Decline and Revival (1853-1905)

Following the death of J D Pountney his widow, Elizabeth, ran the pottery for 20 years.  During this period she was constantly defrauded by a clerk.  There was a short-lived partnership with Edwards, which is mentioned in an advertisement of 1857 (an Isaac Edwards paid rates on a property in Water Lane for 1858).  Two London solicitors, Patrick Johnston and Mr Rogers, purchased the business in 1872.  Rogers retired in 1883 and Johnson died in 1884, leaving the business bankrupt.  The business would be in receivership between 1884 and 1886.  The above comes from W J Pountney's book, but it may not be entirely true.  A William Henry Bennett and William Phelps paid rates on the pottery for 1870-72 and for 1873-78 rates were paid by Mr Halsted Sayer Cobden (there are no surviving rate books after 1878). The Victoria pottery in St Phillips (see above picture) was purchased in 1873 and in 1886 this became the sole site (the Temple Backs site was sold, at auction, in 1887 for a total of 3190 pounds).  It was situated on the Feeder Road, behind Temple Meads Station (see map).  The drawing of the pottery (which appears on letter headings and the 1894 catalogue) bears little resemblance to the plan shown on the map and may be incorrect.  In 1889 Pountney & Co. Ltd was formed, with Johnston and Charles Burn as joint managing directors.  T B Johnston, a nephew of Patrick, had joined the business in 1882 (he was 20 in 1884).  Burn had joined in 1864, as a clerk, and would die in 1911.  Under Johnston and Burn the financial situation of the business changed for the better, despite the fact that the product range remained unchanged.  This was achieved by increased productivity, they soon had a single site producing more than two had previously done. There is also a mention of ownership of  the Crown Pottery (St. George's) in 1891.  It would appear that ownership was probably by the directors rather directly by the business, and had ended by March 1894.  This seems to have been followed by the purchase of the Bovey Tracy pottery in the same year (by Johnston and Burn), which ran as a sister business until closure in 1957.  A price list for 1888 shows that there was a sample room at 8 Bath Street. Scharff & Co. Limited are listed in Kelly's directory for 1897 and are not mentioned by Henrywood or any other directory.  The listing is under the classification "Potter's Transfer Mas.", presumably they supplied plates for use in transfer printing.  The address is given as Feeder Road, St. Phillips Marsh.  The street listing shows that they were next to Pountneys, with Glasshouse Lane in between. W H Bell joined the board in 1900 and provided the capital for the move to Fishponds.  An eight acre site was purchased, on Lodge Causeway, and the move was completed in 1906.  Products During this period hand painting gradually ended and the pottery produced printed wares, which have little artistic merit.  Few pieces survive from this period.  Little appears to be known about the pottery's products before 1877.  Litho color printing was first introduced in 1863, although the quality was not very good to start with (NCS Newsletter Dec 2003).  By the late 1880's Pountney's were doing high quality color litho printing.  A price list for 1877 mentions dinner services in willow pattern, common pheasant (this was still made in the 20th century), Lind, Paxton, common band and line.  The same patterns were mentioned in the 1888 price list.  Two-handled enamelled mugs were made, at a factory price of 8/6d, 9/6d and 10/6d per dozen.  These are actually litho printed and one sold recently at clevedon salerooms for 138 pounds.  The Victoria pottery made "perfect" government stamped earthenware measures in quart, pint and half-pint sizes.  They were jugs and mugs, and available in tankard printed, brown and green mocha, blue and black. The 1894 catalogue has dinner wares in band and line, pheasant, willow, Rhine, Corinth and Denbigh patterns.  Pheasant ware could be lettered in gold.  An export catalogue for 1896 mentions "chromatic litho effects" (the pottery purchased chromate of iron in 1886).  A catalogue for 1897 offers a portrait of Queen Victoria.  The 1899 price list has similar items to that for 1888, but includes tea wares, plus bread and butter plates (printed ones were 3/- per dozen).  An undated price list mentions semi-porcelain dinner wares. The 1884 accounts refer to Slater's patent.  Pieces of pottery made by Doulton at Lambeth c1886-1914, with special decoration, are marked "SLATER'S PATENT".  So there may well be some Bristol pieces with this mark, or similar decoration, made c1884.  The same accounts suggest that there may have been some direct printing from photographs at this time. A directory entry for 1865 shows that Pountneys were also wholesalers for other potteries.