BOTTLE OVENS and KILNS remaining in the UK
Those with at least a bottle shaped brick structure, or with relevant and distinguishable remains showing above ground, are listed here. The index shows ovens and kilns which have at least something identifiable to photograph.
Downdraught beehive pottery kilns with their own separate, free-standing, tall chimney
The firemouths are situated on either side of the rectangular base, upon which is built a pair of rectangular firing chambers. The flues run from the each firebox under the floor and up either side of the chamber wall.
The pottery was originally founded in around 1750 when it was leased from and partly controlled by Lord Courtenay, the earl of Devon. The muffle kilns date to the period of expansion in around 1850 to 1900 following the foundation of the Bovey Tracey Pottery Company. The pottery was visited by Wedgwood in the 1860s, experienced an influx of workers from Staffordshire, and employed up to 200 people in its heyday.
It produced transfer printed earthenwares which were supplied to the Admiralty and also exported, stonewares, bricks, tiles and sanitary wares. There were once up to 16 kilns, five of which were muffle kilns. Following a protracted strike in 1957 the pottery was finally closed and all but the three surviving kilns were demolished by 1958.
https://knowyourlondon.wordpress.com/2017/07/03/fulham-pottery/
Eight firemouths and bags feed the firing chamber. Flames and products of combustion are drawn down through the firing chamber to flues extending from underneath the floor to within the wall beside the firing chamber to vent into the
bottle shaped chimney above the structure.
Bases of two ovens, rebuilt and relocated at The Brampton Museum, Newcastle, Staffs. A biscuit earthenware oven probably built between 1724 and 1744 for Samuel Bell , and a smaller porcelain oven thought to have been constructed for William Steers no later than 1746/ 47. Both were excavated in 1969-71 and relocated to the Brampton by 1975.
## http://www.portobelloheritagetrust.co.uk/kiln_celebration.html
## https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/portobello-bottle-kilns
## https://canmore.org.uk/gallery/976578
More here> https://lowewoodmuseum.com/2016/10/31/conserving-the-former-pulham-factory-site-in-broxbourne/
Bottle oven, chimney and building. 1900. A Grade II Listed. (Demolished by current owners prior to rebuilding. Update: April 2020)
Brick with Welsh slate roof. Long building running east-west with chimney adjacent to east end at the top of the hill slope. Within the western part is a downdraught kiln with internal radial walls and six segment- arched fire holes around the perimeter. Four flues from beneath the kiln floor run up the hill to the square chimney. Two of these heat the drying shed adjacent to the kiln and two a parallel pent-roofed shed where clay slurry was dried before forming. The method of firing and ventilation and the use of waste heat to dry slurry represent an important innovation in earthenware manufacture.
Pottery built by Isaac Button Snr on site of an earlier pottery worked by the
Catherall family and continued in use by Isaac Button Jnr until 1964. Here are four silent films about Isaac Button and Soil Hill:
The story of Isaac Button who was the last true English Country Potters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=FiVFliKq63A
Also see >> https://nick-myurbex.blogspot.com/2010/11/soil-hill-old-pottery-aka-soil-hill.html
What's left in Stoke? Details on this page>
https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/education/educational-images/walkers-pottery-corbridge-7425
https://co-curate.ncl.ac.uk/bottle-kilns-corbridge/
http://www.richardmurphyarchitects.com/viewItem.php?id=7426
- Some are in excellent condition and have been restored and well cared for.
- Some are open to the public as museums or gift shops.
- Some are used as workshops and offices.
- Some are simply monuments to the past.
- Some are deteriorating very quickly through neglect or vandalism.
It is thought that this is the complete list but there may be others - do please let me know if I have missed any terry.wool@proton.me
Here is a summary of the list, sorted by UK region. The 49 bottle ovens and kilns in the Potteries of Stoke-on-Trent are sorted by location, north to south.
The detailed list is available as a PDF here>
SUMMARY LIST
Some other types of kilns in the UK
In addition to bottle ovens and bottle kilns, several downdraught beehive kilns and 2 bottle kilns with other purposes are known to exist:
- TWO downdraught beehive pottery kilns
- TWO downdraught beehive brick kilns
- SIX downdraught beehive chimney pot and drainpipe kilns (still in production 2021)
- ONE downdraught beehive pottery kiln - recently demolished (2020) - details below.
- TWO kilns with bottle shaped chimneys - possibly a lime kiln and a timber drying kiln.
- Henry Watson Pottery, Wattisfield, Suffolk. Details here>
- Errington Reay Pottery, Bardon Mill, Hexham, Northumberland. Still in production in 2026. Details here>
- Note: Soil Hill Pottery (Isaac Button) Coal Lane, Halifax, West Yorkshire. Demolished
Downdraught beehive brick kilns
- Two kilns at Great Linford, Milton Keynes, by the Grand Union Canal. Details here> Scheduled Monument
Downdraught beehive chimney pot and clay drainpipe kilns, with separate tall chimney
- W T Knowles & Sons Limited, Ash Grove Sanitary Pipe Works, Elland Rd, Halifax, HX5 9JA. 6 kilns in total - 5 fired with gas, 1 coal fired. Still in production in 2021. Website here>
Kilns which have a bottle-shaped chimney, not for pottery firing, but function not definitely identified
- Chapel Street Kiln, Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire. Probably a lime kiln
- "Bottle Kiln", The Deal Ground, Norwich, Norfolk. Possibly a timber drying kiln
Downdraught chimney pot and tile kiln
- William Blyth, Est.1840, Barton upon Humber, North Lincolnshire. Still in production 2026. Our traditional coal-fired down-draught kilns, now heritage-listed, were built and fire handmade tiles in small batches. These kilns remain in use today and contribute to the unique texture, colour, and performance of William Blyth tiles. Website here>
Tall Chimneys in Stoke-on-Trent
Just 7 'tall' chimneys remain standing in the Potteries. There were very many more but no-one knows for sure how many. This list courtesy of The Potteries Heritage Society :
- Chatterley Whitfield Colliery - 50m
- Price & Kensington, Longport - 23m
- Middleport Pottery, Middleport - 30m
- Shirley’s Bone & Flint Mill Co, Etruria - 38m
- Spode Factory, Stoke - 25m
- Bains Colour Works, Burslem - 26m
- Phoenix Works, Longton - 27m (during 2021, reduced to 21m)
Acknowledgments
The index was created by Terence (Terry) Woolliscroft.
Many thanks go to the following people who made this National Index possible. I am grateful for their help:
To Dr. Peter Wakelin (writer, curator, and consultant on art, heritage and history) who suggested and originated the list in March 2020.
To Phil Crow, ABIPP ARPS, for help in revising the list in April 2026 to make it more meaningful.
To Iain Hambling, historian and archivist of T.G. Green & Co Ltd, for help updating the details of the kilns in Derbyshire and Pembrokeshire, 2021
To Thomas Hayman in April 2020 for help updating the details of the Soil Hill Pottery in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Mr Hayman notes that the Soil Hill Pottery has been demolished prior to proposed rebuilding.
To Jon Goodwin for help in searching for information about the Soil Hill Pottery, and other factories.
Kiln Classification
DETAILS of some BOTTLE OVENS and KILNS standing in the UK
Applewoods Factory, Liverton, Devon
All that remains of the Liverton Art Pottery is this bottle kiln which now stands within a modern residential development. |
| The Liverton bottle kiln Photo credit: Derek Harper Date: 2006 |
Bovey Tracey Pottery, Pottery Road, Bovey Tracey, Devon
This is a scheduled monument and includes three muffle kilns which formed part of Bovey Tracey Pottery situated to the south east of the town in the valley of the River Bovey. The kilns survive aligned north to south and adjacent to one another, the southernmost is freestanding the other two are conjoined. The two kilns to the north were built by a local Newton Abbot firm of engineers and the similar single kiln was built by Thomas Willet & Co. Ltd. of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.The firemouths are situated on either side of the rectangular base, upon which is built a pair of rectangular firing chambers. The flues run from the each firebox under the floor and up either side of the chamber wall.
The pottery was originally founded in around 1750 when it was leased from and partly controlled by Lord Courtenay, the earl of Devon. The muffle kilns date to the period of expansion in around 1850 to 1900 following the foundation of the Bovey Tracey Pottery Company. The pottery was visited by Wedgwood in the 1860s, experienced an influx of workers from Staffordshire, and employed up to 200 people in its heyday.
It produced transfer printed earthenwares which were supplied to the Admiralty and also exported, stonewares, bricks, tiles and sanitary wares. There were once up to 16 kilns, five of which were muffle kilns. Following a protracted strike in 1957 the pottery was finally closed and all but the three surviving kilns were demolished by 1958.
 |
| Three muffle bottle kilns at the Bovey Tracey Pottery Photo: courtesy T J Wright Date: 2003 |
 |
| Bovey Tracey Pottery, Devon Three muffle kilns, scheduled monument Photo: courtesy D. Dawson |
Brannam's Litchdon Pottery, Barnstaple, Devon
The site on Litchdon Street dates back to at least 1830, originally operated by the Loverings and Rendell families before being leased—and later owned—by Thomas Backway Brannam around the 1840s.
Brannam’s initial output included functional wares: sewage pipes, floor tiles, bricks, and simple "country" pottery. A decorative jug even earned a medal at the Great Exhibition in 1851. Charles Hubert Brannam joined the family business at age 12 and, after studying art and ceramics in London, convinced his father to let him produce art pottery around 1879.
In 1885, Queen Victoria granted royal patronage, prompting Charles to launch the “Royal Barum Ware” brand. His pottery reached upscale London outlets like Liberty’s. The pottery remained under Brannam family ownership until 1979, later taken over by Candy & Co, who eventually relocated operations to Roundswell.
The original Litchdon Street building—including the bottle kilns—achieved Grade II listed status in 1987 and now functions partially as a medical centre, though the kiln is still visible.
 |
| Litchdon Pottery, Brannam's, Litchdon St., Barnstaple, Devon Photo: Source unknown Date: unknown |
Broseley Pipe Works, Broseley, Shropshire
The Broseley Tobacco Pipeworks were abandoned in 1957 closing the door on 350 years of traditional pipe making skills. The site remained abandoned for many years until it was re-opened in 1996 as a part of the Ironbridge Gorge Museums. The museum is based in the small town of Broseley in the Ironbridge Gorge within a World Heritage Site, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. |
| Kiln at Broseley Tobacco Pipe Works Four firemouths Photo credit: Sarah Charlesworth Date: 2011 |
Coalport China Works, Ironbridge, Shropshire
Built in 1796 alongside the Shropshire Canal, Coalport China Works occupied this factory until it’s closure in 1926. For more than a century, the works were among the most successful of their kind in the world. In its heyday, Coalport won many gold medals and prizes for its work at international exhibitions, including the 1851 Great Exhibition held in the Crystal Palace, Hyde Park. https://www.ironbridge.org.uk/explore/coalport-china-museum/ |
| Kiln at Coalport China Works Photo: source unknown Date: unknown |
Farnham Pottery, Surrey
Established in 1873 by local potter Absalom Harris, Farnham Pottery operated for over 130 years and was run by five successive generations of the Harris family. Many well-known local potters learnt their craft at the pottery which is one of the best-preserved examples of a Victorian country pottery in England. https://www.thefarnhampottery.co.uk/ |
| Farnham Pottery Photo: courtesy: Farnham Building Preservation Trust Date: 2008 |
 |
| Farnham Pottery kiln 'One of the best-preserved examples of a Victorian country pottery in England' Photo courtesy: Farnham Town Council |
Fulham Pottery, London
Fulham Pottery was founded in Fulham, London by John Dwight in 1672, at the junction of New King's Road and Burlington Road, Fulham, not far from Putney Bridge. Today, all that remains of the original pottery is one large downdraught kiln which is Grade II listed. https://keepthingslocal.com/item/fulham-pottery-kiln/ >>https://knowyourlondon.wordpress.com/2017/07/03/fulham-pottery/
Eight firemouths and bags feed the firing chamber. Flames and products of combustion are drawn down through the firing chamber to flues extending from underneath the floor to within the wall beside the firing chamber to vent into the
bottle shaped chimney above the structure.
 |
| Fulham Pottery, London Downdraught kiln Photo: unknown source Date: unknown |
Green's Pottery. T.G. Green, Church Gresley, Derbyshire
T.G. Green & Co Ltd originally operated from the village of Church Gresley, South Derbyshire, between 1864 and 2007. More famous for their blue and white striped 'Cornish Kitchen Ware' produced from the early 1920s, the pottery produced many hundreds of patterns from Yellow wares, Victorian transfer prints, colourful hand painted Art Nouveau & vibrant enamelled Art Deco patterns, wartime utility pottery, retro designs and many well known brewery wares. At the height of production the company employed up to 1,000 local people. Now, under private ownership, the pottery site lies in ruins. Cornishware is still manufactured, but now in Stoke-on-Trent and decorated in the West Country. http://www.gresleypottery.uk/ |
| T.G. Green & Co. Ltd. Church Gresley, Derbyshire Photo: unknown source Date: unknown |
 |
| T G Green - After the fire in 1904 |
 |
| Bottle Ovens at T.G. Green, Church Gresley Photo: Courtesy of Phil Crow ABIPP ARPS Date: March 2026 |
Litchdon Pottery, Brannam's, Barnstaple, Devon
The site on Litchdon Street dates back to at least 1830, originally operated by the Loverings and Rendell families before being leased, and later owned, by Thomas Backway Brannam around the 1840s.
The original building achieved Grade II listed status in 1987 and now functions partially as a medical centre, though the bottle oven is still visible
Brannam’s initial output included functional wares: sewage pipes, floor tiles, bricks, and simple "country" pottery. A decorative jug even earned a medal at the Great Exhibition in 1851. Charles Hubert Brannam joined the family business at age 12 and, after studying art and ceramics in London, convinced his father to let him produce art pottery around 1879.
 |
| Litchdon Pottery, Brannam's, Barnstaple Bottle Oven Photo: unknown source Date: c2025 |
Mason Cash, Pool St, Church Gresley, Derbyshire
Mason Cash bottle oven, dating back to the 1800’s - a significant pottery works in Church Gresley associated with Mason Cash. The pottery began operating in Church Gresley around 1800, an area well suited to ceramics because it had, local clay deposits, nearby coal for firing the oven, good canal and railway transport for distribution. The works produced utilitarian earthenware made from 'white and cane' glazed clay, often called 'yellow ware' because of the natural colour of the local clay. Products were practical domestic items such as mixing bowls, pudding basins, kitchen storage jars, and pet feeding bowls. In 1901, the company introduced the product that made it famous - the iconic cane-coloured mixing bowl with patterned exterior. The design has remained largely unchanged for over a century and is still manufactured today. The factory operated for over a century before closing in the mid-2000s, ending pottery production in the village.
Not open to public view.
 |
| Bottle Oven at Masons Cash, Church Gresley, Derbyshire Photo: Courtesy Phil Crow ABIPP ARPS Date: March 2026.jpg |
Nantgarw China Works, Tyla Gwyn, Cardiff, Wales
Nantgarw China Works is the only surviving early 19th century porcelain works in the United Kingdom. In the years 1813-1814 and again in the period 1817-1820 the finest porcelain in the world was produced here in Wales by William Billingsley, one of the most remarkable porcelain painters and manufacturers of his time. >> http://nantgarwchinaworksmuseum.co.uk/ |
| Nantgarw China Works Photo: unknown source Date: unknown |
 |
| Nantgarw oven under restoration 2006 Photo: unknown source Date: unknown |
 | ||
| Nantgarw | Photo: unknown source Date: unknown |
Nettlebed Brick Kiln, Oxfordshire
"This brick kiln was built in the late 17th or early 18th century. It is said to be the only estate kiln remaining of its period and of a local design. Nettlebed was known for producing tiles and then bricks from the medieval period until the 20th century." In 1927 the kiln was converted to burn lime and was used for this until 1938. It then fell into disrepair but in 1975 it was restored with the support of local people and Oxfordshire County Council. https://www.chilternsaonb.org/ccbmaps/1321/137/nettlebed-brick-kiln.html |
| Nettlebed Brick Kiln Photo: courtesy Mr Rolf Richardson Date: 1999 Source: Historic England Archive |
Pomona Pottery, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs
More here> https://bottleoven.blogspot.com/p/newcastle.htmlBases of two ovens, rebuilt and relocated at The Brampton Museum, Newcastle, Staffs. A biscuit earthenware oven probably built between 1724 and 1744 for Samuel Bell , and a smaller porcelain oven thought to have been constructed for William Steers no later than 1746/ 47. Both were excavated in 1969-71 and relocated to the Brampton by 1975.
 |
| Remnants of the two ovens of the Pomona Pottery Relocated to Brampton Museum, Newcastle-under-Lyme Photo: source unknown |
Peak Pottery - The Bottle Kiln Cafe, West Hallam, Derbyshire
Probably an updraught skeleton-type bottle oven . Seven firemouths. No firing chamber remains. Now a gift shop. This site was originally an estate sawmill making pit-props for the Newdigate Estate coal mines. In the mid 19th Century additional buildings were erected to house a small brick works using materials from a nearby clay pit. The bricks were fired in beehive kilns. Two bottle shaped kilns were built by the ‘West Hallam Art & Earthenware Company’ in the 1920s. The pottery failed in 1933. One kiln was demolished in the 1950s causing local concern and the present outer kiln shell was registered as a listed building. The Stone family purchased the derelict site in 1983. Charles Stone and his sons designed and built the present complex, of which only the kiln shell is an original building. The business has been run by the Stone family ever since. https://bottlekiln.co.uk/
Portobello, Buchan's Pottery, Edinburgh, Scotland
"These two kilns in Portobello have been restored and repaired, to preserve the legacy of the Scottish pottery industry. They were part of the pottery of A.W. Buchan & Co and built in 1906 and 1909." |
| Portobello kilns Bridge Street, Portobello, Edinburgh Photo courtesy: M J Richardson Date: 2016 |
## http://www.portobelloheritagetrust.co.uk/kiln_celebration.html
## https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/portobello-bottle-kilns
## https://canmore.org.uk/gallery/976578
Pulham Factory, Station Road, Broxbourne, Herts
Pulham's were a nationally important landscape design firm and manufacturers of terracotta garden ornaments, based in Broxbourne from 1845-1939. This simple updraught kiln was restored in 1986 by the local council. Originally six brick kilns stood on the site. After Pulhams closed in 1939 the site gradually declined, and in 1967 most of the factory buildings were demolished to make way for the new railway station car park.More here> https://lowewoodmuseum.com/2016/10/31/conserving-the-former-pulham-factory-site-in-broxbourne/
 |
| Pulham Factory kiln Broxbourne, Herts Photo: courtesy Lowewood Museum |
Rawdon Pottery, Moira Road, Woodville, Derbyshire
"Bottle kiln. Late C18 and C19. Red brick. Circular in plan, this large bottle kiln is tall and broad in outline with a brick coped top. A single entrance with segment head, and to the right the remnants of an external flue. A free standing, and particularly large example of a bottle kiln." Text courtesy Historic England |
| Rawdon Pottery Photo: courtesy Dr. Iain Hambling Date: April 2020 |
Sharpe’s Pottery, West Street, Swadlincote, Derbyshire
First established by local farmer Thomas Sharpe in 1821. Originally the site manufactured domestic pottery, much of which was exported to America. During the 1850s, for public health reasons, there was an ‘explosion’ in the sanitaryware market and the local clay was ideal for the production of such products. This, together with the patenting of the successful ‘rim flush’ toilet, led to the factory concentrating on sanitaryware, ceasing production of domestic ware in 1900. The factory flourished until the 1950s. The Clean Air Act of 1956 halted the used of the coal fired bottle ovens. Sharpe’s factory had never modernised and could not survive the change, finally closing in 1967. Now a museum. https://www.sharpespotterymuseum.org.uk/
 |
| Sharpes Pottery - footprint of a demolished oven Photo: courtesy Dr. Iain Hambling Date: April 2020 |
Soil Hill Pottery, Halifax
Brick with Welsh slate roof. Long building running east-west with chimney adjacent to east end at the top of the hill slope. Within the western part is a downdraught kiln with internal radial walls and six segment- arched fire holes around the perimeter. Four flues from beneath the kiln floor run up the hill to the square chimney. Two of these heat the drying shed adjacent to the kiln and two a parallel pent-roofed shed where clay slurry was dried before forming. The method of firing and ventilation and the use of waste heat to dry slurry represent an important innovation in earthenware manufacture.
Pottery built by Isaac Button Snr on site of an earlier pottery worked by the
Catherall family and continued in use by Isaac Button Jnr until 1964. Here are four silent films about Isaac Button and Soil Hill:
The story of Isaac Button who was the last true English Country Potters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=FiVFliKq63A
Also see >> https://nick-myurbex.blogspot.com/2010/11/soil-hill-old-pottery-aka-soil-hill.html
Staffordshire Potteries
Huge brick-built bottle ovens and kilns, integral to a pottery factory and essential in pottery manufacture, were once the dominant feature of the Potteries landscape. At their peak, around 2,100 existed in the City of Stoke-on-Trent. Today (in 2026) just 47 remain standing complete with their bottle shaped chimney. Two more exist in a collapsed state. The 'jewel in the crown' of the North Staffordshire pottery industry is the group of five now preserved as a museum at Gladstone Pottery. Two more bottle ovens have been saved next door to the museum at the Roslyn Works. More about Gladstone here>What's left in Stoke? Details on this page>
 |
| Gladstone Works Watercolour painting by Reginald G Haggar |
 |
| Gladstone Pottery Museum Photo: Glenn Airey Date: May 2020 |
Rockingham Porcelain - Swinton Pottery, Rotherham, South Yorkshire
Rockingham Works. At the site, parts of the original factory including the "Waterloo Kiln" remain. Bottle kiln built in 1815.The structure is a rare survival of what was once an internationally-renowned pottery, producing flamboyant porcelain items for royalty and aristocracy, including King William IV.
 |
| Waterloo Kiln, Rockingham Works Photo courtesy: Dearne Valley Partnership |
Due to structural issues including decaying brickwork, mortar and timber, and vegetation growth, the site and the Rockingham Kiln was added to the Heritage at Risk Register in 2022. Historic England granted £77,000 to support its repairs in 2024.
The Potteries, Luckington, Wiltshire
Bottle-kiln of former brick, tile and pottery works, c1913, tall red brick bottle-shaped oven with white brick chequer to top lip. the last of three originally on the site. Domed fire-brick lined interior (firing chamber) with iron-framed south doorway marked 'T. Willett & Co Ltd, Burslem' (the foundry in Stoke-on-Trent which made specialist ironwork for bottle ovens.) Eight low arched firemouths around the base. Used for the firing of pottery, tiles and bricks for the Badminton Estate. Clay won from the deposit in the Cotswold limestone belt.
 |
| The Potteries, Bottle Oven Luckington, Wiltshire Photo: courtesy Ray Bird Date: September 2012 |
https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/
 |
| The Potteries, Bottle Oven Luckington Wiltshire Photo courtesy: New Brewery Arts Date: July 2020 |
Walmer Road Kiln, Kensington, London
Once known as 'the potteries', Notting Hill's clay deposits meant it was perfect for making bricks and tiles. The only reminder of this today (apart from the street name 'Pottery Lane') is a rare nineteenth-century bottle kiln where the pottery products were baked, which can be found on Walmer Road. The kiln is the sole surviving kiln relating to the potteries established during the 1830s between Clarendon Road and Latimer Road. Avondale Park is thought to be located on the site of the 19th century clay pits associated with the works. The kiln was rebuilt in 1879 by Charles Adams. It was restored and partially altered in the late 20th century. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/potteries-and-piggeries-bottle-kiln |
| Walmer Road Kiln Photo: courtesy Kensington Society Date: unknown |
Walkers Pottery, Corbridge, Northumberland
Walkers Pottery. Two bottle ovens, early 1800s. Walker's Pottery operated until 1914 producing pipes, bricks and tiles and pottery for agricultural use. It is one of the few remaining examples of a Tyne Valley rural pottery.
https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/education/educational-images/walkers-pottery-corbridge-7425
https://co-curate.ncl.ac.uk/bottle-kilns-corbridge/
http://www.richardmurphyarchitects.com/viewItem.php?id=7426
 |
| Walkers Pottery Photo: Courtesy Mr John Hogg. Date: 27 March 2007 Source Historic England Archive ref 239944 |
Wetheriggs Pottery, Clifton, Cumbria
Opened in the mid 19th century providing farm and housewares for local consumption. Later the business diversified into craft pottery, and, towards the end of the 20th century became focused as a visitor attraction, and in nature conservation work.The pottery closed in 2008. The updraught beehive kiln remains, as does a blunger for preparing clay. Scheduled as a monument in 1973. https://www.cumbria-industries.org.uk/a-z-of-industries/pottery/wetheriggs-country-pottery/
Here is a short documentary film about Wetheriggs Pottery made for TV in the early 1990's.
The original steam engine, nicknamed Josephine, is still housed on site. Back in the 19th and 20th century, the steam engine was used to power the working of the pottery including the potters' wheels and the blunger. (July 2010)
## https://www.hamishjacksonpottery.com/blog/2018/5/30/winchcombe-pottery-kiln-restoration-project
## https://drojkent.wordpress.com/2018/04/04/laser-scanning-the-old-winchcombe-pottery-kiln/
## https://blog.tinsmiths.co.uk/04/15/a-lot-of-bottle-winchcombe-pottery/
DOWNDRAUGHT BEEHIVE POTTERY KILNS
This kiln was built in 1940/41 and was used until 1963. A major fire destroyed the entire factory and a new factory was built installing electric kilns, the company then no longer required a kiln of this nature. The domed crown roof of the firing chamber was built using no support with just a few rounds of brick being laid every few days.
The kiln was used initially as part of the war effort and fired land drain pipes throughout the Second World War. These pipes were subsequently purchased by the War Ministry and prisoners of war in the area dug these land drain pipes into the ground to improve the efficiency of crop yields. It was a coal-fired kiln and it burnt 5 tons of coal at each firing. This was either hauled from Elmswell railway station or brought from the coal mine by road.
https://www.henrywatson.com/UK/our-story/the-downdraft-kiln.html
Errington Reay is a well-known brand of pottery established in 1878. The factory is unique in being the last commercial pottery in Britain licensed to produce salt-glazed products.
Here is a short documentary film about Wetheriggs Pottery made for TV in the early 1990's.
 |
| Wetheriggs placing |
The kiln is one of the oldest parts of Wetheriggs dating back to 1860. This video gives you a brief look at the kiln and some of the pottery once made at Wetheriggs. Many of the original features including the kiln, the engine room and a lot of the machinery is still on the site all in their original state and most is on show to the public. (July 2010)
The original steam engine, nicknamed Josephine, is still housed on site. Back in the 19th and 20th century, the steam engine was used to power the working of the pottery including the potters' wheels and the blunger. (July 2010)
 |
| Examples of Wetheriggs pottery 1970s |
William Blyth, Est.1840, Barton upon Humber, North Lincs
Downdraught chimney pot and tile kiln with separate tall chimney. Still in production 2026. Traditional coal-fired down-draught kilns, now heritage-listed, fire handmade tiles and hand thrown chimney pots in small batches. These kilns remain in use today and contribute to the unique texture, colour, and performance of William Blyth tiles. Website here>
 |
| William Blythe kiln |
Winchcome Pottery, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Winchcombe Pottery, near Winchcombe, is a craft pottery founded in 1926 by Michael Cardew. The bottle kiln was last fired in 1954 and used coal and wood as fuel over a 2 day firing with hundreds of pots made from the local clay. Originally the kiln was inside the old workshop building with only the top of the chimney sticking out of the roof. |
| Winchcombe kiln Photo courtesy: Oliver Kent Date: 2018 |
## https://www.hamishjacksonpottery.com/blog/2018/5/30/winchcombe-pottery-kiln-restoration-project
## https://drojkent.wordpress.com/2018/04/04/laser-scanning-the-old-winchcombe-pottery-kiln/
## https://blog.tinsmiths.co.uk/04/15/a-lot-of-bottle-winchcombe-pottery/
DOWNDRAUGHT BEEHIVE POTTERY KILNS
Henry Watson Pottery, Wattisfield, Suffolk
 |
| Downdraught beehive kiln with separate chimney Photo: courtesy Henry Watson Pottery |
This kiln was built in 1940/41 and was used until 1963. A major fire destroyed the entire factory and a new factory was built installing electric kilns, the company then no longer required a kiln of this nature. The domed crown roof of the firing chamber was built using no support with just a few rounds of brick being laid every few days.
The kiln was used initially as part of the war effort and fired land drain pipes throughout the Second World War. These pipes were subsequently purchased by the War Ministry and prisoners of war in the area dug these land drain pipes into the ground to improve the efficiency of crop yields. It was a coal-fired kiln and it burnt 5 tons of coal at each firing. This was either hauled from Elmswell railway station or brought from the coal mine by road.
https://www.henrywatson.com/UK/our-story/the-downdraft-kiln.html
Errington Reay, Bardon Mill, Hexham, Northumberland
Located near the banks of the Tyne, 1 Mile from Vindolanda Roman Fort. Mid way between Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Carlisle.Errington Reay is a well-known brand of pottery established in 1878. The factory is unique in being the last commercial pottery in Britain licensed to produce salt-glazed products.
 |
| Errington Reay, Bardon Mill, Hexham, Northumberland View of the factory and the downdraught beehive kiln Photo: Terry Woolliscroft Collection Date: July 2013 |
 |
| Errington Reay factory Kiln in use and smoking from the air Photo: unknown source Date: c2021 |
 |
| Errington Reay, Bardon Mill, Hexham, Northumberland The downdraught beehive kiln Photo: Terry Woolliscroft Collection Date: July 2013 |
This is not a bottle oven but a downdraught beehive kiln.
Built in 1932, to replace two smaller kilns.
http://www.erringtonreay.co.uk
http://www.erringtonreay.co.uk/shop/salt-glazed/
Ian Round comments "... originally built in 1932 it replaced two smaller kilns. The original build had a continuous bag wall and twelve stoke holes these were changed in the 1960s. The bag wall was moved to cover the fire holes and two large opposing fire boxes were built, fed from underneath by 9' augers from hoppers. The stokers ... have (because this kiln is still in operation) large fans to provide primary air that is forced through the fire basket. ... I think the stokers were more commonly used with coal fired boilers but other clay works used them. The [firing] cycle, when in full production, is weekly. Start to pull down the door and open the 'quarls' on the roof and around the fires [on] Saturday and cool till Monday. [Then] knock out, clean and sort, Monday morning. Set the kiln and repair fireboxes if required Monday afternoon and [on] Tuesday 'smoke' [create small fires in the kiln to drive off moisture in the brickwork and in the pottery inside] the kiln Tuesday night. Light the second fire Wednesday morning On Thursday after lunch the kiln should be around 1250C and so salt, reduce for 5-10 mins depending on the clay and close off. 100kg of salt. Very many thanks go to Ian Round for explaining in more detail how the kiln is used. July 2019
Additional comments from Ian Round, April 2020, originally posted to Facebook ... " The photo shows the still-working coal fired Beehive Salt glaze Kiln at Bardon Mill. It was rebuilt in 2000 to identically copy the previous Beehive that had been built in 1932 on the site where two stood sharing the chimney. Prior to that stood four small kilns.
The bricks used in reconstruction were from various works. Burn Fireclay based a Stobswood supplying the fire bricks that formed the internal cupola roof this required complex triple tapers, those and other more complex shapes were obtained very shortly before they closed. The fire clay squares, soaps and some bullhead tapers came from Steetley Brick and the bricks for the outer shell were seconds from Throckley brick works.
The brick paving around the kiln dates back to at least 1932 and was laid using bricks from previous kilns on the site. Some bricks have frogs and branding and some are without but if you look closely you will see a thumb mark in corner. This mark could occur when they were pressed from the mould but Errington Reay adopted this as the mark for their bricks. Bricks were only a steppingstone to their goal of producing salt glazed pipes for the expanding market created by the need for building and toilet conversions of dwellings and sewer pipes in the cities either side of them.
The main building is a former fulling mill that suffered from a fire by suspected arsonist named Harvey in 1875. The Erringtons and Reay were previously employed in a clay works in Haltwhistle before they took on the lease of the property that contained the shell of the mill, from the Blackett Estate. They sunk a clay drift mine near the burn beside the works. The grinding and processing of the clay first used the existing water wheel that survived the fire before the purchase on a steam engine to power the machinery and it latterly converted to electric power. The extruders are from Farmer Brothers of Derbyshire. Coal for the kilns and engines was readily available locally."
"Bottle Kiln. Probably mid to late C19 rebuilding. Beehive structure with flat stone supported by bricks on top of vent. Tarred rubble. Two flue pipes and side entrance to north. Marked as limekiln on county series OS map." A Grade II Listed Building.
"Bottle Kiln", The Deal Ground, Norwich. Not a potter's kiln but possibly a timber drying kiln with a bottle shaped chimney. At Grig Ref: NGR TG24750748 https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1268401
"The kiln has a bottle-shaped profile and the porchway has a semi-circular tunnel-vaulted ceiling and a metal top-hung sliding door. There are 4 circular open vent holes and 3 rectangular vents. INTERIOR: The kiln has a cavity-wall construction for ventilation." A Grade II Listed Building.
Grainger's 'Royal China Works' porcelain factory, Lowesmoor - remnants of the original bottle oven reassembled within a metalwork frame showing the size and location of the oven. More here>
https://www.pooleimages.co.uk/the-1950s
http://www.erringtonreay.co.uk/shop/salt-glazed/
Ian Round comments "... originally built in 1932 it replaced two smaller kilns. The original build had a continuous bag wall and twelve stoke holes these were changed in the 1960s. The bag wall was moved to cover the fire holes and two large opposing fire boxes were built, fed from underneath by 9' augers from hoppers. The stokers ... have (because this kiln is still in operation) large fans to provide primary air that is forced through the fire basket. ... I think the stokers were more commonly used with coal fired boilers but other clay works used them. The [firing] cycle, when in full production, is weekly. Start to pull down the door and open the 'quarls' on the roof and around the fires [on] Saturday and cool till Monday. [Then] knock out, clean and sort, Monday morning. Set the kiln and repair fireboxes if required Monday afternoon and [on] Tuesday 'smoke' [create small fires in the kiln to drive off moisture in the brickwork and in the pottery inside] the kiln Tuesday night. Light the second fire Wednesday morning On Thursday after lunch the kiln should be around 1250C and so salt, reduce for 5-10 mins depending on the clay and close off. 100kg of salt. Very many thanks go to Ian Round for explaining in more detail how the kiln is used. July 2019
Additional comments from Ian Round, April 2020, originally posted to Facebook ... " The photo shows the still-working coal fired Beehive Salt glaze Kiln at Bardon Mill. It was rebuilt in 2000 to identically copy the previous Beehive that had been built in 1932 on the site where two stood sharing the chimney. Prior to that stood four small kilns.
The bricks used in reconstruction were from various works. Burn Fireclay based a Stobswood supplying the fire bricks that formed the internal cupola roof this required complex triple tapers, those and other more complex shapes were obtained very shortly before they closed. The fire clay squares, soaps and some bullhead tapers came from Steetley Brick and the bricks for the outer shell were seconds from Throckley brick works.
The brick paving around the kiln dates back to at least 1932 and was laid using bricks from previous kilns on the site. Some bricks have frogs and branding and some are without but if you look closely you will see a thumb mark in corner. This mark could occur when they were pressed from the mould but Errington Reay adopted this as the mark for their bricks. Bricks were only a steppingstone to their goal of producing salt glazed pipes for the expanding market created by the need for building and toilet conversions of dwellings and sewer pipes in the cities either side of them.
The main building is a former fulling mill that suffered from a fire by suspected arsonist named Harvey in 1875. The Erringtons and Reay were previously employed in a clay works in Haltwhistle before they took on the lease of the property that contained the shell of the mill, from the Blackett Estate. They sunk a clay drift mine near the burn beside the works. The grinding and processing of the clay first used the existing water wheel that survived the fire before the purchase on a steam engine to power the machinery and it latterly converted to electric power. The extruders are from Farmer Brothers of Derbyshire. Coal for the kilns and engines was readily available locally."
WHEN IS A BOTTLE KILN NOT A BOTTLE KILN?
The Chapel Street Kiln, Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire. Not a potter's kiln but probably a lime kiln with a bottle shaped chimney. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1342053"Bottle Kiln. Probably mid to late C19 rebuilding. Beehive structure with flat stone supported by bricks on top of vent. Tarred rubble. Two flue pipes and side entrance to north. Marked as limekiln on county series OS map." A Grade II Listed Building.
 |
| "Bottle kiln" Chapel Street, Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire Photo courtesy: Mrs Sarah L McKenna Date: 2004 Source: Historic England Archive |
"Bottle Kiln", The Deal Ground, Norwich. Not a potter's kiln but possibly a timber drying kiln with a bottle shaped chimney. At Grig Ref: NGR TG24750748 https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1268401
"The kiln has a bottle-shaped profile and the porchway has a semi-circular tunnel-vaulted ceiling and a metal top-hung sliding door. There are 4 circular open vent holes and 3 rectangular vents. INTERIOR: The kiln has a cavity-wall construction for ventilation." A Grade II Listed Building.
 |
| "Bottle kiln" (can you see it?) The Deal Ground, Norwich Photo: courtesy Google Date: 2020 |
 |
| Bottle kiln The Deal Ground, Norwich Photo courtesy: Norwich City Council |
A REMNANT OF INTEREST
WorcesterGrainger's 'Royal China Works' porcelain factory, Lowesmoor - remnants of the original bottle oven reassembled within a metalwork frame showing the size and location of the oven. More here>
 |
| Remnant of a bottle oven hovel originally of Grainger's Porcelain factory Lowesmoor and St. Martin's Quarter, Worcester Photo courtesy of Iain Hambling Date Sept 2019 |
 |
| Remnant of a bottle oven hovel originally of Grainger's Porcelain factory Lowesmoor and St. Martin's Quarter, Worcester Photo courtesy of Iain Hambling Date Sept 2019 |
OTHERS OF INTEREST but LONG SINCE GONE
Leeds Pottery, Jack Lane, Hunslet
Bottle ovens, Leeds Pottery (Creamware) circa 1890. After a chequered business history the company moved to Stoke. The ovens stood in Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, close to where the old Leek Street flats were and near Morrisons in Hunslet. (There's a Pottery Road and a Pottery Fields Estate there just off the M621.) |
| Leeds Pottery about 1890 Photo: courtesy of Michael Carrington and the Old Photos of Leeds Facebook Group. |
E. Johns & Co, Armitage, Rugeley, Staffordshire
Now the site of Armitage Shanks, sanitaryware manufactures. |
| Armitage, Rugeley Staff of E. Johns & Co. pictured outside the Sanitary Works 1900 |
 |
| Mosaic in the floor of the factory offices |
LINKS to OTHER UK SITES
Poole Potteryhttps://www.pooleimages.co.uk/the-1950s