by Anne Frears

Published at 11:10, Thursday, 17 May 2012

THE Whitehaven & District Local History Society held its April meeting with a talk and pictures by Tony Calvin on the subject of pots, bottles and plates etc. All found by digging up the past on rubbish tips at places such as North Shore, Marchon and the White School.

We were able to look at and handle various bottles (one even had a marble stopper), face cream pots, toothpaste pots, inkwells and a lovely darning egg.

Tony tells us he hated history at school and only got hooked on the past when he started to dig up such interesting things. He gave us a very detailed account of the many breweries we had in and around Whitehaven. I was very surprised to hear about a brewery on Irish Street where Studholme and Dickson used to be. Tony showed us a picture of the area when it was being cleared for new flats and a well had been uncovered. We had many potteries in our area. John Atkinson started the Ginns House Pottery in 1740, John Tunstall started the Glass House Pottery in 1813 and in 1817 the Ladypit Pottery was started by Peter Woodnorth which is now the Beacon. In 1882 the Whitehaven Pottery Company was formed with directors being Mr T Brown, Mr JG Dees and Mr Paitson, the price was £10,000 in 1915. Mr and Mrs Samuel West, the new owners, turned the pottery into an abattoir, it was then sold to Mr and Mrs Tom Mossop in 1955 who were trading as builders merchants.

We were reminded of the lemonade we used to drink from Maxwells, Scotch Street; Cartmells, Catherine Street; Birketts, Lowther Street; and Dixons & Co, Roper Street. We went away with many memories unleashed .

Our next meeting is on May 21 in the United Reformed Church Rooms, Whitehaven, at 7.30pm. People are asked to bring remembrances of their school days.

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk