Tag: Armitage

Thomas Bond Part 3 – brickmaker

By December 1819, Thomas Bond restarted his business post-bankruptcy, moving to Handsacre for a malting and brickyard operation. His fifth child, Edwin, was born around 1821, with two more children following. In 1830, Thomas leased land with a brickyard but no malthouse. By 1835, the Bond family operated three brickyards. Thomas relocated to Birmingham by 1841, with his sons taking various paths in brickmaking. Some sons suffered multiple bankruptcies, but his eldest son, John, succeeded, leaving £20,000 upon his death in 1880. His legacy includes stamped bricks, reflecting the mechanization of the industry.

Thomas Bond Part 2 – maltster, brickmaker, potter and bankrupt

By September 1815, Thomas Bond was imprisoned for debt in Stafford gaol, a harsh reality for many in 19th-century England. After a period of uncertainty, he resumed his malting and brickmaking business while venturing into pottery. Despite efforts to expand, mounting financial troubles led to his bankruptcy in 1819.

The founding of Armitage potbank

In November 1817, Thomas Bond purchased land in Armitage, marking the start of his pottery venture. By 1819, multiple potteries operated in the area, with Bond’s business eventually facing bankruptcy. The legacy of Armitage potbank would later evolve into the global brand of Edward Johns Co. Ltd., later Armitage Ware and Armitage Shanks.

Thomas Bond Part 1 – maltster, brickmaker, potter and gaolbird

Thomas Bond, a maltster, brickmaker, and potter, is credited with founding Armitage’s first pottery. Before this, he ran brickworks and malting operations. Despite early ventures in pottery and partnerships, financial troubles led to bankruptcy. In 1815, his failed pottery venture resulted in imprisonment for debt.

The pre-fabs

In October 1946 the Housing Committee of Armitage-with-Handsacre Parish Council convened a public meeting to ‘discuss the unsatisfactory progress of the new houses’. Held in the Parish Hall, crowded with many young married couples including young babies, the meeting was at times quite tempestuous. The Council Chairman, H. Wright, told the meeting about the unsatisfactory… Continue reading The pre-fabs

The oldest item in the village

In the Anglo-Saxon, Norman and Medieval eras the main way of portraying Christian beliefs and stories was through imagery; most people couldn’t read and church services were held in Latin anyway. Ideas and beliefs were conveyed in wall paintings, stained glass, statues of wood and stone, carvings on the furniture, and on the walls and… Continue reading The oldest item in the village

Armitage Ware colour samples

In 1927 Edward Johns & Co., (later Armitage Ware and then Ideal Standard) produced the very first coloured sanitary ware in the world. Biscuit-fired ware was shipped to their sister company, Richards Tiles Ltd in Tunstall, who applied a mottled colour glaze and fired it again. Only four colours were created – Mottled Armitage Green,… Continue reading Armitage Ware colour samples