Cornishware: Made in Cornwall?

Image the scene, the Cornish splits you made earlier are quietly rising in the oven, you look out of your cottage window and marvel at the meadow awash with summer flowers as you fill your Cornishware jug and bowl with jam and cream. 

This alternate blue and white striped tableware is just perfect because Cornishware is the epitome of the Cornish life style mentioned above and after all, the inspiration for this collection is Cornwall's the blue skies and the crested waves of is beautiful clear sea. ​

You will be surprised to learn then, that apart from the artistic link to Cornwall's sky and waves, this kitchenware's only real link to Cornwall is the Cornish china clay it was once made from. The lorries of T G Green and Co, took the ideal, along with the clay, to the coal fired kilns of its potteries in Derbyshire because they considered it cheaper to transport the clay to the midlands, rather than manufacture in Cornwall.

Instead of sitting at our kitchen table in Cornwall we now find ourselves in the Lincolnshire town of Boston, where the founder of T G Green was born in 1822. Thomas Goodwin Green was the son of a struggling corn merchant and one of nine children whose family eventually moved to London. It was here that Green met Mary Tenniel, the sister of John Tenniel, the talented illustrator of Alice in Wonderland and Punch magazine. Their early relationship was somewhat stained due to the fact that she was either pushing too hard for marriage or that he was involved with the daughter of a fencing instructor, either way Mary Tenniel lost patience and left, the broken hearted Green caught the next boat to Australia. It was in Australia that Thomas made the beginnings of his fortune, initially putting up telegraph poles then in the construction business, but eventually he returned to England and to Mary Tenniel. ​​

It was while on honeymoon in Scarborough that the ever ambitious Green met Henry Wilemanin, the owner of a number of potteries in Swadlincote and one in Church Gresley that he wished to sell. Sensing an opportunity, Green travelled to Derbyshire and in 1864 he purchased Wilemanin's business and a family home in Barton under Needwood. Six children were born to the couple and while Mary tended to the children Thomas purchased a large piece of land on which he built bottle kilns and workshops. Over time production increased as did his workforce, and it was at this point that the company changed from making their product in the local brown clay to the more delicate white of the Cornish enabling the company to concentrate on making a more refined product. Within thirty years Green had made his fortune with goods coming out of his factories stamped Church Gresly Potteries, Burton on Trent. ​

In 1903 Greens factory was damaged by a large fire and the introduction of a purchase tax on pottery products saw a down turn in production, but by installing electricity and gas in his factories he was able to use quicker and more effective boilers. He replaced the old bottle kiln with the new automated tunnel kiln and once again production increased. The date that Cornishware made its first appearance in Greens potteries is not known, but it was probably during the 1920's, as a range of goods appears in their trade catalogue of 1924, by the 1930's sales had really taken off and a thriving export business established. T G Green Cornishware range included wonderful lettered jars to hold flour, sugar salt, raisins tea and coffee, customers were given the opportunity to name their own, such as the one seen below named Viota, which is a brand of cake mix. The customers request slip was sent to the factory where they were fired and return to the shop. Green saw his products sell in English shops all over the country from Woolworths to Harrods. ​

Eventually, T G Greens became a limited company and Thomas handed over his business to his son Roger and his great friend one Henry King and retired in comfort to London. Thomas company survived and expanded making many different products from bowls, cups and saucers to rolling pins and the 1960's Greens design was updated by young designer Judith Onions, who restyled the range which is a much loved as Thomas's design and now both Greens and Onions designs have become popular with collectors.

In 2007 the factories closed down and in 2010 all that remained of Greens kilns at Gresley are crumbling chimneys and a few broken pots and a for sale sign attached above the door

                                                                            "For Sale. Home of Cornishware"

For more images of what's left of T G Green and Co please click on the link 


                                          http://www.ukurbex.co.uk/tg-green-pottery-swadlincote-derbyshire/