Powell and Price Stoneware

Powell and Price's Stoneware + Powell's Glass

The business started in 1796, with the partnership between Charles Price and Joseph Gadd and would remain with the Price family until closure in 1961. It started in Counterslip, moving to Temple Street in 1797. They had various addreses in Temple street (until 1870), St Philip's (1827-44), Thomas Street, and offices in Victoria Street (1871-87). Part of the Temple Street premises were destroyed in 1871, when Victoria Street was built. Following loss of part of the premises the pottery was re-developed as a four story building, with two steam engines in the basement. On the frontage of the pottery was the legend "Old Stone Ware Pottery". A copy of an 1889 invoice shows the sub-title of the business as "The Old Stoneware Potteries, Bristol". In 1880 they were making a wide range of stoneware. In 1906 they merged with William Powell & Sons to form Price, Powell & Co. A map produced by Pountney, in 1920, shows the premises having access to both Temple and Thomas Streets. The works was badly damaged by bombing in November 1940 and production ceased. The company continued in business until March 1961, however goods were produced by other potters. Kellys Bristol directory, from at least 1956, lists the address as 1 Upton Road and describes the business as manufacturers of stoneware bottles and baskets. When it did eventually cease trading the orders were taken over by Pearson's of Chesterfield. Pearson's are still in business. These are the various partnerships entered into by the Price family:

1796-1797

Joseph Gadd and Charles Price at 3 Counterslip. The partnership was nor known as Gadd and Price.

1797-1798

Gadd and Price at 124 Temple Street. The partnership ended with the death of Joseph Gadd.

1798-1821

'Price and Read' - Charles Price and Joseph Read. Read died in 1803, Price continued to use the name, moved to 125 Temple Street and Thomas Street (next to 'The Bunch of Grapes' - probably 43/44) in 1803. In 1809 Charles Price insured his house in Temple Street for 150 pounds, plus stock and utensils in a pottery for 300 pounds.

1822-1842

Charles Price & Son. Charles Price and Charles Price II. On 12th January 1822 the following appeared in Felix Farley's Bristol Journal: "BRISTOL OLD STONE WARE POTTERY. Temple Street and St. Thomas Street. Charles Price takes the opportunity of returning his very grateful acknowledgements to his friends and public, for the liberal support he has experienced in the late form of PRICE & READ and since of his own account, including a term of upwards of 25 years, and begs to inform them that he has taken his son CHARLES into partnership with him in the firm of CHARLES PRICE & SON. C PRICE & SON respectfully solicit a continuance of the preference, which the old concern has been favoured with for as considerable a period". On 3rd April 1824 they advertised, in the Bristol Mirror, the Old Stoneware Pottery, of St Thomas Street and Temple Street, and stated that they now made patent stoneware water pipes. The pipes were superior to those of either wood or laed. The watch rate book for 1827 lists Price and Thomas paying rates, this may be a mistake or an unknown partnership. In 1834 they paid £58.10.0 and £97.16.3 duty on stoneware bottles.

1843-1849

Charles Price & Sons. Charles Read Price joined, the father dying in 1849. They had a fire for on 22nd February 1845 the following appeared in the Bristol Mirror: "Fire - Charles Price and Sons beg respectfully to express their thanks to those friends and neighbours who, on the night of the 13th instant, so kindly tendered their assistance in extinguishing the fire on their premises. To Messrs Hare, Temple Gate, for the use of the their engine, they feel especially indebted; also to the Norwich and Sun fire offices and the public, for their valuable co-operation".

1850-1863

Charles & Joseph Read Price. Charles Price II retired in 1863. The site extended to include 125 and 131 Temple Street and 36-46 Thomas Street. On 24th Sep 1853, Charles Price, potter insured a house at 37 St Thomas Street, 4 houses at 1-4 Russell Court (all at 38 St Thomas Street), plus a cooperage, for total of 600 pounds. On the same date there is a canceled policy for stock and fixtures in a dwelling house in Temple Street, with an adjoining pottery, in the tenure of Bright. Brights pottery was at 131 Temple Street and his business was bought by the Price family (this was advertised in the Bristol Mirror on 15th October 1853), but the policy does show that Bright was a tenant of the Price family. Tenure of 125 Temple Street ended in 1863, as by the flollowing year it had become the Temple Dining Hall. A George Wyatt is listed among those paying rates on 131 Temple Street between 1861 and 1870, he seems to have been a senior person or partner.

1864-1883

Joseph and Charles Price & Brothers. Joseph Read Price, plus the brothers Charles III, Samuel Newell and Alfred Newell. 131 Temple Street was partly demolished in 1871 to allow the construction of Victoria Street, the property was henceforth referred as an office and part of a pottery. Charles III died in 1877. New pottery built in 1875. Joseph died in 1882 and Samuel resigned in 1883.

1883-1906

Price, Sons & Co. The firm was initially Alfred and Arthur, with Harold joining later. Some buildings were sold. In 1903 the address was given as 39-45 Thomas Street, with no other addresses.

1906-1961

Price, Powell & Co. Powells absorbed in 1906. 46 Thomas Street added by 1909. The pottery was destroyed by bombing in November 1940.

The Powell family had been brown stone potters in Thomas Street from 1780. In 1816 William and Thomas Powell had a Stourbridge glass warehouse in Bath Parade, Temple Gate. Thomas Street had closed in 1829, but they had a new pottery at Red Lane, Temple Gate, by 1830 (see the 1902 map). In 1834 they paid £80.5.9 excise duty on stoneware bottles. By the end of the 19th century they were the second largest maker of stoneware bottles in Britain (particularly ginger beer bottles). The firm remained at Temple Gate until 1906, but also had premises in Redcliff Mead Lane from 1904. Temple Gate has been redeveloped, however the site of the pottery is marked by Temple Gate House.

In 1828 John, Thomas and William Powell took out a patent for the manufacture of glazed stoneware sugar moulds; these moulds are mentioned in trade directory entries for 1831-54. However, William Powell is best known for the invention of an improved stoneware glaze. The first order for the glaze was shipped in February 1835. The glaze was a liquid, which required a different firing procedure. It replaced the salt glaze and the idea behind it came from some brandy in a jar being spoilt by salt from the glaze. It seems that he was assisted in the invention by Anthony Amatt, who also acted as a kiln man. However, initial firings caused the ware to go black, caused by Amatt's poor management of the kiln. This stopped when the kiln was fired in Powell's way. The glaze was never patented, but it is said that there was no competition until 1842. A Bristol retailer (M Somerton), advertised patent brown stoneware, which appears to have had Powell's glaze in 1837. This may be a mistake, or perhaps Powell allowed the thought of a patent, which he did not have! The Bristol pottery Henry Yabbicom was certainly using the glaze by 1841. The glaze is said to have been made from zinc oxide, potash, lime silica and alumina.

Transfer printing, onto stoneware, was introduced by the Port Dundas Pottery (Glasgow) in 1878. In 1888 Price advertised that they could stamp ginger beer bottles in color. This would have been with a hand held rubber stamp, taken from an etched copper plate. It would appear that Bristol's printing did not reach the standard of Port Dundas.

In 1824 William and Thomas Powell joined the existing owners, Joseph and Septimus Cookson, in a partnership operating the Hooper's glass works in Avon Street, where they made bottles. Joseph Cookson had a residential address at 9 Royal Cresent. In 1831 the Powells were in sole charge and they were later joined by Edward Filer as a partner. In 1853 the works amalgamated with the adjoining two glasshouses (by then known as the Phoenix bottle works), which was owned by Richard Ricketts (he had taken over from Henry in 1851). In 1821 Henry Ricketts took out a patent for moulding bottles. These were the last glass works in Bristol. The business continued until 1922, although the last Powell had left in 1919.. In the 1860s they were the first bottle glass works to install the Siemens furnace, which used coal gas as a fuel. Undocumented archaeology has shown that the old Hooper's glasshouse had the new kiln first, the adjoining former soapboiler's glasshouse having a later version.

Trade directories show Powells with a Stourbridge Glass Warehouse at Bath Parade for 1810-29. They are also shown with a glass cutting business, at the same addrress, for 1823. In 1824 the Powells also transferred their glass cutting business from Bath Parade to the Red Lane glass works (where it continued until 1855). The cut glass was produced from blanks made in Dudley. The Red Lane (Temple Gate) works dated back to at least 1692, but had been unoccupied since 1790. In 1830 the partnership between Thomas, William and John Powell was dissolved. William Powell continued the glass business on his own; William and John Powell continued the stoneware pottery. In 1838 William Powell advertised that he had a crown (window) glass warehouse at Temple Gate.

Powells insured the pottery in 1837, 1838 (for £4150), 1839 (£4450) and 1840 (£2100). The bottle works was insured in 1838, 1840 (£2400) and 1863 (£1000). The last policy refers to a steam engine, boiler and machinery belonging to the engine house. They also insured stock of stoneware and glassware, in a warehouse at 17 Thames Street, London, in 1850 for £500. The house of William John Davis, in Abon Street, who was the accountant of the bottle works was insured in 1862.

Both Price's and Powell's wares, from the mid 19th century onwards, are marked.