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This was one of the most famous of toxteth's industries and
it produced high-quality earthenware and porcelain from about 1793
to 1841. "This pottery, the largest ever established in
Liverpool, was founded in 1796 on the site of some old copper works
on the south shore of the River Mersey at Toxteth Park".
The story is however a little more long winded!
In 1793 Charles Roe's Copper
works was closed and the land was offered for sale. This
was in 1794, as the advertisement (below, left) shows, although the
lease on the land commenced in 1792. This may account for the
varying dates given for the beginning of the pottery.
Foundation
:  The
land was bought by Richard Abbey (1720-1801)
and a small pottery was established
here soon afterwards. Abbey, was born in Liverpool, at Aintree and was apprenticed
to one John Sadler as an engraver in the firm of Sadler and Green. Whilst working under Sadler he
produced many notable designs for mugs, jugs and tiles. After
leaving Sadler, Abbey moved to Glasgow, as an engraver at
the potworks. Later he was similarly employed in France. He
then returned to Liverpool where at the age of 70, he went into
business for himself in partnership with a Scotsman
named Graham.
New owners
: Messrs. Abbey and Graham, made a success of their
factory at Toxteth Park and sold it to a consortium named Worthington, Humble and Holland.
Abbey retired to Aintree, where he died in 1801.
  Humble and Holland called their pottery 'Herculaneum'
in the way that Josiah Wedgwood had chosen to call his new
colony 'Etruria'. 'Herculaneum' and a variety of crowns were stamped
on their products thoughout the history of the pottery, although
not, apparently, on all of the early wares.
Humble
and Holland engaged as foreman and manager, a skilled thrower, Ralph
Mansfield of Burslem and with him about forty men, women and
children were hired from Staffordshire and brought to Liverpool.
The buildings acquired from Richard Abbey were enlarged, the
arrangements remodelled, new ovens and workshops erected and houses
for the workmen were erected. The little colony was peopled in the
middle of November 1796 and the expanded works were opened on the
8th December 1796 which is the date usually attributed to the start
of the Herculaneum Pottery proper.
The Potters:
Forty or so of these potters and their families, led by skilled thrower, Archibald Mansfield from Burslem, arrived en masse on 11th November 1796 and were escorted by crowds and bands of musicians. The potters occupied houses which were specially built for them. It is suggested that Park Terrace in Grafton Street between Beresford Road and Thornton's yard, were some of these. The small houses which formerly stood between Wellington Road and Harlow Street in what was Chapel Place, off Grafton Street, were known locally as `The Potteries' (see entry in Gore
for 1858) and may also have been some of the houses for which the potters drew lots on their journey up the canal and river to their new homes.
At that time of course, houses and buildings stood on land which has since been cleared to make way for the Railway and the Docks.
 The
first productions were blue-printed wares. Dinner, toilet,
tea, and coffee services, punch-bowls, mugs and jugs were made.
This blue-printing may have been a practical adaption
of what fate bestowed in the form of copper residues from Roe's
works which are said to have tinged the early wares blue. Soon
after cream-coloured ware, which was then fashionable was
made and later, terracotta vases and other articles were produced.
The cream-coloured or Queen's ware, is considered of fine quality
and as well crafted as any available.
In 1800 and again
in 1806, the manufactory was considerably increased, as was the
number of partners in the firms. Much of the pottery was exported to the USA and Canada.
It was not only cheap quality goods that were made here, as examples in the Liverpool Museum show.
Fine porcelain was made and indeed continued to be produced, from
now until the time of the closing of the works.
The plate, (above, left), is Pearlware from 1820.
 In 1833, the Herculaneum Pottery Company was officially
dissolved and the property sold for £25,000 to Ambrose Lace.
The
remaining stock was then sold, as a clipping the Liverpool Mercury Feb 22nd 1833
shows.
Ambrose
Lace
in turn leased the premises to Thomas Case and James Mort, who carried
on the business for three more years.
 During this period a
Liver bird was added to the factory markings. It was during
their tenureship that a notable dinner service was made for
the Corporation of Liverpool. It was blue-printed, and had on each
piece the arms of Liverpool engraved.
In about 1836, Case,
Mort and Co. was also dissolved to be succeeded by Mort & Simpson,
who traded until the pottery finally closed in 1841 caused
by competition from the Staffordshire potteries. This was the
end of
Liverpool's last pottery.
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Herculaneum Pottery
