Enoch Wood's Fountain Place Works, Westport Road, Burslem

Fountain Place Works, Westport Road, Burslem

From	To	Occupier	Comments
1789	1790?	Enoch Wood	Enoch Wood started business as a pottery in 1783. In 1789 he build the Fountain Place Works.
1790?	July 1818	Wood & Caldwell	Enoch Wood was joined by James Caldwell - various dates are given for the start of this partnership: 1790, 1792 and 1795.
1818	1846	Enoch Wood & Sons	In July 181 the Wood/Caldwell partnership ended when Wood bought out Caldwell and the business continued as Enoch Wood & Sons. On his death in 1840 Enoch Wood had left substantial sums of money to his 7 surviving children and grandchildren but he stipulated that the legacies should not be paid until at least 5 years after his death in order not to harm the business. As soon as the 5 years were up his children claimed their money which drained the firm of capital and his sons closed the factory with the result that almost a thousand people were thrown out of work.
1851	Jan 1862	Pinder, Bourne & Hope	Thomas Pinder, Joseph Harvey Bourne and John Hope were in partnership at the Fountain Place Works and also at the Nile Street Works.
1862	1880	Hope & Carter	The Pinder, Bourne and Hope partnership was dissolved in January 1862. Thomas Pinder, Joseph Harvey Bourne continued at the Nile Street Works as Pinder, Bourne & Co and John Hope was joined by a John Carter and they continued as Hope and Carter at the Fountain Place Works.
1903	?	Century Pottery Coy	The Century Pottery Company were likely a wholesale supplier. They continued until at least 1914.

"Enoch Wood was a man of great stature in the industry having started business in 1783, and having erected most of his works by 1789, together with a windmill to draw water and prepare clay for the potter. Mr. Wood erected a fountain, about 1798, which supplied water to the townspeople by means of an engine, at the manufactory, which pumped the water through pipes laid to a pillar containing the fountain near to the front of the works. This was used freely by the public. To possess a piece of Enoch Wood ware, today, is indeed to own a treasure."

Warrillow

The frontage of Woods factory in 1840
The carts in the forefront of the picture were bringing coal from the firm's colliery at Bycars.
Pack Horse Lane was entered through the arch.

This engraving shows Packhorse lane, at that time, through the archway as it travels down to Longport, though, about 1842, it was closed and Newcastle Street became the route to Longport

The picture shows the East front of Enoch Wood and Sons' manufactory at Burslem, at that time one of the most important works in the district. The picture is full of interest and is one of the illustrations taken from John Ward's History of the Borough of Stoke-upon-Trent.

The rear of Woods factory
The house can be seen left of centre, with the walled garden spreading out down the hill.

the detail of the entrance, the Venetian Window and cupola from this 1842 engraving
can be compared with the restored frontage today in 2010

The corner frontage of the old Enoch Wood Fountain Works
restored in 2000 as flats

photo:
Ian Pearsall

detail of the Venetian Window at Enoch Woods Works

photo:
Ian Pearsall

Packhorse Lane in the 1950's
to the right is the sode of the former Enoch Wood works
the lane had been reduced to a mere stump which ended in the small potworks seen to the left

photo: Warrillow collection

Pack Horse Lane ran down one side of the Wood works towards Longport.

Another pack horse road (Liverpool Road) ran along the front of the works - from Burslem to Tunstall, known as The Sytch, now Westport Road, where at the far end it joins the main Tunstall to Newcastle Road. Here was a Toll Gate and Toll House.

contents: 2010 photos

Westport Road, Burslem

Burslem: The Wedgwood family and Enoch Wood
Master potters and Burslem - the changes in the town from George I to accession of Queen Victoria (1714-1837).

Packhorse & Turnpikes
The eighteenth century saw the development of the North Staffordshire pottery industry from a cottage industry to a major exporting industry.
The connection was the packhorse road from the Fountain Place works of Enoch Wood in Burslem, though Longbridge (now Longport) and onto to Newcastle.

Advert for C.T.Lycett
when they occupied the 'Fountain Buildings', Burslem

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