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Church Works, Hanley

The Church works was so named because of its proximity to the Church of St. John the Evangelist on the High Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. 

A summary of the occupiers of the works:- 

NOTE: as always these dates are approximate, there is overlap with some of the businesses - especially at the time of Ridgway and his son
when the partners were in business together in more than one company. 

• The details given in brown text are from Jewitt's - Ceramic Art of Great Britian

• The details given in blue text are from Mankowitz & Haggar, Encyclopedia of English Porcelain

 

 

1880 map showing the Church Works (top left) and
the Cobden Works (top right) 

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Church Works, Hanley
The remains of the famous Neal and Wilsons manufactory in the High Street (now Town Road), Hanley
in the background can be seen the pithead gear of Hanley Deep Pit

faded writing on the wall in the centre of the building reads:
"Willow Pottery Churchworks"

photo: Aug 1951 Warrillow Collections

 

 

the remains of the pithead gear at Hanley Deep Pit
[now demolished]

Deep Pit got its name from the fact that it had the area's deepest shaft, reaching 1,500 feet

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the Church Works clearly seen on the 1898 map is now lost under the new roads 

 

Over 100 years separates these two maps - but key features can still be found on both maps
The blue line shows the original route of the High Street (renamed Town Road in the early 1950's)
The purple line shows the approximate route of the redirected road when the Potteries Way was built.
Marked in green are roads which can be found on both maps:
on the left: Union Street at the top and Lamb Street at the bottom.
on the right: Mayer Street, Hillchurch Street (was Church Street), 
Glass Street and Huntbach Street (was Market Street) 
In red are marked the National Westminster Bank (was the Manchester and Liverpool District Banking Company)
and a chapel, which later became a Spiritualist Church. 
The blue boxes show St. John's Church on the left and
on the right the Upper Hanley pottery and Weatherby's

 

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"Robert Wilson, the successor to Neale & Wilson, devoted himself mainly to the production of cream-coloured earthenware, plain or decorated in the Wedgwood manner. His name is occasionally met with simply as WILSON impressed in the body of the ware, and occasionally in connection with a crown and the distinctive mark "C"s ....  After the retirement or death of Robert Wilson, his brother David carried on the works from 1802 until 1815. It was afterwards D. Wilson & Sons; then Assignees of Wilson; then Phillips & Bagster (c. 1820-33). The Phillips of this firm was Jacob, brother to Jonathan Phillips, the retailer of Oxford Street, London. The manufactory and house adjoining, where Bagster had resided, came on to the market and were purchased by Joseph Mayer, son of and successor to Elijah Mayer.  The Church Works were then, in about 1832, rented by William Ridgway & Co., Mr. Ridgway being Joseph Mayer's cousin. Joseph Mayer had in his employ a clever modeller, Leonard James Abington, who was also a chemist, and he placed him in partnership with William Ridgway, thus making the '& Co'. When Joseph Mayer ceased potting and let the best part of his works to W. Ridgway & Co. in 1832, he retained an oven and other parts of the works, as well as some warehouses and stabling adjoining his residence, and had these crammed with some of the best of his stock - Egyptian black, cane, chocolate brown, and Queen's ware, some of the latter elaborately perforated and painted - an indescribable jumble of most beautiful pottery; and there it remained, locked up, until his death in 1860. To return to the Church Works: the next addition to the firm, as soon as he was old enough to enter it, was William Ridgway's son Edward John, the title of the firm being changed to William Ridgway, Son & Co.  In course of time, William Ridgway retiring, the two manufactories were carried on by Edward John Ridgway and L. J. Abington. The firm was styled Ridgway & Abington during the 1848-60 period. It was ultimately Edward John Ridgway alone; and from 1866 to 1878, it was Powell & Bishop. In 1878, this firm became Powell, Bishop & Stonier, which in 1891 became Bishop & Stonier - a well-known twentieth-century firm." Jewitt's Ceramic Art of Great Britian

Humphrey Palmer at the Church Works, Hanley  Palmer was a rival and imitator of Wedgwood from about 1760. Financial difficulties caused his failure in 1778 and the business was subsequently carried on with the help of J.Neale. Enoch Wood served his apprenticeship to Palmer. Artists employed by Palmer  Thomas Rothwell. A designer and engraver employed at Hanley until 1778 and afterwards at Swansea. John Voyez. The celebrated modeller who formerly worked for Wedgwood was employed by Palmer from 1769. Work and Subjects  Palmer's work was mainly in imitation of that of Wedgwood (a court case arising at one time over his infringement of Wedgwood's patents). It was of excellent quality: Wedgwood himself remarked of it in a letter to a friend, 'The body is very good, the shape and composition very well' Black basaltes decorated with reliefs were the first wares imitated by Palmer, evidently with some success. Agate vases, jasper seals and medallions, red wares with lathe-made patterns were copied at a later date. Mrs Palmer took an active part in the management of her husband's business. She ordered new wares from Wedgwood for copying as soon as they were delivered to the London warehouse.   James Neale (b. 1740 d. 1814) at the Church Works, Hanley James Neale, who had been Humphrey Palmer's London agent, took over Palmer's business Hanley after his failure in 1778.  Dates and Owners  Robert Wilson was made a partner in 1786 and for a time firm was known as Neale & Wilson. The style Neale & Co. seems to have been adopted when other partners were admitted.  Robert Willson succeeded Neale, and when he died in 1801 was in turn followed by David Wilson who took his sons into partnership and traded as David Wilson & Sons. David Wilson and the sons who were in the business, except John, had died before 1817 when John Wilson became bankrupt and the factory passed to other hands. Work and Subjects  The firm made good quality cream-coloured wares, blue-painted and lustred table ware, jasper, black Egyptian, marbled vases etc. many pieces in close imitation of Wedgwood. Designs from Wedgwood were not infrequently copied, and classical shapes and decoration figured largely in work from the pottery. Figures made by Neale & Co. are often of considerable merit. Usually small in size, they are modelled, and coloured in a neat restrained manner (a turquoise blue is notable for its frequent use) in fine, clear enamels. The figures were generally made for easy delivery from moulds, and were sometimes gilded in a porcelain style. Mankowitz & Haggar, Encyclopedia of English Porcelain   A copy of Wedgwood's Portland Vase - impressed mark "NEALE & Co" - about 1778-88