Burmantofts Pottery
Encyclopedia
Burmantofts
Burmantofts is an area of 1960s high-rise housing blocks in inner-city east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England adjacent to the city centre and St. James's Hospital. It is a racially diverse area, with sizable Afro-Caribbean and Irish communities, but suffers the social problems typical of similar areas...
district of Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The business began in 1859 when fire clay
Fire clay
Fire clay is a term applied to a range of refractory clays used in the manufacture of ceramics, especially fire brick.High grade fire clays can withstand temperatures of 1775°C , but to be referred to as a "fire clay" the material must withstand a minimum temperature of 1515°C...
was discovered in a coal mine owned by William Wilcox and John Lassey. In 1863 Lassey's share was bought by John Holroyd and the company then named Wilcox & Co.
In 1879, after a period of expansion, the firm made decorative bricks and tiles in orange or buff-coloured architectural terracotta
Architectural terracotta
Terracotta, in its unglazed form, became fashionable as an architectural ceramic construction material in England in the 1860s, and in the United States in the 1870s. It was generally used to supplement brick and tiles of similar colour in late Victorian buildings.It had been used before this in...
, glazed bricks, and glazed terracotta (faience)
Glazed architectural terra-cotta
Glazed architectural terra-cotta is a ceramic masonry building material popular in the United States from the late 19th century until the 1930s, and still one of the most common building materials found in U.S. urban environments...
. Architect Alfred Waterhouse
Alfred Waterhouse
Alfred Waterhouse was a British architect, particularly associated with the Victorian Gothic Revival architecture. He is perhaps best known for his design for the Natural History Museum in London, and Manchester Town Hall, although he also built a wide variety of other buildings throughout the...
used their materials in his Yorkshire College (1883) in Leeds.
In 1885 products were on sale in London, Paris and Montreal. By 1889 they had commissioned Maurice Bingham Adams to design stock items for their catalogue. Also in 1889 Wilcox & Co merged with other companies to found The Leeds Fireclay Co. Ltd. — the largest in the country.
Terracotta production ceased in 1904 but the firm created an artificial marble called Marmo in 1908, as used on Atlas House, King Street, Leeds and Michelin House
Michelin House
Michelin House at 81 Fulham Road, Chelsea, London was constructed as the first permanent UK headquarters and tyre depot for the Michelin Tyre Company Ltd. The building opened for business on 20 January 1911.-Brief history:...
, London.
The firm closed in 1957, at which time it comprised ninety kilns on 16 acres (64,749.8 m²) of land.
Examples
- Atlas House, King Street, Leeds
- County Arcade, Leeds (Matcham)
- Great Hall interior, University of Leeds, 1890-4, (Alfred Waterhouse)
- Michelin HouseMichelin HouseMichelin House at 81 Fulham Road, Chelsea, London was constructed as the first permanent UK headquarters and tyre depot for the Michelin Tyre Company Ltd. The building opened for business on 20 January 1911.-Brief history:...
, South Kensington, London - London Road Fire Station