Monday, August 17, 2009

Lots of Plums and Pots

The plums are nearly ready, they are almost there - just a little more sun is needed to complete the process; there are lots of them, the tree is laden with fruit.

On Saturday we took our neighbour up to Kidsgrove to visit her mother. After we'd dropped her off we came back via Westport Lake and took a look at the new visitor centre and then popped into the Burleigh Factory Shop which is next to the canal at Middleport.

This is a very interesting place and apparently, acording to their information leaflet, it is England's last working Victorian factory. It was saved from closure in 1999 by a couple from Hampshire and has been working to the same designs and techniques as it did when it first opened in 1851.

This is the main factory gate where the workers would have arrived for work. It was the rule at most factories that if you were late for work the gate would be closed and you would lose your shift and therefore your wage for that day.

I love the cobbled roadway and could image the workers walking along in their 'trashers' (working shoes) and carrying their 'snappin' (breakfast or lunch).

Above are some views around the entrance to the factory and below some views inside the factory shop
On this side of the factory the car park is right next to the canal.

Of course we couldn't leave without a small souvenir so we chose a mug each from their bargain basket mine was a blue and white pattern made especially for Crabtree and Evelyn and Paul's was brown and white with an oak leaf and acorn patterm made for Williams-Sonoma Home.

Well, we don't mind you going out and leaving us but you could have brought home new cat bowls instead of mugs!

11 comments:

  1. Oh I find china shops so very tempting! But the cat is right...you should have bought new cat bowls!!! Believe it or not, Edward and Apple eat dinner every day in bowls I carried home from Harrods!! I couldn't resist...one was white and one was black!!

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  2. Your cat still looks pleased to see you though. x

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  3. What a cute cat photo! And I like the mugs!

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  4. How interesting a china factory! I've never seen one! Thank you for sharing Rosie! I just adore blue china!

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  5. Isn't it lovely to visit places wich bring the past almost in the present time...
    Great mugs..a 'mug' in dutch is a mosquito:))

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  6. I love Plums! Will you make jam,I wonder?!
    Lovely tour too!
    ;-)

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  7. Thank you for taking us on tour to have a look inside the Victorian factory-very nice - should have realized, since Evelyn and Crabtree is Brittish, their wares are also from England.

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  8. I'm so putting this place on my list of places to visit! It has "Diane" written all over it!!

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  9. I love Burleigh pottery and this factory is so special, a time capsule in fact.

    It seems a shame to me that more people don't know about it. I have a special interest as my friend wrote a book about them and we went to their open day and book launch, factory tour included.

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  10. Fascinating. So glad it was saved from closure. Love the kitty's comment at the end... like my kitty's, food is always a priority!

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