View source for Burmantofts Pottery

[[Image:Leeds University Great Hall staircase.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Burmantofts faience in the Great Hall of the [[University of Leeds]]]]
'''Burmantofts Pottery''' was the common trading name of a manufacturer of ceramic pipes and construction materials, named after the [[Burmantofts]] district of [[Leeds]], [[England]].

The business began in 1859 when [[fire clay]] was discovered in a coal mine owned by William Wilcox and John Lassey.<ref name=pev>''Pevsner Architectural Guides - Leeds, Susan Wrathwell, 2005, ISBN 0-300-10736-6</ref> In 1863 Lassey's share was bought by John Holroyd and the company then named Wilcox & Co.<ref name=pev/>

In 1879, after a period of expansion, the firm made decorative bricks and tiles in orange or buff-coloured [[architectural terracotta]], glazed bricks, and [[Glazed architectural terra-cotta|glazed terracotta (faience)]] .<ref name=pev/> Architect [[Alfred Waterhouse]] used their materials in his Yorkshire College (1883) in Leeds.<ref name=pev/>

In 1885 products were on sale in London, Paris and Montreal.<ref name=pev/> By 1889 they had commissioned [[Maurice Bingham Adams]] to design stock items for their catalogue.<ref name=pev/> Also in 1889 Wilcox & Co merged with other companies to found ''The Leeds Fireclay Co. Ltd.'' — the largest in the country.<ref name=pev/>

Terracotta production ceased in 1904 but the firm created an artificial marble called ''Marmo'' in 1908, as used on Atlas House, King Street, Leeds <ref name=pev/> and [[Michelin House]], London.

The firm closed in 1957, at which time it comprised ninety kilns on {{convert|16|acre|m2}} of land.<ref name=pev/>

==Examples of products==
*Atlas House, King Street, Leeds 
*County Arcade, Leeds (Matcham)
*Great Hall interior, University of Leeds, 1890-4, (Alfred Waterhouse)
*[[Michelin House]], South Kensington, London

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.postmaster.co.uk/~jason31/181469/index.html Burmatofts Pottery Shards]
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/leeds/content/articles/2008/11/26/history_burmantofts_pottery_feature.shtml BBC Leeds Local History] Glazing over
*[http://tessellations.org.uk/explore/000149.html Tessellations] 
*[http://www.ihbc.org.uk/context_archive/52/UNDERSTANDING_dir/UNDERSTANDING_s2.htm Understanding Terracotta]

[[Category:Companies established in 1859]]
[[Category:Building materials]]
[[Category:Terracotta]]
[[Category:English pottery]]


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[[Category:2Fix]]