Event Date + Time:
Event Location:
Nantgarw China works
Event Cost:
Event Information:
A day visit to Nant Garw to learn about the history of this Welsh porcelain. The factory made porcelain of very high quality, especially in the years from 1813-1814 and 1817-1820. The white, translucent body and was overglazed with high quality decoration although this was done mainly off site. Highly decorated plates were the most common form and the vivid colours and floral decoration made them particularly attractive. As this was an expensive product it was sold mainly through London outlets. This production was short lived due to difficulties with firing and other problems. By the 1830’s Thomas Pardoe, took over the vacant Nantgarw Pottery and began manufacturing stoneware bottles and brown glazed earthenware known as Rockingham ware. He also began manufacturing clay tobacco pipes, many of which were exported to Ireland. The business continued under Pardoe’s descendants, and at its peak produced around 10,000 pipes a week, until its closure in 1920, when cigarettes replaced such clay pipes.
We will arrive at Nant Garw for 10:15 where we will be refreshed by tea/coffee and cake. This will be followed by an introductory talk explaining how the porcelain has been recreated. Then a guided tour of parts of the pottery not normally available to the public.
This activity will be followed by a cold buffet lunch . Suitably refreshed we will then enjoy a demonstration of pipe making and slip casting of Nant Garw porcelain. This will be followed by tea and cake before we take our leave at 15:15 hrs.
