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Poole Pottery

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Poole Pottery, known for its fine antique vases, urns, dinnerware, and other collectible china, had a history that began with the takeover in 1873 of the defunct pottery works of James Walker by Jesse Carter in the town of Poole, Dorset, England. The manufactory was located near the docks of the harbor at Poole, so as to easily offload the rich clay deposits from the nearby hills and to ship finished products to the rest of the world. The company grew rapidly under Jesse’s direction, soon taking over nearby rival Patent Architectural Pottery at Hamworthy.

As the name implies, Carter’s Industrial Tile Manufactory produced mainly tile and mosaic until after World War I. But gradually there seeped in the production of ceramic artware as well.

Carter & Company, as the name evolved, had created a subsidiary by 1921 called Carter, Stabler & Adams. Charles and Owen Carter had succeeded Jesse Carter upon his death in 1901. Two sets of spouses – Harold and Phoebe Stabler, along with John and Truda Adams, had induced the Carter family to begin creating housewares, dinnerware, and other decorative ceramic items at Poole Quayside. Truda is credited with many popular designs reflecting the art deco style of the day.

Carter & Co. never abandoned its industrial line, however, and Poole Pottery tiles are still found in The London Subway stations that date to the first half of the twentieth century.

Early pieces of the 1920′s include volcano themes for vases, urns, and plates (as seen on this page). These are sought-after today and command high prices.

The 1930′s saw Stabler’s Studland design, followed by Purbeck and Streamline (later known as Twintone). Hand-decorated Ship Plates were also produced in the thirties. It was also during the 1930′s that the traditional red earthernware tended to give way to white clay.

Decorative pieces were de-emphasized in the war effort starting in 1939 up through 1945. By the end of World War II, Harold Stabler had died, and John Adams was no longer in good health. Another Carter family member, Cyril Carter, convinced backers to re-tool and purchase modern equipment.

By 1948, the company was again at peak production. New lines of decorative pottery began to appear, such as free-form designs of Sydenham and Read, and Studio Ware of Robert Jefferson. Jefferson and Tony Morris were responsible for the Poole Delphis line. Ann Read and Ruth Pavely were prominent decorators of that same period. The Poole Freeform shapes of the 1950′s fetch high prices today.

Cyril Carter died and in 1964, Carter Stable & Adams became part of Pilkington Group under the name of Poole Pottery Limited. The Pilkington era saw the creation of Calypso, Domino, Siena, and Olympus.

In 1992 the employee group was able to buy back the company to become an independent entity again. By 2006, however, bankruptcy forced a takeover by Lifestyle Group Ltd., which also controlled Royal Staffordshire. Production was moved to its factory in Burslem, Staffordshire, Stoke on Trent, but the shops at Poole Quayside were eventually re-opened.

The Poole Pottery name remains popular, and some of the finest works appear today at The Victoria and Albert Museum in London.