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First Local Pottery
First pottery in the area eastablished at Gresley by John Hurd, location of modern day Morrisons supermarket. -
Sir Nigel Gresley
Sir Nigel Gresley invests £80.000 to produce fine china similar to Stoke but local clay not conducive and project fails. -
Swadlincote
216 people are reported as living in Swadlincote. -
Sharpes Pottery Founded
Thomas Sharpe, with the assistance of his father William, founded his pottery in 1821, on land adjacent to the family farmhouse. This diversification into the industrial age was common among local farmers as they had clay in abundance under their fields. The pottery is listed in an 1821-2 Trade directory as a producer of Yellow ware. This domestic pottery is simply made using the natural colour of the local clay and proved to be a cheap, yet attractive domestic ware. -
Period: to
Cholera
50,000 people die from cholera in Britain. -
Death of Thomas Sharpe
Thomas Sharpe died in 1838. On the death of his brother, Edmund Sharpe takes on a greater role at the pottery and is credited with making the pottery a success. -
Edmund Sharpe Travelled to USA
Edmund Sharpe travelled to the USA on a Cumard paddle steamer called Cambria to promote the potteries export trade. It is said in its early years 6 months of production went overseas. Mocha ware formed a significant proportion of Sharpe’s exports during their early years of production. -
Swadlincote becomes a parish
After just over 40 years of industrial development Swadlincote becomes its own parish. In 1801 just 216 people lived in Swadlincote and it was under the parish of Church Gresley. -
Public Health Act
The Public Health Act encouraged the introduction of waterborne mains sewerage systems to the overcrowded towns and cities. Flushing water closets became in great demand. In Swadlincote the potteries began to turn their attention to sewerage pipes and water closets. -
New Direction for pottery industry
The Public Health Act represented a nationwide recognition that sanitary conditions throughout England and Wales were poor. This marked the start of a new direction to the burgeoning pottery industry in Swadlincote. -
Household Closet
Edmund Sharpe took out a patent on a household closet with a flushing rim. The rim had holes of varying size in the bottom to let water out, so that a greater quantity of water was released where it was most needed. This is a fore runner of the modern toilet and marked a gradual shift in Sharpe’s production from domestic ware to sanitary ware -
The Great Stink
London and parliament come to a stand still due to open cesspits and river effluent exposed through lack of flowing water. Subsequent toilets manufactured by Sharpes, c. 1900 on a 'no smell' guarantee. -
T.G.Greens
T. G. Green is established in Church Gresely. -
Wragg Family move to Swadlincote
Wragg family move to Swadlincote after a disaster in their home town of Sheffield. They are listed as Fire bricks and Pipe Works. -
Bretby art pottery
Bretby started to create art pottery, but with moulds and mechanical aids to produce imitation ware. -
50 Potteries in Swadlincote
Over 50 potteries now established in Swadlincote -
Edmund Sharpe died.
Edmund Sharpe died. -
Swadlincote
Over 4000 people are said to be living in Swadlincote by 1901. -
Sharpes, sanitary only
Sharpes pottery stops making table ware and only manufactures sanitary ware. -
Period: to
Private George Albert Kirkham
Private Geroge Albert Kirkham, worker at Sharpe's joins the army in 1915 and killed in action in 1918. He was just 25 years old. -
Pottery Bought
The pottery was brought by a group of business men; Aldridge, Boddice and Whitaker. Solomon Whitaker, a builder, had previously built kilns on the site and would eventually buy the business outright. The pottery is still owned by the Whitaker family and their desire to see the buildings brought to life have been fundamental to the restoration of the site. -
Pottery Prospers
The pottery continued to prosper into the 1930s making simple and stylish sanitary ware under their own brand and for larger companies such as Armitage Shanks. It was said that if you had a bathroom suite from Sharpe’s 20 years earlier, had broken the sink and took the pieces in to the pottery they would hunt out the mould and cast you a new one. -
Clean Air Act
The Clean Air Act was brought in as a response to the heavy smogs plaguing industrial Britain. This marked the downfall for many potteries that used coal fired kiln ovens. Potteries had to make a choice; gas or electric? Sharpe’s chose to install electric kiln ovens known as Top Hats due to their shape. -
Production Ceased
After 146 years Sharpe’s Pottery ceased production. The firm could no longer compete with the larger manufacturers of Stoke on Trent and other industrial centres. -
Fire
Since the potteries’ closure the building was being used by several smaller industrial works. A fire broke out in one unit and gutted the entire first floor of one building range. Insurance was not sufficient to restore the building to its previous state and it soon fell into dereliction. -
The kiln hovel becomes a grade II listed building.
The kiln hovel becomes a grade II listed building. -
The Sharpe’s Pottery Heritage & Arts Trust was formed
The Sharpe’s Pottery Heritage & Arts Trust was formed through a coalition of local groups seeking to restore the buildings for use as a heritage and arts centre. -
Heritage Lottery Fund
The majority of repairs took place in this period. The majority of funding for the restoration came from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the government funded “Swadlincote Woodlands Regeneration Scheme” and South Derbyshire District Council. -
The Sharpe’s Pottery Heritage & Arts centre is opene
The Sharpe’s Pottery Heritage & Arts centre is opened to the public in January bu Paul Attlebury. Fittingly Champage was poured from the upper kiln hovel window into a toilet below! -
Les the Rat moved in to Sharpe’s.
Les the Rat moved in to Sharpe’s. -
Museums, Libraries and Archives accreditation
The Museum received full Museums, Libraries and Archives accreditation
