Report - John Tams Crown Works, Stoke-on-Trent Oct '11

[mookster]

Next stop on mine and Flub's roadtrip was Stoke and a meet-up with Humpa and his mate (forgot username sorry!).

John Tams was the first target and it was excellent, I can't believe more people haven't done this place but it's going downhill fast now thanks to the idiot who ripped a hose reel off the wall rupturing a water main.

In 1864 John Tams and William Lowe were two pottery companies who came from a partnership "Tams & Lowe" which split up in 1874.

John Tams then formed the company on his own, in 1903 became John Tams & Son and in 1912 John Tams Ltd.

Tams Group Limited was formed in April 2000. It was a management buy in of part of the former John Tams Group PLC, which went into receivership in February 2000.

Tams Group Limited bought the rights to Tams, Royal Grafton and Grafton Living. Marketing these brands and still manufacturing in Longton, Stoke on Trent - in 2002 was the biggest ceramic employer in Longton and one of the biggest mugs manufacturer in Europe.

The company operated from the Crown Works on The Strand in Longton and also had the Blythe, Sutherland and Atlas works in Longton - and a warehouse at the former Monarch flatware site in Fenton. In 2006 the group went into receivership and finally closed.

This place is absolutely rammed full of pottery in all stages of completion, I could have spent all day rummaging through everything but we were rapidly running out of light.

The water is running from the offices and down the stairs into this part of the factory floor

There was a huge pile of these old slides, didn't have time to look through them all

Thanks for looking, more photos here John Tams Crown Works