Encyclopedia
Burleigh Pottery is the name of a pottery
(earthenware
manufacturer) in Middleport
, Stoke-on-Trent
. The pottery occupies a nineteenth-century listed building next to the Trent and Mersey Canal
. (It is listed grade II with a bottle oven
separately listed as grade II*).
as Hulme and Booth. The pottery was taken over in 1862 by William Leigh and Frederick Rathbone Burgess, and traded from that date as Burgess & Leigh. The trademark "Burleigh", used from the 1930s, is a combination of the two names.
The works moved first in 1868 to the Hill Pottery in Burslem and then in 1889 to the present factory at Middleport, regarded at the time of its construction as a model pottery.
Leigh and Burgess died in 1889 and 1895 respectively, and were succeeded by their sons, Edmund Leigh and Richard Burgess. On Richard's death in 1912, the business passed entirely into the ownership of the Leigh family. In 1919 it became private limited company
, Burgess & Leigh Limited.
The years between the wars are often regarded as the company's "golden age", with a number of extremely talented designers and artists such as Harold Bennett, Charles Wilkes and Ernest Baily. Perhaps the best known was Charlotte Rhead
, who worked here between 1926 and 1931, noted particularly for her work in tubelining
. By 1939, the factory was employing over 500 people.
The business took great pains, from as early as 1897, to build up a thriving export network, concentrating primarily on the Empire
(later Commonwealth
) and American markets, but focussing later also on Europe.
After a run of financial difficulty the company was sold in 1999 to the Dorling family, and traded as Burgess Dorling & Leigh. The company specialised in traditionally shaped and patterned domestic earthenware of high quality. In 2010 it was acquired by Denby Holdings ltd, the parent company of the Denby Pottery
.
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
(earthenware
Earthenware
Earthenware is a common ceramic material, which is used extensively for pottery tableware and decorative objects.-Types of earthenware:Although body formulations vary between countries and even between individual makers, a generic composition is 25% ball clay, 28% kaolin, 32% quartz, and 15%...
manufacturer) in Middleport
Middleport, Staffordshire
Middleport is a residential and industrial district of the town of Burslem in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, England. Middleport lies to the west of Burslem, between Burslem town centre and the Newcastle-under-Lyme district of Porthill. To the north is Tunstall and to the south Cobridge and Etruria...
, Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
. The pottery occupies a nineteenth-century listed building next to the Trent and Mersey Canal
Trent and Mersey Canal
The Trent and Mersey Canal is a in the East Midlands, West Midlands, and North West of England. It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities—east of Burton upon Trent and west of Middlewich—it is a wide canal....
. (It is listed grade II with a bottle oven
Bottle oven
A bottle oven is a type of kiln. The word 'bottle' refers to the shape of the structure and not to the kiln's products which were pottery not glass....
separately listed as grade II*).
History
The factory was established in 1851 at the Central Pottery in BurslemBurslem
The town of Burslem, known as the Mother Town, is one of the six towns that amalgamated to form the current city of Stoke-on-Trent, in the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, in the Midlands of England.-Topography:...
as Hulme and Booth. The pottery was taken over in 1862 by William Leigh and Frederick Rathbone Burgess, and traded from that date as Burgess & Leigh. The trademark "Burleigh", used from the 1930s, is a combination of the two names.
The works moved first in 1868 to the Hill Pottery in Burslem and then in 1889 to the present factory at Middleport, regarded at the time of its construction as a model pottery.
Leigh and Burgess died in 1889 and 1895 respectively, and were succeeded by their sons, Edmund Leigh and Richard Burgess. On Richard's death in 1912, the business passed entirely into the ownership of the Leigh family. In 1919 it became private limited company
Limited company
A limited company is a company in which the liability of the members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee. And the former of these, a limited company limited by shares, may be...
, Burgess & Leigh Limited.
The years between the wars are often regarded as the company's "golden age", with a number of extremely talented designers and artists such as Harold Bennett, Charles Wilkes and Ernest Baily. Perhaps the best known was Charlotte Rhead
Charlotte Rhead
Charlotte Rhead was an English ceramics designer active in the 1920s and the 1930s in the Potteries area of Staffordshire.Charlotte Rhead was born into an artistic family...
, who worked here between 1926 and 1931, noted particularly for her work in tubelining
Tubelining
Tubelining is a technique of ceramic decoration. It involves squeezing a thin line of clay body through a nozzle onto the ware being decorated. An alternative term is "slip trailing"....
. By 1939, the factory was employing over 500 people.
The business took great pains, from as early as 1897, to build up a thriving export network, concentrating primarily on the Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
(later Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
) and American markets, but focussing later also on Europe.
After a run of financial difficulty the company was sold in 1999 to the Dorling family, and traded as Burgess Dorling & Leigh. The company specialised in traditionally shaped and patterned domestic earthenware of high quality. In 2010 it was acquired by Denby Holdings ltd, the parent company of the Denby Pottery
Denby Pottery Company
Denby Pottery Company Ltd is a British manufacturer of pottery, and is named after the village of Denby in Derbyshire.-History:The pottery at Denby was founded on the estate of William Drury-Lowe in 1809 as a manufacturer of stoneware bottles. It was run by Joseph Jager in partnership with Robert...
.
General
- Mckeown, Julie, 2003. "Burleigh: The Story of a Pottery". Richard Dennis. ISBN 0903685809