Monument record MDR7171 - Pottery Works (site of), Ashby Road, Ticknall
Type and Period (1)
- POTTERY WORKS (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
(SK 348 228) Pottery marked on late 19th/early 20th century OS maps. In 1924 the map shows Pottery Farm and in 1970 it is Pottery House. (1-5)
The name Pottery House is attached to a residential building. There is a group of largely derelict buildings slightly to the south, at the quoted grid reference, but these appear to be farm outbuildings. (6)
The pottery was extant until the late 19th century. (7)
Built of brick with a tile roof, the pothouse stands end-on to the Ashby Road. It is derelict and has been disused for some time, its last use being as a cowshed. The history of the pottery that operated on this site from the 16th to the 19th century has been recounted by Howard Usher in a paper published in Derby Porcelain International Society's Journal Vol 1 (1989). The present building dates from about 1860, with just one oak timber which may have come from a previous building on the site. The building is of particular historic interest because it represents the last remaining evidence above ground of a substantial industry peculiar to Ticknall, that of making domestic earthenware vessels especially for dairying. The pottery was served by the Ticknall tramway on the far side of the Ashby Road, which had a short spur leading to the pothouse. The 1880 OS map shows the pothouse with a kiln attached to the south, and to the north a circle representing a further kiln or perhaps a horse-wheel for a pug mill. A change of ownership, from the Hyde family to Thomas Charville, between 1855 and 1860, may have been the occasion for demolishing the Hyde family kilns and pothouse, and laying out the site afresh. Usher shows that production was discontinued between 1888 and 1891, and after that the building was turned to farm use. The south wing, which replaced the kiln, was built as a feed store, and was converted in the 1940s to a dairy. A yard wall ran south from the south wing, and beyond this the wall footings have been uncovered running in a curving line to connect the concrete floor slabs of two small huts also concerned with the farming enterprise. The pothouse is now converted into a dwelling. (8)
The site at Potworks Farm was at the boundary of the open field with the common along the present Ashby Road. It was the last pottery to operate and only closed down around 1888. Research has shown that there were two sites, with four families potting here. The Beightons and the Potters were the earliest, followed by the Hyde and the Charvill families. John Beighton's inventory of 1620 indicates that he was a pot maker, and he may already have been working at this site in 1611. Documents indicate that the Beightons were farmers as well as potters. However, by the 19th century the Beighton family was involved in selling pots rather than making them. Adjacent to the Beighton site was the messuage where the Potter family were tenants during the 17th and much of the 18th century and it is their site that is marked on the OS maps. Samuel Potter's inventory of 1688 shows a six-roomed building. His potting tools were worth more than those of the majority of local potters. Joseph Hyde had taken the pottery over by 1777. The Hydes supplied pots to a wide range of people, including the Harpur family at Calke for the kitchen, diary and kennels, and also chimney pots and garden pots worth 14s to the Burdetts at Foremark. The 1851 census describes John Hyde as a 'master potter employing 7 men'. Sometime between 1857 and 1861 the Charvill family took over the pot works; however, the last reference to the pottery working is in 1888. The house on the site was rebuilt around 1859 and has since been extended. (9)
Sources/Archives (9)
- <1> SDR17379 Map: Ordnance Survey (OS). 1836. One Inch First Edition map, sheet 71 first issued 1836, later revisions (David and Charles reprint sheet 35). 1inch : 1mile.
- <2> SDR17634 Map: OS. 1887. Sheet Derbys LVIII SW/Leics IX SW. 1:10560.
- <3> SDR17635 Map: OS. 1901. Sheet Derbys LVIII SW/Leics IX SW 1901. 1:10560.
- <4> SDR17636 Map: OS. 1924. Sheet Derbys LVIII SW/Leics IX SW. 1924. 1:10560.
- <5> SDR17626 Map: OS. 1970. OS 1:10560.
- <6> SDR17637 Index: RCHME. 1995. New National Forest Survey: 922918. 922918. p1091-2.
- <7> SDR17638 Bibliographic reference: Palmer, M and Neaverson, P. Leicester Industrial History Society. 1986. A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of the East Midlands, AIA. p34.
- <8> SDR19784 Unpublished document: Hutton, B. Derby Buildings Record. DBR 79, 1st March 1991.
- <9> SDR19819 Bibliographic reference: Spavold, J & Brown, S. 2005. Ticknall Pots and Potters. Site 9, pp 45-49.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 3487 2284 (74m by 173m) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | TICKNALL, SOUTH DERBYSHIRE, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (2)
- EDR3968
- EDR2044
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External Links (0)
Record last edited
Jun 4 2015 4:36PM