Redware Storage Jars
What is Redware?
Redware is a fancy term for ceramics made from Etruria Marl clay, the red clay found in the ground around Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. The British pottery industry began with country potters; these were native craftspeople using convenient materials in the small-scale production of elementary crockery. They were the first to recognize that the local red clay could be fired at low temperatures, making it especially workable and economical.
Redware Storage Jars
These handsome Storage Jars are produced in Stoke-on-Trent using a local red Etruria Marl clay, objects made from which are commonly called redware. Cauldon are the last remaining manufacturer of redware in Stoke-on-Trent, proudly conserving one of the oldest traditions in British ceramic-making history. Our new Cauldon Redware collection consists of functional and refined everyday items - a revitalisation of redware for our times - and is the result of a collaboration between Cauldon pottery and ceramicist Ian McIntyre.
Large seams of long-flame coal and red Etruria Marl clay can be found in the ground around Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. These rich natural resources were present long before the six towns of Stoke-on-Trent became known as an epicentre of ceramic production. The pottery industry began with country potters; these were native craftspeople using convenient materials in the small-scale production of elementary crockery. They were the first to recognise that the local red clay could be fired at low temperatures, making it especially workable and economical. The country potters served the local agricultural communities by producing simple affordable tableware; storage pots for everyday use and vessels for the transportation of goods to market. But in the late 1600s two Dutch brothers; John Philip and David Elers, changed the history of the region forever when they saw untapped potential in this distinctive clay. First, they refined it and then set about using it to make elegant and fashionable ceramic goods, mimicking imported Chinese pottery that was popular at the time. This intervention set in motion the reinvention of the area as the capital of ceramic production in Britain.
However, the production of redware in Stoke-on-Trent, as elsewhere, dwindled as decorative fashions changed: Imported clays, with which stoneware and Bone China could be effectively made, ultimately prevailed. Today, the association between this characterful red clay and The Potteries - the original raw material of the area and the famous industry it inspired - has all but been forgotten. The only exception is perhaps the Brown Betty teapot. Cauldon are proud to be the last remaining producer of this iconic British object, another product in our contemporary redware collection.
Cauldon Redware preserves the history and tradition of this unique local clay whilst making it relevant, once again, for a modern audience.
The Re-engineered Edition
Cauldon are the last remaining manufacturer of the original Brown Betty teapot. Together with ceramicist Ian McIntyre, we are pleased to present a newly re-engineered edition of this iconic object. We have reintroduced lost original features whilst conserving all-important characteristics that have been in place since the Brown Betty first emerged in the early 1700s. Great care has been taken to not only preserve, but to renew and improve this enduring and much-loved British design classic.
The Brown Betty has evolved over centuries. The hands of numerous makers, rather than one single creator, are responsible for its famous form. Yet some things have remained constant: Brown Betty describes a typology of teapot made from red Etruria Marl clay, a transparent or dark brown Rockingham glaze and a charmingly portly body. The popularity of the pot is demonstrated by the quantity in which it has been made and the length of time it has endured; We can trace the first Brown Betty teapots all the way back to the 1700s. By 1926 the Staffordshire pottery industry were making half a million Brown Betty per week. Brown Betty has remained an affordable, utilitarian and unpretentious object throughout - not simply enduring, but becoming an icon of British design.
Ceramicist Ian McIntyre spent years researching the history and production of the Brown Betty before working in collaboration with Cauldon on this new re-engineered edition. Innovative features have been reintroduced; a ‘locking lid’ and a ‘non-drip spout’ have been brought back, plus there is a subtle tweak enabling the pot to stack and store efficiently. A loose-leaf tea basket has been added. The local red Etruria Marl clay that has always been used to make the Brown Betty has been faithfully employed again here.
The re-engineered Brown Betty is part of Cauldon’s Redware collection of functional and refined everyday objects. We aim to preserve the history and tradition of this unique local clay whilst making it relevant, once again, for a modern audience.
This latest edition is intended to promote the legacy and value of this much-loved and reliable everyday object.
Physical Properties :-
1. Storage Capacity - These jars comes in three storage capacities- Small, Medium & Large.
Besides these Salt pig jars are also available, which is specially designed for the humid kitchens. The specialty of these jars is that they have their inner storage part is unglazed, so the clay can absorbs the extra moisture from the salt, stored in it and keeps it dry at its best.
2. Fired Glaze Variants - We have celebrated the iron-rich Etruria Marl by firing objects at various temperatures, yielding a range of pleasing red tones, which includes six different types of results, which are Tinted, Burgundy, Rockingham, Biscuit, Clear and Chocolate colours as shown in the picture.. Other shapes are finished in a classic Rockingham Glaze. Cauldon Redware preserves the history and tradition of this unique local clay whilst making it relevant again for a new audience.
3. Fitted Lids - The jars would have air tight cork lids to preserves the food better.
Key Features :-
1. Handmade in Stroke-on-Trent - Nothing more attracts than its manufacturing as it is handmade in Stroke on Trent, which is already well known for its handmade pottery articles.
2. Stackable - The good thing about these jars is they are stackable, which not only solve the storage purpose but also keep your kitchen counter look more clean and well organised.
3. Eco Friendly & Natural - Although the jars are eco friendly (made of clay), but their lids also are made of wooden cork, which makes the complete product eco-friendly.
4. Air Tight - With the other properties they serve the storage purpose at its best, as they are air-tight, which protects the food at its best.
What Options are Available :-
Labels & Prints - We are having storage jars available with labels - Tea, Coffee, Sugar and Cauldon redware. Jars with no prints are also available for multipurpose usage.
Fire Glaze Variants (Colors) - For now, we have four different colors in Jars, which are here with the Pantone color code - Rockingham Brown (Pantone 4975), Cauldon Brown (Pantone 7526), Maple Brown (Pantone 7586), Biscuit Brown (Pantone 7591).
What The Future Beholds
Besides all these, there would be more options available in future also. We are planning to launch medium and large storage jars also. Rather than this, Biscuits, Garlic, Onion, Salt pig jars and Utensil holders would also be available for future.
So stay tuned for the launch!