Local historian Richard Ewing has published the third of three books covering the history of our Armitage site from 1809 to the present day.
Published by Ridware History Society, the latest is called A History of Armitage Potbank 1945 – 1980 and chronicles the history of the pottery which has proven pivotal to Armitage’s industrial legacy, focusing on its evolution after 1945.
It starts after the death of its Chairman, Edmund Richards Corn, who had been its guiding hand since buying the company in 1900.
His place was taken by his nephews, the two Stott brothers, Ken and Alan, and they inherited a factory that had grown to fill any and every available space and still used coal fired bottle kilns.
Chapter one focuses on the factory’s transformation, detailing the installation of tunnel kilns and the shift from twice-fired earthenware to once-fired vitreous china.
Chapter two parallels the factory reconstruction with the creation of a sales group that would provide everything needed in the bathroom and introduced fashion colours, including the greatest selling colour of all time – avocado – which was selected by a vote of the company’s employees.
The acquisition and integration of Shanks and the turbulent 1970s brings the story of its independence to a close when the new Armitage Shanks Group was bought by Blue Circle.
Richard said: “Absolutely key to the company’s success was of course the people and a chapter is dedicated to all the people who had worked for 50 years or more before the sale to Blue Circle.
“Many familiar village names appear in that list – Conway, Cyples, Downes, Flackett, Hodgkiss, Leigh, Ratcliffe and Smith to name just a few.”
He added: “Over the years, the company amassed a wealth of records, some of which remain preserved today. These include photographs of factory transformations, long-service awards, architectural plans, sales bulletins, company newsletters and product catalogues, offering a vivid glimpse into its storied past.
“Some years ago Alan Stott’s daughter donated some of her father’s papers to the company and also allowed me access to the rest of his memorabilia, and this helped to flesh out the picture of a vibrant, close-knit organisation.
“Retired employees contributed memories and documentation which, supplemented by extensive newspaper searches, helped to document the company that Armitage had become since its inception over 150 years earlier.”
To find out more about Ridware History Society, its publications and Mr Ewing’s study of the Armitage-with-Handsacre parish, follow the links below.