The Limehouse Porcelain Manufactory Excavations at 108-116 Narrow Street, London, 1990 - MoLAS Monograph

The Limehouse porcelain manufactory was amongst the very first of the English porcelain production centres, founded in the mid-18th century within a year of Bow and Chelsea. The pothouse was functioning by early 1745, but production was short-lived and it went out of business by early 1748. In early 1990 the site of the Limehouse porcelain manufactory was archaeologically excavated and the remains of the pothouse examined. In addition to a kiln, porcelain recovered included kiln furniture as well as both glazed and unglazed wasters. Tableware and miniatures were manufactured. Analysis revealed Limehouse ware was made in two types of fabric and standards of craftsmanship were low. The pothouse went out of business not only because the wares failed to capture a market, but also because the profits from sales were not enough to cover costs incurred during the initial development period. This publication summarises the archaeological sequence and the history of the pothouse; it includes the only definitive listing of all the pottery forms recovered from the site, details of their decoration and comparisons with surviving complete pots, and is illustrated throughout in colour.