Craven Dunnill
Encyclopedia
Craven Dunnill & Co. Ltd. (formerly Hargreaves & Craven, then Hargreaves, Craven Dunnill & Co.) was formed on 9 February 1872, by Yorkshire businessman Henry Powell Dunnill (1821–95), at Jackfield
, Shropshire
, England
. The firm was to become one of Britain's leading producers of ceramic
tiles.
, the firm relocated to a nearby new factory, known as the 'Jackfield Works', on 25 February 1874 (grid reference SJ 686029). Designed by Charles Lynam (1829–1921), an architect
from Leek, Staffordshire
who specialized in industrial buildings and also worked on Croxden Abbey
, Craven Dunnill's Jackfield Works was constructed in the Gothic Revival style with a characteristic 'long and thin' plan, enabling raw clay to enter at one end, and finished products to emerge at the other. Lynam was the architect of two other nineteenth century Victorian era
tile works – those of Mintons Ltd of Stoke-on-Trent
and Hollins, Staffordshire
(built 1869), and Maw & Co., Jackfield
, (built 1883).
Craven Dunnill became well known for its encaustic tile
s, in imitation of medieval originals. Decorated with inlaid patterns of different-coloured clays, Craven Dunnill encaustic tiles were extensively used for church tiling schemes, from parish church
es (such as Kemberton church, in Shropshire) to cathedral
s (Chester Cathedral
and Shrewsbury Cathedral
, for example). The firm also made decorative mosaic, photographic, painted, lustre
, transfer-printed, and relief-moulded tiles.
A small quantity of art pottery was produced by Craven Dunnill, decorated with relief-moulded patterns and lustre
glazes.
, Shropshire.
in 1983, and part of it is now managed as the Jackfield Tile Museum
, one of many museums operated by the Trust. Other parts of the site are occupied by commercial businesses, including Craven Dunnill Jackfield Ltd., who returned to the Jackfield Works site in 2001, reviving the manufacture of commercial tiles there after a gap of around fifty years.
The Craven Dunnill Encaustic Tile Works are a waypoint on the South Telford Heritage Trail
.
Pottery and Tiles of the Severn Valley, Michael Messenger (London: Remploy
, 1979: ISBN 0706607325)
Journal of the Tiles & Architectural Ceramics Society, Vol 4, 1992 (ISSN 02645157)
Jackfield
Jackfield is a village in Shropshire, England, bordering the small town of Broseley.-Location:It lies on the south bank of the River Severn, in the Ironbridge Gorge, and opposite the village of Coalport...
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The firm was to become one of Britain's leading producers of ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
tiles.
Expansion
Initially based in old buildings in JackfieldJackfield
Jackfield is a village in Shropshire, England, bordering the small town of Broseley.-Location:It lies on the south bank of the River Severn, in the Ironbridge Gorge, and opposite the village of Coalport...
, the firm relocated to a nearby new factory, known as the 'Jackfield Works', on 25 February 1874 (grid reference SJ 686029). Designed by Charles Lynam (1829–1921), an architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
from Leek, Staffordshire
Leek, Staffordshire
Leek is a market town in the county of Staffordshire, England, on the River Churnet. It is an ancient borough and was granted its royal charter in 1214.It is the administrative centre for the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council...
who specialized in industrial buildings and also worked on Croxden Abbey
Croxden Abbey
Croxden Abbey was a Cistercian abbey at Croxden, Staffordshire, England.In 1179, Bertram de Verdun, the lord of the manor of Croxden, endowed a site for a new abbey, and 12 monks arrived from the Savigniac Cistercian mother house of Aunay-sur-Odon in Normandy to build the new abbey over the next 50...
, Craven Dunnill's Jackfield Works was constructed in the Gothic Revival style with a characteristic 'long and thin' plan, enabling raw clay to enter at one end, and finished products to emerge at the other. Lynam was the architect of two other nineteenth century Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
tile works – those of Mintons Ltd of 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...
and Hollins, Staffordshire
Hollins, Staffordshire
Hollins is a place in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, North Staffordshire....
(built 1869), and Maw & Co., Jackfield
Jackfield
Jackfield is a village in Shropshire, England, bordering the small town of Broseley.-Location:It lies on the south bank of the River Severn, in the Ironbridge Gorge, and opposite the village of Coalport...
, (built 1883).
Craven Dunnill became well known for its encaustic tile
Encaustic tile
Encaustic tiles are ceramic tiles in which the pattern or figure on the surface is not a product of the glaze but of different colors of clay. They are usually of two colors but a tile may be composed of as many as six. The pattern is inlaid into the body of the tile, so that the design remains as...
s, in imitation of medieval originals. Decorated with inlaid patterns of different-coloured clays, Craven Dunnill encaustic tiles were extensively used for church tiling schemes, from parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
es (such as Kemberton church, in Shropshire) to cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
s (Chester Cathedral
Chester Cathedral
Chester Cathedral is the mother church of the Church of England Diocese of Chester, and is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly St Werburgh's abbey church of a Benedictine monastery, is dedicated to Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
and Shrewsbury Cathedral
Shrewsbury Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Our Lady Help of Christians and Saint Peter of Alcantara, commonly known as Shrewsbury Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Shrewsbury, England...
, for example). The firm also made decorative mosaic, photographic, painted, lustre
Lustre
Lustre or Luster may refer to:* Lustre , a description of the way light interacts with the surface of a crystal, rock or mineral* Lusterware, ceramics with lustre glazes* Lustre , a Free Software distributed file system...
, transfer-printed, and relief-moulded tiles.
A small quantity of art pottery was produced by Craven Dunnill, decorated with relief-moulded patterns and lustre
Lustre
Lustre or Luster may refer to:* Lustre , a description of the way light interacts with the surface of a crystal, rock or mineral* Lusterware, ceramics with lustre glazes* Lustre , a Free Software distributed file system...
glazes.
Decline
Craven Dunnill ceased tile production at their Jackfield Works in 1951, after which the company became a tile distributor based at BridgnorthBridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left...
, Shropshire.
Museum
The historic Jackfield Works site was acquired by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum TrustIronbridge Gorge Museum Trust
Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust is an industrial heritage organisation which runs ten museums and manages 35 historic sites within the Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire, England, widely considered as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution....
in 1983, and part of it is now managed as the Jackfield Tile Museum
Jackfield Tile Museum
The Jackfield Tile Museum is one of the Ironbridge Gorge Museums based in the village of Jackfield on the south bank of the River Severn in the Ironbridge Gorge, in Shropshire, England...
, one of many museums operated by the Trust. Other parts of the site are occupied by commercial businesses, including Craven Dunnill Jackfield Ltd., who returned to the Jackfield Works site in 2001, reviving the manufacture of commercial tiles there after a gap of around fifty years.
The Craven Dunnill Encaustic Tile Works are a waypoint on the South Telford Heritage Trail
South Telford Heritage Trail
The South Telford Heritage Trail is a circular, waymarked walking route that passes by forty-nine heritage sites in the English town of Telford.-Total Distance:The approximate distance of the trail is 12.2 miles...
.
External links
- Historic Craven Dunnill tiles and art pottery images from the Shrewsbury Museum collections
- Historic Craven Dunnill tiles image gallery
- Jackfield Tile Museum
- Craven Dunnill Jackfield Ltd., commercial tile manufacturers
- Craven Dunnill & Co. Ltd., commercial tile distributors
- Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust website including museum information and information about the Museum's collections.
Sources
The Jackfield Decorative Tile Industry, Tony Herbert (Ironbridge: Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, 1978)Pottery and Tiles of the Severn Valley, Michael Messenger (London: Remploy
Remploy
Remploy Ltd is a government-owned company in the United Kingdom which provides employment and employment placement services for disabled people. It was established in 1945 under the terms of the 1944 Disabled Persons Act, and opened its first factory in Bridgend, Wales, in 1946...
, 1979: ISBN 0706607325)
Journal of the Tiles & Architectural Ceramics Society, Vol 4, 1992 (ISSN 02645157)