Gibbs and Canning Limited was an
English manufacturer of
terracotta
Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous.
In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta i ...
and, in particular,
architectural terracotta, located in Glascote,
Tamworth, and founded in 1847.
The company manufactured a wide range of terracotta and faience: statues of lions and pelicans to adorn the Natural History Museum in London; architectural terracotta for banks and schools; and garden urns and planters. By the 1950s, when the factory finally closed, it was best known for more practical items, such as drainage pipes, sinks, vases and jars.
Today, there is little evidence of the factory in Glascote, but the legacy lives on in the decoration and plumbing of many buildings in Britain’s major towns and cities.
Buildings featuring Gibbs and Canning terracotta
*
Natural History Museum
A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more ...
, South Kensington, London. Designed by
Alfred Waterhouse
Alfred Waterhouse (19 July 1830 – 22 August 1905) was an English architect, particularly associated with the Victorian Gothic Revival architecture, although he designed using other architectural styles as well. He is perhaps best known fo ...
. Both the interior and exterior statues, and the block-work, are Gibbs and Canning (G&C).
[
* Royal Albert Hall, South Kensington, London. The buff, ornamental terracotta on the exterior.
* 142 Holborn Bars, Prudential Assurance Building, Holborn, London. Designed by Alfred Waterhouse with all the red terracotta by G&C.
* Methodist Central Hall, Birmingham. Ornate, red terracotta.][
*Imperial Buildings, Victoria Street/Whitechapel corner, Liverpool, 1879. Cream terracotta.][''Pevsner Architectural Guides - Liverpool'', Joseph Sharples, 2004,
]
* Church of the Holy Name of Jesus, Manchester. Roof vaulting of hollow terracotta blocks, 1869–71.[''Pevsner Architectural Guides - Manchester'', Clare Hartwell, 2001,
]
* Manchester Town Hall Designed, again by Alfred Waterhouse.
* Victoria Law Courts, Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
. Interior buff-coloured terracotta.[''Pevsner Architectural Guides - Birmingham'', Andy Foster, 2005, ]
References
Further reading
*Streluk, A. (2006) "Gibbs & Canning of Glascote, Tamworth", ''Glazed Expressions'', No.55 Spring
External links
{{commons category
Research page including details of many buildings that used Gibbs and Canning terracottaTamworth Castle - has a small display Gibbs and Canning wares and manufacturing techniques
Building materials companies of the United Kingdom
Ceramics manufacturers of England
Staffordshire pottery
Terracotta
Design companies established in 1847
Manufacturing companies established in 1847
1847 establishments in England