Pottery Lane
Encyclopedia
Pottery Lane is a street in Notting Hill
, west London
. Today it forms part of one of London's most fashionable and expensive neighbourhoods, but in the mid-19th century it lay at the heart of a wretched and notorious slum
known as the "Potteries and the Piggeries". The slum came to the attention of Londoners with the building of the Hippodrome
in 1837 by entrepreneur John Whyte
. Unfortunately for Whyte a public right of way existed over his land and "dirty and dissolute vagabonds" from the nearby slum invaded his race-course, adding to his financial difficulties and, in part, leading to the closure of his venture in 1842. Pottery Lane gradually improved in the late 20th century along with the rest of the Notting Hill
area, and today the houses sell for seven figure sums. Just one of the original brick kiln
s still survives; it is located in Walmer road, just north of Pottery Lane, and bears a commemorative plaque placed there by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
.
fields which lay at the northern end of the street. According to the Victorian author and philanthropist Mary Bayly, the local soil was "almost entirely composed of stiff clay, peculiarly adapted for that purpose [brick making]", and from the late 18th century, high quality clay was dug here and used for brick making to supply the voracious appetite of London's growing suburbs. Bricks and tiles were stored in sheds lining Pottery Lane and were fired in large kiln
s - one of which, on Walmer Road, remains to this day.
and Tottenham Court Road
as London expanded westwards. Sanitation was poor and fresh water scarce. Many families lived with the pigs in their hovels, which soon became slums. The brick-makers themselves were said to be "notorious types", known for "riotous living".
One local resident, who had lived in the neighbourhood for forty years, described the area to Mary Bayly:
There were no planning restrictions and no proper drainage or sanitary arrangements. Extraction of the clay left large holes which became filled with stagnant water, pig slurry and sewage. One of these pools grew to such proportions that it became known as "the Ocean". In the mid-19th century the street had become so bad it became known as "Cut throat lane". In 1850 Charles Dickens
described the area as "a plague spot scarcely equalled for its insalubrity by any other in London".
in 1837 by entrepreneur John Whyte
, that the squalor of Pottery Lane was brought to London's attention. Whyte leased 140 acre (0.5665604 km²) of land from James Weller Ladbroke
, owner of the Ladbroke Estate
, and proceeded to enclose "the slopes of Notting Hill and the meadows west of Westbourne Grove
" with a 7 feet (2.1 m) high wooden paling, creating a race course intended to rival Epsom
and Ascot
. Unfortunately, the race course bordered on Pottery lane and a public right of way existed over Whyte's land, making the race meetings easily accessible by the local slum-dwellers. These were not the sort of customers that Whyte had in mind, and The Times
's correspondent complained of "the dirty and dissolute vagabonds of London, a more filthy and disgusting crew ...we have seldom had the misfortune to encounter." Whyte was unable to eject these less than appealing visitors, whose "villainous activities" were a continual source of trouble, and the Hippodrome was finally closed in 1842.
s still survives; it is located in Walmer road, just north of Pottery Lane, and bears a commemorative plaque placed there by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
. "The Ocean" was filled and covered in 1892 and is now leafy Avondale Park.
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
, west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Today it forms part of one of London's most fashionable and expensive neighbourhoods, but in the mid-19th century it lay at the heart of a wretched and notorious slum
Slum
A slum, as defined by United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...
known as the "Potteries and the Piggeries". The slum came to the attention of Londoners with the building of the Hippodrome
Kensington Hippodrome
The Kensington Hippodrome was a racecourse built in Notting Hill, London, in 1837, by entrepreneur John Whyte. Whyte leased of land from James Weller Ladbroke, owner of the Ladbroke Estate, and proceeded to enclose "the slopes of Notting Hill and the meadows west of Westbourne Grove" with a high...
in 1837 by entrepreneur John Whyte
John Whyte
John Whyte may refer to:*John Whyte , former merchant and politician in Quebec*Jock Whyte, Scottish former footballer*John Henry Whyte, Irish historian and political scientist-See also:* John Whyte-Melville-Skeffington, 13th Viscount Massereene...
. Unfortunately for Whyte a public right of way existed over his land and "dirty and dissolute vagabonds" from the nearby slum invaded his race-course, adding to his financial difficulties and, in part, leading to the closure of his venture in 1842. Pottery Lane gradually improved in the late 20th century along with the rest of the Notting Hill
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
area, and today the houses sell for seven figure sums. Just one of the original brick kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
s still survives; it is located in Walmer road, just north of Pottery Lane, and bears a commemorative plaque placed there by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a central London borough of Royal borough status. After the City of Westminster, it is the wealthiest borough in England....
.
History
Pottery Lane takes its name from the brickBrick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
fields which lay at the northern end of the street. According to the Victorian author and philanthropist Mary Bayly, the local soil was "almost entirely composed of stiff clay, peculiarly adapted for that purpose [brick making]", and from the late 18th century, high quality clay was dug here and used for brick making to supply the voracious appetite of London's growing suburbs. Bricks and tiles were stored in sheds lining Pottery Lane and were fired in large kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
s - one of which, on Walmer Road, remains to this day.
Potteries and Piggeries
The brick makers soon found themselves living and working with pig-keepers who had been forced to move west from Marble ArchMarble Arch
Marble Arch is a white Carrara marble monument that now stands on a large traffic island at the junction of Oxford Street, Park Lane, and Edgware Road, almost directly opposite Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park in London, England...
and Tottenham Court Road
Tottenham Court Road
Tottenham Court Road is a major road in central London, United Kingdom, running from St Giles Circus north to Euston Road, near the border of the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, a distance of about three-quarters of a mile...
as London expanded westwards. Sanitation was poor and fresh water scarce. Many families lived with the pigs in their hovels, which soon became slums. The brick-makers themselves were said to be "notorious types", known for "riotous living".
One local resident, who had lived in the neighbourhood for forty years, described the area to Mary Bayly:
- "Now pig keepers is respectable; but them bricklayers, they bean't, some of them, no wiser than the clay theys works on....On Sundays we had cock-fighting and bull-baiting, and lots of dogs were kept on purpose to amuse the people by fighting and rat killing. People around the place were frightened of these dogs, and nobody ever cared to come nigh the place. We didn't ourselves venture out after it was dark; if we hadn't got in all we wanted before night, why we jist went without it, for besides the dogs...there was the roads; leastwise, we called 'em roads, but they wornt for all that - it was jist a lot of ups and downs, and when you had put one foot down, you didn't know how to pull the other one up."
There were no planning restrictions and no proper drainage or sanitary arrangements. Extraction of the clay left large holes which became filled with stagnant water, pig slurry and sewage. One of these pools grew to such proportions that it became known as "the Ocean". In the mid-19th century the street had become so bad it became known as "Cut throat lane". In 1850 Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
described the area as "a plague spot scarcely equalled for its insalubrity by any other in London".
The Hippodrome
Dickens' criticism was unusual, as very few Londoners ventured anywhere near the Potteries and Piggeries. It was only with the building of the HippodromeKensington Hippodrome
The Kensington Hippodrome was a racecourse built in Notting Hill, London, in 1837, by entrepreneur John Whyte. Whyte leased of land from James Weller Ladbroke, owner of the Ladbroke Estate, and proceeded to enclose "the slopes of Notting Hill and the meadows west of Westbourne Grove" with a high...
in 1837 by entrepreneur John Whyte
John Whyte
John Whyte may refer to:*John Whyte , former merchant and politician in Quebec*Jock Whyte, Scottish former footballer*John Henry Whyte, Irish historian and political scientist-See also:* John Whyte-Melville-Skeffington, 13th Viscount Massereene...
, that the squalor of Pottery Lane was brought to London's attention. Whyte leased 140 acre (0.5665604 km²) of land from James Weller Ladbroke
James Weller Ladbroke
James Weller Ladbroke was a Nineteenth century landowner and the principal developer of the Ladbroke Estate, a substantial parcel of land in Notting Hill, London, England.Many streets in Notting Hill still bear the Ladbroke name today, including Ladbroke Grove and Ladbroke Square, and the former...
, owner of the Ladbroke Estate
Ladbroke Estate
The Ladbroke Estate was a substantial estate of land owned by the Ladbroke family in Notting Hill, London, England, in the early 19th century that was gradually developed and turned into housing during the middle years of the century, as London expanded...
, and proceeded to enclose "the slopes of Notting Hill and the meadows west of Westbourne Grove
Westbourne Grove
Westbourne Grove is a retail road running across Notting Hill, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, a section of west London, England. It runs from Kensington Park Road in the west to Queensway in the east, crossing over Portobello Road...
" with a 7 feet (2.1 m) high wooden paling, creating a race course intended to rival Epsom
Epsom
Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England. Small parts of Epsom are in the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. The town is located south-south-west of Charing Cross, within the Greater London Urban Area. The town lies on the chalk downland of Epsom Downs.-History:Epsom lies...
and Ascot
Ascot
Ascot is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means 'eastern cottage'.-Places:Ascot is the name of several places:In Australia:* Ascot, Queensland, suburb of Brisbane* Ascot Park, South Australia, suburb of Adelaide...
. Unfortunately, the race course bordered on Pottery lane and a public right of way existed over Whyte's land, making the race meetings easily accessible by the local slum-dwellers. These were not the sort of customers that Whyte had in mind, and The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
's correspondent complained of "the dirty and dissolute vagabonds of London, a more filthy and disgusting crew ...we have seldom had the misfortune to encounter." Whyte was unable to eject these less than appealing visitors, whose "villainous activities" were a continual source of trouble, and the Hippodrome was finally closed in 1842.
Pottery Lane today
Today the houses in Pottery lane sell for seven figure sums. Just one of the original brick kilnKiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
s still survives; it is located in Walmer road, just north of Pottery Lane, and bears a commemorative plaque placed there by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a central London borough of Royal borough status. After the City of Westminster, it is the wealthiest borough in England....
. "The Ocean" was filled and covered in 1892 and is now leafy Avondale Park.
External links
- Article by Ian Youngs at BBC news Online, 17 May, 2004, Streets of London: Pottery Lane. Retrieved Feb 2 2010
- Potteries and piggeries and the history of Notting Dale at www.worley.org.uk Retrieved Feb 2 2010
- Short piece on Pottery Lane at www.britishlocalhistory.co.uk Retrieved Feb 2 2010