TG Greens is one of those places that's likely to get bought up in conversations alongside other buildings of greater popularity such as Fletchers, Dawsons, St Joes, or Shoreham. Those places that everyone has at least tried once to do or have been sitting dormant for a long time.
It ultimately means you'll probably end up in, or at least near, one of them at some point.
It also seems to be appropriate in recent time for a report to appear here of this place approximately every 12 months.
A Bit Of History.It ultimately means you'll probably end up in, or at least near, one of them at some point.
It also seems to be appropriate in recent time for a report to appear here of this place approximately every 12 months.
It's likely you, the reader, have already seen this before but to keep this format the same I'll include something.
Sources:
Cornishware - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Thomas Goodwin Green Cornishware.
The Factory, T.G Green and Co, and Cornishware all have routes at a similar point in time originating from the same plot.
The founding of T.G Green & Co. dates back to the eventual founder, Thomas Goodwin Green, having returned from Australia to marry the woman he wished to be his wife. Prior to his departure to Australia Green had proposed to Mary Tenniel but this had been rejected, from this he departed the UK to Australia for a supposed period of self-betterment and in doing so established a construction company whilst abroad. The feelings of Mary Tenniel eventually changed to wards Green which saw him sell his company, for a very large profit, and return to the UK. Once back in home territory he married Mary very shorty after in 1862.
Whilst on their honeymoon in Scarborough (fancy) Green purchased a pottery in the Derbyshire town of Swadlincote and used his knowledge in the construction field to better the facility from issues it had suffered with overtime. Shortly after, 1871, Green would construct a new facility across the road from the original factory to continue the operations of TG Greens.
This factory quickly became capable of challenging the might of any pottery in the UK's pottery capital of Stoke-On-Trent towards the end of the 1800's. Popularity of the company and the product ensured it would be a common sight to find something of the company's manufacture in almost every household in the UK and in some homes worldwide. Yet, the facility still relied on traditional manufacturing methods of pottery making.
Post first world war the popularity of decorated kitchenware had dramatically risen by the greater increase of housewives who had been displaced from kitchens with the greater freedom to choose more decorated items.
The general manager of T.G Greens, Mr Fredrick Parker employed in 1919, is thought to be the person who oversaw the introduction of the decorative blue band along the ceramics produced at the factory. The first known instance of this being sold in around 1922 or 1923 with the name "Cornishware" branded to this design in the T.G Green Trade Catalogue, the blue pigment and white background supposedly reminded marketers of the Cornish coastal blue. The official name of the colouration being known as Electric Blue. The blue stripe became a staple across all products sold by the company, being a well established feature around the 1930s.
The company faced their first difficulties in the days following the advent of world war 2 with the government calling those available to join the war effort and restrictions placed on the pottery industry. The company was able to recover from the war soon after restrictions were lifted and the changing of management took place to Derek Stanley who now represented the family business into the '50s.
During the remainder of the 20th century the company was able to stay on its feet with constant changes and improvements to their famous design and employing upwards of 1,000 staff at their height.
The beginning of the 21st century saw the company again run into troubling times with the firm being taken over by another local ceramics firm of Mason Cash although still being operated as T.G Green. In this Mason Cash made the bid to re-establish the popularity of the Cornish Blue line in the T.G Green brand.
Mason Cash themselves were then taken over by the TableTop Company, renamed to the tabletop group afterwards, forming the three companies together to produce Kitchen and Tableware. Unfortunately the group would fall into administration in 2007 taking Mason Cash and TG Green with it.
Since then the factory had remained in situ becoming a derelict mass of its-former-self. Meanwhile, the T.G Green brand and Cornishware have been reborn following investment from three investors who are enthusiasts of the kitchenware.
The Visits
Having not seen too much on the place in recent months we figured to have a nose around the place as I had yet to see inside. Getting onsite was fairly simple and getting to the building was a simple affair. Problems began as we tried to figure a way inside not helped by our stubbornness not to fully circle the building prior or the incoming rain. Eventually we got into the canteen and began to wander in before realising the state of the floor was far too dangerous to properly continue so at that point we departed.
Returning a few months later a new entry had revealed itself not too far from where we last bailed and thus we began our visit.
Instantly the place greets us with one of the most reoccurring themes. At first they appear to be pots, at least to myself, but you soon realise they are mouldings which have mostly been redundant even before closure.
The kilns are one of the main parts of manufacturing at a place like this. Unfortunately the structure of the building surrounding them was questionable.
The further we ventured in the quicker we realised how harsh time had been on the building. Only to realise the floors we stood on previously had completely collapsed in the months between our visits highlighting the instability of the buildings. With that, we proceeded with caution.
A lot of the decay is both frightening and mesmerising.
Our main goal of the visit was to the find the medical room.
Back on the lower floors a lot more of the recognisable areas.
A whole load more moulds.
And with that, that'll be all.
KP_
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