Longport: The 'Kingdom' of Davenport (1760's - mid 19th C))

Duke of Bridgewater Inn (Bottom Bridge Pottery)

 

 

Location 3 on the index map

The photograph above, (from the Warrillow Collection in Keele University Library), shows the frontage of the Bottom Bridge (or New Bridge) Pottery built in the 1770's. 

The large Georgian building on the left (which is now the Duke of Bridgewater Inn) was originally the master potters house. In 1841 the factory and the house were occupied by George Phillips who by then had been a pottery manufacturer for 19 years. He employed between 400 and 500 people at his factory and was returned in the 1841 census as follows:

 

George Phillips	35	Earthenware Manufacturer
Emily Phillips	30
Louisa Phillips	7
Emily Phillips	4
Mary Jane Phillips	1
Anne Phillips	37	Independent
Jane Onge	30	Independent
Mary Bentley	35	Female Servant
Hannah Lovatt	25	Female Servant
Fanny Hockenhall	20	Female Servant

Duke of Bridgewater Inn (Bottom Bridge Pottery)
In the 1840s this factory was taken over by William Davenport 
and incorporated into his firm at Longport. 

The factory is shown on the 1851 Ordnance Survey map. 
Then the Duke of Bndgewater Inn was located in 
what is now the garden of the public house 
between the road and the canal. 

In 1841 it was occupied by:

The garden of the Duke of Bridgewater Inn
- which was the location of the original inn.

When William Davenport took over the factory the master potter’s 
house became redundant and in the late 1850s
 the pub was moved into the neighbouring house 
which it still occupies today. 
The factory frontage was demolished in about 1960 
and the remaining buildings on the site were 
recently cleared away prior to redevelopment.

next is Station Road (old Road from Burslem to Newcastle)  

questions/comments/contributions? email: Steve Birks