Overview
The Pottery was founded by James Buchanan in 1911.
It was situated in the extreme East end of Glasgow and made nothing but utilitarian stoneware until 1946, having been said to have had the majority of the jam jar market.
A fire in 1955 saw the works temporarily close and competition throughout the 60s saw the pottery struggle to stay financially viable and it eventually closed in 1976.
Main Products
Until 1946, the production of Bristol glazed stoneware was the sole production of the pottery, with whisky flagons, jam jars, kitchen wares, hot water bottles, storage jars etc.
From 1946, wares were drastically extended with ordinary stoneware production continuing alongside dabbed wares of pitchers, jugs, baskets, etc being produced. From the 50s, coffee and tea sets of granular colours under matt glaze were introduced alongside similar dinner services and translucent and curdled glazes were introduced latterly. Tourist ware was produced in the form of “Highland Ware”, based on thistles. Small book moulded whisky bottles with titles such as “Spirit of Scotland” have been found as far afield as New York.
Painted dinner sets and garden ornaments were introduced in the 60s.
Most numerous are the various opalescent glazed, mottled or spatter ware jugs, in various forms and brightly coloured.
Articles in SPHR
- 5 - Drawing of Site
- 9 - References
- 17 - References
- 20 - Unusual Piece
Articles in Bulletin (Members only)
- 32 - Scottish Rum Jars - Stuart Robert Disbrey
- 36 - Govancroft Bottle
- 37 - News at last of Marlaw Hamilton - Jim Reid
- 42 - An Interesting Govancroft Find.
- 51 - Two rare anniversary Govancroft Pottery plates
- 53 - Govancroft no more? Graeme Cruickshank
- 58 - A visit to ‘The Govancroft Museum’ Robin Jones
- 60 - Govancroft Pottery books ‘The ‘Spirit of……’ Douglas Leishman
- 66 - Marlaw Hamilton – Made in Scotland, Revisited. Douglas Leishman
- 70 - Robert the Bruce Mug
Typical Backstamps & Marks
Govancroft, Govancroft Pottery
Pattern Names
- No pattern names are known to have been used
The Gordon Adams Photographs
The Gordon Adams Photographs of Govancroft Pottery – Click Here
Around the 1970s, Glasgow photographer Gordon Adams visited Govancroft pottery and took rare, candid photographs of the works and workers.
The Society is grateful to Gordon Adams for allowing the reproduction of his photographs here.