Ewenny Pottery facts for kids
Ewenny Pottery and showrooms
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| Private | |
| Industry | Ceramics |
| Founded | 1610 |
| Headquarters |
Ewenny, Bridgend
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Area served
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Global |
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Key people
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Evan Jenkins (1st generation) David John Jenkins (5th generation) Alun & Jayne Jenkins (7th generation) Caitlin Jenkins (8th generation) |
| Products | Pottery |
| Owner | Alun & Jayne Jenkins |
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Number of employees
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3 |
Ewenny Pottery is a very old pottery business located in the village of Ewenny, Wales. It started way back in 1610, making it the oldest pottery still working in all of Wales!
Contents
Why Ewenny is Perfect for Pottery
The village of Ewenny was a great place to set up a pottery. It had all the natural things needed to make pottery.
- Clay: There was plenty of red clay left over from the Ice Age.
- Fuel: Lots of wood and coal were available to heat the kilns (special ovens for baking clay).
- Glaze Materials: The area also had materials to make glaze, which gives pottery a shiny, protective coating.
- Building Stone: There was even stone to build the kilns themselves.
For a long time, since 1427, many small family potteries existed in the Ewenny area. There were sometimes as many as fifteen at once!
How Ewenny Pottery Started
Ewenny Pottery began in 1610. It was probably started by local farmers. They wanted to use the clay on their land to make money.
In the early 1800s, a man named Evan Jenkins married Mary. She was the daughter of the pottery's owner, John Morgan. This marriage began the Jenkins family's ownership of the pottery. They still own it today!
Back then, the pottery mostly made things for farms and local people. They also made special items when asked. At this time, many potteries were in the area. But soon, cheap enamelware and china started arriving from places like the Far East. This made many local potteries close down.
Horace W Elliot and His Designs
In 1883, a designer named Horace W Elliot visited Ewenny. He lived in Bayswater, London. He was looking for unique pottery pieces to sell in his shops. This was during the Arts and Crafts movement. This movement focused on handmade items and traditional skills.
Horace became good friends with the Jenkins brothers who ran the pottery. He became very involved with Ewenny Pottery. He also worked with other famous potteries like C.H. Brannam.
Elliot visited Ewenny every year until 1913. He designed many pieces for the Jenkins brothers to create. He often put his special fleur-de-lys (a lily flower design) mark on the pottery. He was also a supporter of Esperanto, a language created to be easy for everyone to learn. Sometimes, he even wrote messages in Esperanto on the pots!
David John Jenkins: The Glaze Master
David John Jenkins was born into the pottery family in the early 1900s. He learned the business from his father and uncles. He later bought Ewenny Pottery from his cousin.
David John invented a special way of glazing pottery. It's called the classical mottled-glazing technique. It's still used at the pottery today! Here's how it works:
- First, the pottery piece is dipped completely in one color of glaze.
- Then, a second color of glaze is splashed onto it.
David John created this technique because more people were visiting the countryside. They came by train and wanted unique souvenirs. His special glazed pottery was perfect for them.
During World War II, all of David John's sons joined the army. He could only fire the kiln when the Air Raid Warden gave him permission. But he often got special requests from a factory called ROF Bridgend. They asked him to make unique and commemorative pieces. Once, his son Dai even got time off from the Royal Air Force to help his father fire the kilns.
After World War II
After the war, only two of David John's sons, Dai and Arthur, came back to the pottery. The business grew, but they could no longer dig their own clay. So, they focused only on making pottery.
When David John Jenkins passed away in 1961, Dai and Arthur became co-owners. However, it was a tough time for small potteries. Mass-produced pottery was becoming very cheap, and the business started to decline.
In 1969, Arthur's oldest son, Alun, finished college. He had studied Ceramics at Cardiff College of Art. Alun and his wife Jayne wanted to keep the family business going. They started making pottery in their garage. They even got a big order to make special mugs for the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 1977. This was a celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's 25 years on the throne.
Ewenny Pottery Today
Today, Alun and Jayne Jenkins (who are the 7th generation of the family) still make pottery. Their daughter, Caitlin Jenkins (the 8th generation), also works with them. She has degrees in ceramics from the University of Wales Institute Cardiff and the Royal College of Art.
The pottery and its showrooms are located where an old kiln used to be. You can find them on the main road that goes through the village of Ewenny.
