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Wareham, Dorset, United Kingdom
Sandford Pottery Museum Display
Museum Exhibits & Displays
Sandford Pottery
Sandford Pottery was built between 1856 and 1860 on the land which is now occupied by the Forest Edge housing development. Digging for clay had begun in this area in the 1840s.
The Pottery was constructed by builders Lucas and Aird and was funded by Sir John Lawrence (later viceroy of India). A branch line connected the pottery to the main London to Weymouth railway line.
The artist John Thomas was employed to design the fine chinaware products, and experienced workers were brought in from Worcestershire
and Staffordshire. However, the clay, which was obtained from pits on the west side of Morden Road, proved unsuitable for fine china and the whole venture failed.
Pottery products were made until 1886 when the works were converted to a refinery for the extraction of oil from Kimmeridge shale. This process also proved to be a failure, and in 1895 the works were taken over by a company which produced salt-glazed drainpipes and fittings for the building industry (see picture above).
A fine example of Sandford Pottery >
