Tooth & Co ‘Bretby Art Pottery’ Swadlincote, Derbyshire - September 2024
Bretby Art Pottery began producing ceramics at this site in 1885 on what was previously a brick yard operated by the Woodville Company. The business was set up by Henry Tooth, an artist and former manager and the Middlesbrough based ‘Linthorpe Pottery’ and Henry Ault who was a former manager at T.G Green. The business originally began in October 1883 and operated out of premises lent by T.G Green’s which it quickly outgrew.
The works produced inexpensive pressed wares and more costly thrown ‘art’ pottery.
The works finally closed in 1996 and were demolished sometime prior to 2006 with only a small office and showroom building remaining, plus a section of the cellar which would’ve been connected to the factory rather than the offices.
The site has been reported on twice, way back when. Once by dweeb in 2008 and again by pigdog in 2010.
www.28dayslater.co.uk
www.28dayslater.co.uk
Since this time the rest of the site has been redeveloped as housing, with the former showroom taken on by a local pottery heritage group for a while. Over the past couple of years the building has become increasingly ‘unloved’ looking again, so I finally got my mooch on.
Here’s some old pictures, the first one is from circa 1912 and has been borrowed from Swad-based, local history archive ‘The Magic Attic’ - hopefully they don’t mind.
The second one is the only picture I have ever seen of the building post-closure but before the factory was demolished which can be seen joining the rear of the showroom. Since no pictures exist of the inside of the pottery I expect it was rammed with epic.
And today
Delicious art nouveau lettering
The main showroom is in quite a sorry state after 28 years of abandonment. Some luxurious fixtures and fittings remain, including wood paneling with ceramic mouldings.
Tooth registered the ‘sunburst’ trademark in 1884 which can be seen here in stained glass
An example of which I saw in the nearby Sharpes Pottery Museum earlier in the year…
A portion of the factory cellars still exist and seem to have been used as a colour store + dumping area for various junk
Copper sulphate crystals the size of rocks
Some undecorated pots and a ceramic heart I found under some rubble
It was announced recently that the building has been acquired by the Derbyshire Historic Building Trust who are ‘exploring options for securing the future of it’. This is great to hear as DHBS appear to have done an excellent job restoring the former Wingfield Railway Station, so hopefully something good happens here too.
Bretby Art Pottery began producing ceramics at this site in 1885 on what was previously a brick yard operated by the Woodville Company. The business was set up by Henry Tooth, an artist and former manager and the Middlesbrough based ‘Linthorpe Pottery’ and Henry Ault who was a former manager at T.G Green. The business originally began in October 1883 and operated out of premises lent by T.G Green’s which it quickly outgrew.
The works produced inexpensive pressed wares and more costly thrown ‘art’ pottery.
The works finally closed in 1996 and were demolished sometime prior to 2006 with only a small office and showroom building remaining, plus a section of the cellar which would’ve been connected to the factory rather than the offices.
The site has been reported on twice, way back when. Once by dweeb in 2008 and again by pigdog in 2010.
Report - - Tooth and Co, Bretby Art Pottery | Industrial Sites
Bretby Art Pottery, more properly known as Tooth & Co. Ltd., was started in 1883 by Henry Tooth and William Ault. Ault left after four years to set up his own pottery at Swadlincote. The company produced both inexpensive pressed wares and more costly thrown art pottery. Bretby stayed in the...
www.28dayslater.co.uk
Report - - Bretby Pottery. Derbyshire. | Industrial Sites
Located at Woodville Derbyshire. The main works have been demoed. Only the offices remain. It looks like they would have been quiet posh in their day. Been well and truly trashed. Visited with explorer dog Binky.
www.28dayslater.co.uk
Since this time the rest of the site has been redeveloped as housing, with the former showroom taken on by a local pottery heritage group for a while. Over the past couple of years the building has become increasingly ‘unloved’ looking again, so I finally got my mooch on.
Here’s some old pictures, the first one is from circa 1912 and has been borrowed from Swad-based, local history archive ‘The Magic Attic’ - hopefully they don’t mind.
The second one is the only picture I have ever seen of the building post-closure but before the factory was demolished which can be seen joining the rear of the showroom. Since no pictures exist of the inside of the pottery I expect it was rammed with epic.
And today
Delicious art nouveau lettering
The main showroom is in quite a sorry state after 28 years of abandonment. Some luxurious fixtures and fittings remain, including wood paneling with ceramic mouldings.
Tooth registered the ‘sunburst’ trademark in 1884 which can be seen here in stained glass
An example of which I saw in the nearby Sharpes Pottery Museum earlier in the year…
A portion of the factory cellars still exist and seem to have been used as a colour store + dumping area for various junk
Copper sulphate crystals the size of rocks
Some undecorated pots and a ceramic heart I found under some rubble
It was announced recently that the building has been acquired by the Derbyshire Historic Building Trust who are ‘exploring options for securing the future of it’. This is great to hear as DHBS appear to have done an excellent job restoring the former Wingfield Railway Station, so hopefully something good happens here too.
