Linthorpe Art Pottery was one of the most forward thinking industries of the Victorian era.
Set up in Middlesbrough in 1879 by the pioneering designer Christopher Dresser, it was the first pottery in the country to use a gas-fired kiln. This enabled the temperature to be accurately controlled during firing, and led to innovative experiments that exploited the plasticity of the clay, and produced dramatic glazes. It was also one of the first potteries to use a jet spray to decorate items.
Linthorpe was exported and exhibited all over the world and won a number of prizes. The working conditions at the Pottery were also extensively praised. Its light airy rooms with good ventilation were a far cry from many similar industries of the time.
By Christopher Dresser (1834 – 1904)
On display at the Dorman Museum, Middlesbrough Museums
www.dormanmuseum.co.uk
