You are in [Artefacts] [Stewart Hofgartner's Collections] [Stewart Hofgartner's Crested China]
What is Crested China?
Crested china collecting became a craze in Victorian and Edwardian times when day trippers bought small ivory coloured porcelain ornaments decorated with the coat of arms of the locality to take home as a memento.
The most famous maker, William Henry Goss was based in Stoke-on-Trent, and traded between 1858 and 1944. In all there are over 2,500 different models ranging from parian figures to tea services to pots and jugs to beautiful coloured figures, and they can be found with over 10,000 different decorations.
Other potteries soon jumped on the bandwagon, including the following, a sample of whose local Hungerford crested ware is shown in the Photo Gallery:
- Alfred B. Jones, Grafton Works, were at Longton, Stoke-on-Trent between 1900 and 1972.
- Arkinstall and Sons (Ltd) were based at Trent Bridge Pottery (later Arcadian Works) at Stoke-on-Trent between 1904 and 1924. They were taken over by Robinson & Leadbeater in 1908 but continued to trade under the Arkinstall name.
- Kingsway Art China, W.H.S&S, London.
Photo Gallery:
With special thanks to Stewart Hofgartner of "Below Stairs of Hungerford Antiques", who kindly let me photograph his extensive collection of local heritage items in 2009.
The Canal Wharf, 2011