Top Bridge Works - Price & Kensington, Longport

Frontage of the Top Bridge Pottery (Price & Kensington)

Price & Kensington, along with the Spode factory in Stoke is the earliest surviving example of a fire proofed construction in the pottery industry.
Frontage of the factory looking towards Trubshaw Cross and Burslem / Tunstall.
Situated by the canal bridge on Newcastle Street. This is the main road from Burslem to Newcastle.
As many pottery factories it backs onto the Trent and Mersey canal.

A view of the yard from across the canal 

- notice how cluttered the yard is and the 'overhang' of the corner of some buildings - this allowed for the maximum size of the upper rooms and still gave room for the traffic to use the yard.

Factory Shop showing Price & Kensington teapots

photos:  Steve Birks  October 1999

Pottery works. Substantially early 19th Century, though with numerous later additions and alterations reflecting continuous use.

Brick with plain tiled roofs, and some 20th Century materials. Large working complex, with main range along street of 2 storeys and 11 bays (2-9-2). The outer bays are slightly advanced, and the lower block has pedimented gable with oculus (gable removed from upper section).

Windows with flat arched heads and stone sills. Series of buildings arranged around yards to the rear, including a long 3-storeyed workshop range along the north of the site: 3 storeyed, 9 bays with windows with flat arched stone heads and sills: these windows cut an entrance arch to ground floor relating to an earlier phase of use.

A series of workshops and warehouses also line the canal with a series of blocked arches giving access to the water. Large bottle kiln in courtyard to east with wide circular hovel.

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“Mr John Davenport commenced business at Longport in 1794, and added, in 1797, to his other concerns, the chemical preparation of litharge and white lead, for the use of potters, in their glazes; but this department is now discontinued. In 1801, the making of flint-glass, or crystal, was introduced by them, and is still extensively can-led on; connecting with which is steam-machinery for cutting and ornamenting it. They produce very brilliant specimens of stained glass, and have got up some elaborate works of that kind for church and other windows, particularly one for St Mark’s, Liverpool; and have furnished splendid assortments for the Dukes of Sutherland and Devonshire, the Marquis of Anglesea and Westminster, and others of the nobility. 
They have (in addition to Longport Pottery, the Top & Bottom Bridge Works) a fourth Earthenware manufactory at Newport, which, with a good house near it, was built by Mr Walter Daniel, in or about the year 1795. The aggregate of their business, indeed, is of very considerable magnitude, and gives employment to upwards of fifteen hundred hands. Messrs Davenports’ china ware has long obtained celebrity, not only for the excellence of its material, but for exquisite design and embellishments. On his Majesty, King William, coming to the throne, he gave directions for a superb service of porcelain to be made, for the banquet to be given at the Coronation. This splendid production was, by his Majesty’s permission, exhibited publicly at the works, at Longport, previous to its being forwarded to St James’s; and Messrs Davenport, with that liberality which has distinguished them on all occasions, invited the manufacturers generally, and other neighbours, to inspect it.”

John Ward,  History of the Borough of Stoke-upon-Trent (1843)

Price and Kensington Top Bridge Works showing the factory frontage
and the bottle kiln - to the left is the Trent and Mersey canal
(picture C.2006)

The view from Turbshaw Cross towards Longport
Top Bridge works to the right - these became Price & Kensington

closer view of the works entrance

Price's National Teapots

photos: Steve Birks Feb 2008

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the bottle kiln is also a listed building

the warehouse is also a listed building

take a 'walk' around Longport

 

next: Bottle oven at Price & Kensington Works, Longport
previous: Warehouse at Longport Wharf