Collecting
These days, Poole might conjure images of Sandbanks’ golden strand with its millionaires’ mansions. But for centuries it was ceramics that made the coastal Dorset town famous. In its heyday, Poole was a company that stood out for its constant reinvention and innovation, earning it an international reputation.
Since Roman times, the fine clays found in the area, together with its large, sheltered harbour, encouraged pottery enterprise. During the Victorian age, a handful of Staffordshire potters gravitated south, establishing businesses producing architectural items and glazed tiles for shop façades and interiors.
But the company that really propelled Poole to fame started in 1873, when Jesse Carter,continued to produce the glazed and terracotta tiles, and the architectural faience that already had an established market. A small shift followed in 1901, when Jesse’s son, Owen, who had an interest in glazing, began to experiment with the production of decorative wares including vases, platters and jewellery.
