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Burmantofts Pottery was the common trading name of a manufacturer of ceramic pipes and construction materials, named after the Burmantofts district of Leeds, England.
The business began in 1859 when fire clay was discovered in a coal mine owned by William Wilcock and John Lassey. In 1863 Lassey's share was bought by John Holroyd and the company then named Wilcock & Co.
In 1879, after a period of expansion, the firm made decorative bricks and tiles in orange or buff-coloured architectural terracotta, glazed bricks, and glazed terracotta (faience). Architect
This was produced between 1880 and 1904 at the instigation of James Holroyd, the works manager, as an addition to industrial glazed ceramic products. Companies such as Mintons, Royal Doulton and William De Morgan had established a market for middle-class home decorative objects. The company was fortunate in having both coal and four sorts of high-purity clay on the same site. The plasticity gave good reproduction of shape and the low iron content meant there was not discoloration by oxidation when fired at high temperature, giving glazes of high clarity and brilliance.Bradford Art Galleries & Museums and Leeds City Museum (1984) ''Burmantofts Pottery''
Early examples were individual works of art, notably in barbotine style where a plain base had a design worked in relief with slip and painted, but the company soon developed production lines for decoration of individual shapes, either in a single glaze or painted with flowers and so on (signed by the decorator), for sale at a lower price to a larger market, but still of high quality. Over 2000 different shapes are recorded, including pots, vases, bottles and table items. The base usually had 'Burmantofts Faience' or later 'BF' on the base, along with the shape number. Influences included
James Holroyd realised that a more decorative version of the company's salt-glazed bricks could be useful as an architectural facing material which could be washed from the grime of industrial cities and be more permanent than paint. This combination of artistic and business sense led to considerable success and material which is still in good condition more than a century later. He created a team of experts for the practical side and employed sculptor Edward Caldwell Spruce and architect Maurice Bingham Adams in designs. Simple coloured tiles or bricks were complemented by relief patterns, and a variety of glazes. However, the fashion for highly modelled surfaces passed and from 1904 the company concentrated on plain tiles used as facing, notably an artificial marble called ''Marmo'', as used on Atlas House, King Street, Leeds and Michelin House, London, and ''Lefco'' which had a granite appearance and was also used for garden ornaments.Lefco Garden Ornaments (1920) Leeds Fireclay Co. Ltd These were in production until the company closed in 1957.
Burmantofts Pottery ShardsBBC Leeds Local History
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British companies established in 1859 Building materials Terracotta English pottery 1859 establishments in England Ceramics manufacturers of England category:Leeds Blue Plaques Art pottery Defunct companies based in Leeds Manufacturing companies established in 1859
Company history
The business began in 1859 when fire clay was discovered in a coal mine owned by William Wilcock and John Lassey. In 1863 Lassey's share was bought by John Holroyd and the company then named Wilcock & Co.
In 1879, after a period of expansion, the firm made decorative bricks and tiles in orange or buff-coloured architectural terracotta, glazed bricks, and glazed terracotta (faience). Architect 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 f ...
used their materials in his Yorkshire College (1883) in Leeds, and his National Liberal Club (1884) in London. From 1880 they also made art pottery such as vases and decorative domestic items.
In 1888 the company was renamed The Burmantofts Company but in 1889 it merged with other Yorkshire companies to found The Leeds Fireclay Co. Ltd., the largest in the country.
The firm closed in 1957, at which time it comprised ninety kilns on of land.
Burmantofts art pottery
This was produced between 1880 and 1904 at the instigation of James Holroyd, the works manager, as an addition to industrial glazed ceramic products. Companies such as Mintons, Royal Doulton and William De Morgan had established a market for middle-class home decorative objects. The company was fortunate in having both coal and four sorts of high-purity clay on the same site. The plasticity gave good reproduction of shape and the low iron content meant there was not discoloration by oxidation when fired at high temperature, giving glazes of high clarity and brilliance.Bradford Art Galleries & Museums and Leeds City Museum (1984) ''Burmantofts Pottery''
Early examples were individual works of art, notably in barbotine style where a plain base had a design worked in relief with slip and painted, but the company soon developed production lines for decoration of individual shapes, either in a single glaze or painted with flowers and so on (signed by the decorator), for sale at a lower price to a larger market, but still of high quality. Over 2000 different shapes are recorded, including pots, vases, bottles and table items. The base usually had 'Burmantofts Faience' or later 'BF' on the base, along with the shape number. Influences included Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
, Persian, Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
and Japanese. French artist Pierre Mallet Pierre Mallet (1836–98) was a French artist known for painted designs on ceramic ware, who mainly worked in England.
Life
Mallet was born in 1836 in at Jussey in Haute-Saône, France. He was trained in etching. He married and had two daughters ...
(who also designed for Minton's) contributed a number of designs.Anderson, A. S., (1999) ''The Journal of the Decorative Arts Society'' 1850 – the Present, No. 23, Pioneers and Eccentrics, pp. 86–101 Decorative tiles were also produced.
In 1885 products were on sale in London (at Harrods
Harrods Limited is a department store located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It is currently owned by the state of Qatar via its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority. The Harrods brand also applies to other ...
and Liberty's
Liberty, commonly known as Liberty's, is a luxury department store in London, England. It is located on Great Marlborough Street in the West End of London. The building spans from Carnaby Street on the East to Kingly Street on the West, where ...
), Paris and Montreal.''Pevsner Architectural Guides – Leeds, Susan Wrathwell, 2005, However, by 1904 the products were no longer profitable because of a large number of competing products from Britain and nearby Europe of lower price, and production ceased.
Burmantofts architectural faience
James Holroyd realised that a more decorative version of the company's salt-glazed bricks could be useful as an architectural facing material which could be washed from the grime of industrial cities and be more permanent than paint. This combination of artistic and business sense led to considerable success and material which is still in good condition more than a century later. He created a team of experts for the practical side and employed sculptor Edward Caldwell Spruce and architect Maurice Bingham Adams in designs. Simple coloured tiles or bricks were complemented by relief patterns, and a variety of glazes. However, the fashion for highly modelled surfaces passed and from 1904 the company concentrated on plain tiles used as facing, notably an artificial marble called ''Marmo'', as used on Atlas House, King Street, Leeds and Michelin House, London, and ''Lefco'' which had a granite appearance and was also used for garden ornaments.Lefco Garden Ornaments (1920) Leeds Fireclay Co. Ltd These were in production until the company closed in 1957.
Examples
*Atlas House, King Street, Leeds * County Arcade, Leeds ( Frank Matcham) *Great Hall interior, University of Leeds, 1890–94, (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 f ...
)
* Michelin House, South Kensington, London
* National Liberal Club, London
*London Road Fire Station, Manchester
London Road Fire Station is a former fire station in Manchester, England. It was opened in 1906, on a site bounded by London Road, Whitworth Street, Minshull Street South and Fairfield Street. Designed in the Edwardian Baroque style by Woodhou ...
* Midland Hotel, Manchester ( Charles Trubshaw)
* Peveril of Peak, Manchester
References
External links
{{commonscatBurmantofts Pottery Shards
Glazing over
British companies established in 1859 Building materials Terracotta English pottery 1859 establishments in England Ceramics manufacturers of England category:Leeds Blue Plaques Art pottery Defunct companies based in Leeds Manufacturing companies established in 1859