Summary
The monument comprises of the buried archaeological remains of the Isleworth Pottery, established by Joseph Shore in 1756-7 which continued in production until 1831. The Pottery, an example of London's early porcelain industry, produced porcelain commercially from 1766 to 1787.
Reasons for Designation
The monument comprising the remains of Isleworth Pottery, established by Joseph Shore of Worcester in 1756-57 which produced porcelain from 1766 to 1787 is scheduled for the following principal reasons:
* Period: as a mid-C18 to early C19 Pottery representative of its period and type and important for its leading role in the early history and technical development of England’s soft-paste porcelain industry and its products;
* Rarity: as an example of London's early porcelain industry, the smallest yet probably the last-remaining of only five porcelain manufactories operating in London during the mid-C18;
* Survival/Condition: whilst there is some deterioration and loss due to post-1831 landscaping and later development, the extent of the Pottery and its layout which does survive is legible with evidence of structures, deposits, features and finds present;
* Diversity: as a site which comprises a diverse range of artefactual material and post-medieval pottery including nationally significant Isleworth Porcelain as well as industrial and residential structures, features and deposits;
* Documentation: the Isleworth Pottery is well-documented, having been subject to recent archaeological investigation, post-excavation assessment and publication, and is included in historic documentary accounts, academic research, insurance records and historic plans;
* Potential: partially exposed and preserved-in-situ after archaeological investigation in 2015, there is a high potential for further buried structural remains, deposits and finds associated with the Pottery and its industrial complex particularly on the southern undeveloped part of the site.
History
THE HISTORY OF LONDON'S EARLY PORCELAIN INDUSTRY
The early history of porcelain manufacture in England stemmed from the desire to establish a national industry to rival that of the Far East. Initially the preserve of the wealthy and powerful during the reign of Elizabeth I; by the end of the C17, trade in ceramics was flourishing with China, and considerable shipments of porcelain were entering the country principally through London. The influence of Chinese porcelain on English ceramics was profound, generating extensive imitation and inspiration in the tin-glazed earthenware ('delftware') industry in London and other centres long before the English (soft-paste) porcelain manufactory was established in the mid-C18. Made in small factories started by private enterprise and 'developed in emulation of an exotic import by enquiring and commercially minded entrepreneurs' (Young 1999,12), it is in London that the English porcelain industry has its roots. London's position as the nation's capital and a major port played a crucial role in the early history of porcelain manufacture in Britain, and four of the five key factories operating in the C18 (Chelsea, Limehouse, Vauxhall and Isleworth) were situated on or close to the River Thames, with the fifth factory Bow located on one of its tributaries, the River Lea. This waterside location was essential for shipping raw materials and goods in and out. Although the London factories were situated far from their clay sources and coal supplies for fuel, they were at the centre of fashionable society. London had many craftsmen in the jewellery and metal working trades whose skills could be applied to new materials; it offered direct access to a substantial wholesale network and a large number of retail outlets; and it was the most important port for international trade (Sewell, J, 2007).
The London factories, which varied in their organisation and operation, were operating at a crucial time in British ceramic history, and played a vital leading role in the development of porcelain during the mid-C18. Their influence on other ceramic producers and on the wider market for ceramics at this period was considerable. There are myriad connections, technologically and stylistically between the London factories and other porcelain manufacturers around England, notably in the Midlands, in the west and north of England and in East Anglia. The porcelain factories established and operating in London between the mid-1740s and the 1780s represent the origins and early development of this important industry in England. This was a crucial period that saw much experimentation in manufacturing processes, decoration and stylistic innovation. It was in London that the early experiments with paste, decoration and vessel shapes took place as the porcelain manufacturers sought to find their niche in the wider market for fine ceramics (MoLA, 2016, 11). Within 40 years, however, the focus of the industry was moving outwards, away from the capital. By 1787, when Isleworth stopped making porcelain, there were no porcelain manufacturers operating in London and all production was taking place at centres away from the capital, with a special emphasis on the Midlands. This was in part brought about by ease of access to the coal measures as a source of fuel, to the presence of a growing and highly skilled workforce, and to improvements in transport brought about by the canal network and turnpikes. London remained crucial to distribution and marketing, but was no longer actively involved in manufacture by the end of the C18.
HISTORY OF THE ISLEWORTH POTTERY
The Isleworth pottery was established at Railshead Creek, near a ferry crossing and wharf at the junction of the Thames and its tributary the River Crane at Isleworth, Middlesex by Joseph Shore of Worcester in 1756-1757. Porcelain manufacture was not introduced at the site until approximately 1766 when Shore ran it in partnership with his son William Shore and his son-in-law Benjamin Quarman. Local rate records confirm by 1768 there were two pot houses, two other houses and nine adjoining tenements, known on the historic maps as China Row. Historic documentation suggests it was set up on a small scale, employing from fifteen to twenty hands, and two kilns, one used for 'biscuit' and the other for glazing (Chaffers, W, 1866). This corresponds with evidence from the 1813 Isleworth Inclosure Award Map, which indicates a small group of buildings housing the pottery, as well as the terrace of nine cottages used by the factory workmen and the partners of the pottery. The factory's insurance policies also suggest a relatively modest operation comparable to medium-sized or smaller factories such as Lowestoft (Massey, 2003, 296). The layout of the factory between 1765 and 1768, as shown by insurance records, covered 4100 square feet and comprised two mills, storage space for coal, sand and clay, with only one reference to a kiln. This increased in size after 1786, measuring 6000 square feet, and included a 'Glaze Kiln' and two 'Kiln Houses'; the premises were valued at between £228 in 1765 and £600 in 1786 (Massey, 2003, 296-8). An illustrative view of the complex of buildings surrounding the Isleworth pottery seen from the Thames by Samuel Leigh dated 1829 provides further detail on the layout and form of the pottery buildings (the pottery is depicted with the grey roof, to the north of the cottages) (MoLA, 2016, Fig 29).
After Joseph's death in 1768, the pottery passed to his wife Ann, his sons and son-in law in various partnerships. Although it was originally leased, the Shore family acquired the freehold to the pottery works in 1786. Production continued at the site until 1831, after which the business was relocated to Hanworth Road in Hounslow, where production continued under the auspices of Joanna Goulding, his grand-daughter, until her death in 1855 (Massey et al, 2003). At no point was porcelain made on the site at Hanworth, although factory wasters from the Isleworth factory were transported to the Heath and dumped in disused clay quarry pits. Land at the former Isleworth pottery was sold to Priscilla Franks, owner of the first Isleworth House. Ownership of the house passed to her niece, Isabella Cooper in 1832 who together with her husband Sir William Cooper, who was also chaplain to George III, built the second Isleworth House and its ornamental gardens within the grounds of the former pottery, which was demolished (CgMs Consulting, 2014, 15). This is confirmed on the 1863 OS map which demonstrates the existence of a number of garden features within the remodelled estate, including a conservatory, an icehouse and a lodge adjacent to the main gate. Isleworth House was acquired by the Order of the Poor Sisters of Nazareth in 1892 and converted into a convent with a chapel in 1899 and a burial ground to the south. Isleworth House, known as Nazareth House on modern OS maps, closed in 2002 and the house and its grounds were sold to developers St James Group and Beechcroft who obtained planning permission for re-development in 2014. The southern area of the Isleworth Pottery site is still largely undeveloped.
The products of the Isleworth Pottery changed over time, with the production of creamware (and possibly some slipware) from 1756 until about 1766 followed by production of porcelain until 1787. After that date the pottery appears to have produced combed slipware. Many of the sherds found in areas associated with the pottery appear to reflect consumption waste; for example, finds of Chinese porcelain, German stoneware, delftware, Wedgwood marked pottery and much C19 household pottery. Production wasters appear to be limited to early creamware, early redwares, porcelain and slipware. Limited qualities of red stoneware and black ware wasters may indicate experimentation rather than commercial production (MoLA, 2016, 29). Further information on the porcelain products of Isleworth is produced in Godden's 'Guide to English Blue and White Porcelain' (Godden, 2004, Chapter VII), and a recent publication draft article of Pre-Construct Archaeology's 2015 excavation (Jarrett & Haslam, 2016). Massey et al have produced the most complete catalogue of Isleworth porcelain to date (Massey et al, 2003). Although a small factory, the Isleworth Pottery was potentially London's longest-lasting porcelain manufacturer. Their wares were sold mainly locally, but Isleworth's porcelain was also bought by the aristocracy including the Duke of Beaufort, Lady Bath, the Honourable Mrs Keppel and the residents of nearby Syon House.
HISTORY OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION AT ISLEWORTH POTTERY
A number of archaeological investigations have been undertaken across the area of the Isleworth Pottery from 1921 until 2015 providing significant archaeological evidence on the historical and technological development of the Pottery as well as early porcelain manufacturing on the site. These are documented in the MoLA project assessment report (MoLA, 2016, 30) and include:
1. ISLEWORTH HOUSE GROUNDS, 1921: Limited excavations were undertaken by William Pountney which are recorded in a manuscript titled 'Isleworth potteries 1750-1850' held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, National Art Library. Pountney reported finding tin-glazed earthenware fragments and some oriental porcelain sherds. He concluded that tin-glazed ware was being made at the pottery, though this has not been proven by subsequent archaeological investigations. There are no map or measurements in the report.
2. NAZARETH HOUSE GROUNDS, 1975: The West London Archaeological Field Group investigated the grounds of the convent and uncovered further evidence of ceramic manufacturing. The finds are housed at Gunnersbury Park Museum. No site records or plans survive (Barker 2000, 3).
3. THAMES RIVERSIDE NEAR RAILSHEAD CREEK, 1994-8: Ray Howard and Norman Bayliss uncovered a considerable quantity of sherds from the Isleworth Pottery on the foreshore beside the site of the factory. The material recovered included a large amount of slipware, mainly bowls and dishes with combed decoration, salt-glazed stoneware (brown, white and dipped), creamware, pearlware and a small amount of porcelain. Their findings are described in Howard's paper: ' Isleworth Pottery: Recognition at last?' published in the English Ceramic Circle's Transactions journal of 1998, Vol 16, Part 3. Some of the porcelain sherds from this investigation are illustrated in the catalogue on 'Isleworth Porcelain' written to accompany an exhibition of matching Isleworth pieces at Stratford in 1998 (Gabszewicz and Jellicoe, 1998). The finds are held privately and have not been deposited in the LAARC or any other archaeological archive.
4. GROUNDS OF NAZARETH HOUSE, 1999 (LAARC Site Code RDR99): Six evaluation trial pits measuring 1m square were excavated in the grounds of Nazareth House in September 1999 with volunteers under the direction of David Barker and Noel Boothroyd, of the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke on Trent. This was undertaken following a magnetometer survey funded by the Greater London Archaeological Advisory Service/English Heritage at the request of the Isleworth Pottery Research Group. Possible foundations of the north wall of the Pottery were recorded as well as a floor remnant possibly from one of the factory buildings and pottery that included both domestic waste and wares produced by the factory, four fragments of plaster of Paris moulds and two saggar fragments (Howard 2001, 467-469; Barker, 2000, 6).
5. NAZARETH HOUSE, 2002-2004 (LAARC Site Code RDD02): A watching brief of geotechnical investigations was undertaken by MoLAS in 2002, followed by an archaeological evaluation. Of the five test pits monitored during the watching brief, two of these were in the southern part of the above site, in the area of the Isleworth Pottery. These revealed evidence of demolition rubble which included C18 unfrogged bricks, possibly from one of the pottery buildings. As well as ceramic building material including vitrified bricks, the finds included fragments of kiln furniture and kiln waste. A possible cellar floor of a pottery building was also recorded.
6. GROUNDS OF ISLEWORTH HOUSE, 2014-15 (LAARC Site Code ISL14): An archaeological excavation in November 2014 and a watching brief in May and July 2015 was undertaken by Pre-Construct Archaeology in 2015 as part of a planning application for redevelopment of Isleworth House and its grounds. This followed a desk-based assessment in 2014 by CgMs Consulting and an archaeological evaluation by Pre-Construct Archaeology which uncovered some remains of the pottery. Detailed information on the results are included in a post-excavation assessment report (PCA, 2015) and a draft publication article entitled 'The Isleworth potteries and its products' (Jarrett & Haslam, 2016). The remains identified are described below in the 'Details' section of the List Entry.
7. ISLEWORTH PORCELAIN FACTORY, ISLEWORTH HOUSE: HERITAGE CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN, AUGUST 2016: Produced by CgMs Consulting on behalf of developers St James' Group on the advice of Historic England's GLAAS and the LPA. This provides a management framework for the surviving buried remains of the Isleworth Pottery, part of which are located beneath Plots 38-39 of the southern end of a crescent of new town-houses; and a new retaining wall for flood defence.
Details
The Isleworth Pottery, established by Joseph Shore in 1756-57 and in production until 1831. An early producer of English porcelain from 1766 to 1787.
PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS
The monument includes the buried structural remains, deposits and finds associated with the manufacturing site of Isleworth Pottery. The pottery is located at approximately NGR 516580 175462 between Richmond Road, Isleworth to the W and with direct access to the River Thames at the E. The pottery site is located between two present-day land boundaries comprising to the N part of the 2015-16 development 'Fitzroy Gate' and part of land to the S occupied by the Third Osterley Sea Scouts Group. The natural geology comprises of Kempton Park Gravels and the topography slopes down from N to S across the area with a slight slope down from W to E towards the river Thames. The documentary evidence, referred to in the history section above, indicates that the pottery was divided into a northern and southern range running perpendicular to the Richmond Road. A terrace of nine cottages which formerly housed workers of the pottery stood directly behind the southern range, named 'China Row'. The original layout of the pottery from 1765 to 1786 covered an area of 4,100 square feet, and included two mills, storage areas for clay, coal and sand, but with only one reference to a kiln. After 1786, the layout increased in size to 6,000 square feet and included a 'Glaze Kiln' and two 'Kiln Houses' (Massey, R, 2003, 296).
DESCRIPTION
The 2015 archaeological investigation by Pre-Construct Archaeology provides further information on the character, extent, positioning and size of the structures which are known to survive in the area (PCA, 2015, Fig 6). By overlying the features onto the 1813 Inclosure map, an E-W aligned wall footing measuring at least 9.5m in length is identified as the southern wall of the N range of pottery buildings. This adjoins a remnant of internal wall aligned N-S, which would have enclosed a small area of internal floor surface, probably of the second building along from the W indicated on the above plan. There is evidence of some drainage infrastructure and yard surfaces to the S, which lie between the N and S ranges of buildings. Deposits of burnt material are contained within the make-up layers of these surfaces. A pit containing cattle leg bones, within this area, is indicative of porcelain production as bone ash was mixed with clay during its processing. Further pitting and post-holes containing saggers and kiln waste along with pottery and other pieces of kiln furniture have been identified mostly in the central yard area including the base and lower walls of a substantial brick-lined pit measuring 4m in length from E to W and 2.75m in width from N to S located towards the W of the pottery site. The evidence recorded suggests that a wooden structure may have stood at its western end. A square drain present along the northern edge of the floor suggests that this feature may have been used for settling clay (Jarrett & Haslam, 2016). A brick-lined drain to the S of the pit was found to be backfilled with substantial quantities of pottery. To the S, at least four sections of walls associated with the pottery's southern range of buildings have been identified. Most of these were identified during the excavation of a trench for a flood defence retaining wall, as part of the new development to the N. It is likely further structures, deposits and finds associated with the S ranges of the pottery and the cottages are located on the undeveloped land to the S. At least 2,209 sherds of production waste were examined from the 1758-1830 period during the post-excavation stage. These confirmed that agate ware, creamware, porcelain, Staffordshire type slipware and red stoneware were all made at the Isleworth pottery and that course red earthenwares, either with a clear or a brown glaze and sometimes white slip coated were all produced and marketed locally. A sequence of dumped deposits containing pottery wasters and production debris was recorded above the demolished structures.
EXTENT OF SCHEDULING
The monument's extent is based on historic maps of the pottery and comprises an area measuring approximately 560 square metres. This is delineated to protect the pottery site as a whole including its associated structures, features, deposits and finds. A buffer of 2m is included, considered essential for the support and preservation of the monument.
EXCLUSIONS
All overlying modern made ground deposits, concrete, tarmac and services are excluded from the scheduling although the ground beneath them is included. The modern apartment blocks including Plots 38 & 39 and the flood defence retaining wall structure which stands above those remains of the pottery which were preserved-in-situ, as well as any fencing, signage and associated street furniture are also excluded.
