Soho Pottery Co (Ltd)

The Pottery Gazette - 1 July 1913

"Soho Pottery, Ltd., Cobridge, earthenware manufacturers, specialise principally in dinner, dessert, tea, and toilet ware, and although a comparatively young concern, they are now universally regarded as fulfilling an important role in extensively producing the lines referred to. 

The undertaking is certainly a very progressive one, and. in addition to the lines which they have been producing all along, they are now turning out some very superior dinner and toilet wares, which are meeting the very best of success from a selling point of view. One recollects that the firm originally started out at Tunstall, within ten years outgrowing the premises there, and being placed under the necessity of either refusing business or looking out for a more commodious site. Needless to say. they preferred the latter, and having become housed in Elder Works, the late Henry Alcock Pottery, at Cobridge, they are now enjoying a turnover quite double that which fell to them at Tunstall. 

The reason of this is that the "Solian" ware, the distinctive name of the company’s productions — and it would be well if every firm had a definite name for its wares — has made its way into the very best houses, probably by reason of the extreme whiteness of its body and the brightness and up-to-dateness of its designs. Whatever the cause, retailers are now anxious to display a "Solian" card with goods of the same name in their windows, and, of: course, the firm is always willing to supply them. The London market has taken up the goods energetically, and they are consequently now to be seen in quite a number of the largest stores, whilst the same thing is true in regard to the provincial markets. 

As regards export, the firm enjoys a particularly good over-seas trade, especially with Canada ; and the South American market, with its characteristic bright border patterns, is largely increasing its purchases of "Solian". The dinner patterns which the writer recently inspected were really splendidly got up, and a superficial glance would have given one the impression that they were china rather than earthenware. The light, cheerful designs, essentially of a china type, show up admirably on the perfectly white body of the ware, and the firm is certainly one of very few who have successfully instituted gold encrustation designs on earthenware. Their blue band and gold lines ware is very good value, and sells extensively ; as a matter of fact, the cobalt treatments generally are being found worthy of more extensive development. 

As reproductions are the spirit of the age, the firm has not been left behind in this respect, and they have some reproductions of the old Meissen and Davenport patterns which are extremely good, and as near to the originals as possible. Soho Pottery, Ltd., purchased a good many of the original Davenport engravings, and possessing the complete suites of copper plates, they are able to offer for sale to-day some of the original patterns made by Davenport, amongst which may be mentioned the "Willow", "Arabesque",  "Pandoro" and "Peel" designs. The "Solian Delft" pattern, a plain blue print in the original Delft blue, has proved a very good seller, and is now handled by many of the principal houses both in this country and abroad. The covered pieces can be had either round with apple knob, known as the "Apple" shape, or with the ordinary oval cover dish, known as the "Silver" shape. 

One of the dinner patterns to interest the writer particularly was the 3252 pattern, having a ¼in. gold band, strong gold edge and line, black key print on the band, and a hair brown spike print border below. This is a decoration quite as finely executed as it would be on china. Another design of the very newest is the "Azalia", done in what is known as goblin blue. The tint is most uncommon, and one can conceive that on a white tablecloth it would look really sweet. That it will prove a good seller I have not the slightest doubt. In toilet ware there are some equally good designs, and they are marked by a brightness which at once makes them favourites. 

The "Tudor" shape, in solid colour ground, suitable for distempered rooms, sells in big quantities. Mr. Simpson, the head of the firm, is a practical potter, who considers that to get along in the potting business to-day one must have not so much a book of old recipes, as a thorough commercial training, any amount of energy, and "a temper framed in cast iron". 

Although passing through a very busy time, the firm is now busily engaged in bringing out some new shapes and designs for the Christmas, 1913, trade, and dealers are invited to look in at their London rooms, Gamage-buildings, Holborn-circus, towards the end of August, when they are sure to see something attractive, and, what is more, they can rely on getting delivery within a reasonable time."

The Pottery Gazette - 1 July 1913