The Middleport Pottery of
Burgess and Leigh (opened 1888)
View of the factory from the Canal Side
The works was located (as were many other pottery factories) on the side of the Trent and Mersey Canal which was opened over a 100 years before the works in 1777. The ability to bring raw material in and transport the finished ware out was essential for an efficient operation.
The canal is no longer used by the pottery manufacturers but pleasure craft are regularly seen.
In its heyday the canal would have been as busy as our motorways, there were many factories surrounding Burgess and Leigh and directly opposite on the other canal bank was a lime kiln.
Middleport factory alongside the
Trent and Mersey Canal
The Middleport factory name is visible
for miles away,
across the Fowlea Valley.
One of the remaining cranes on the
canal side
for unloading raw materials
and loading the
finished ware for transport to the port docks at
Liverpool and Hull.
Previous is the
frontage of the works in Port Street
Next is raw material in the yard at the back of the works
questions/comments/contributions? email: Steve Birks
on nearby factories