Saturday May 19 2012
Art & Literature Archive
Village Art & Literature
History revealed by local authors
Posted on February 16 2010 at 7:21:28 0 comments
Alvechurch couple Tom and Lillian Willis have spent the past 26 years researching the life and works of Worcestershire potter Edward Walter Locke.
For anyone interested in pottery and porcelain, local history, genealogy and the region’s industrial and artistic heritage, the book provides a detailed insight not only into the affairs of one particular figure but also a glimpse of Worcestershire life in the 1800s.
If you haven’t heard of Locke, you are not alone – in fact, this book contains the first in-depth research on the man and his factory. It was the realisation that both had been somewhat overlooked by previous researchers that inspired Tom and Lillian to fill in the blanks.
26 years ago, Tom Willis read a book about Worcester porcelain which mentioned that Locke’s factory was under the arches of Shrub Hill railway station – but surely a factory using kilns could not have operated in that location?
By a strange coincidence, 100 miles away in Slough, Len Harris was reading the same book – and coming to the same conclusion. He decided to place an ad in an antiques magazine in the hope of reaching someone with information.
Tom replied, and thus began their long association. Tom’s wife Lillian was at that time an amateur potter herself and had a great interest in porcelain, having bought her first Locke piece some years previously, so the trio set out to discover all they could about E Locke & Co.
“There was no internet in those days, so we had to visit archives and records offices in person, which meant a considerable amount of journeying,” recalls Lillian.
They put together a family tree revealing that the Locke family had been in Worcestershire since at least 1695, when Edward’s great-great-grandfather was married at Kempsey.
Even though the main interest was in tracing the direct line from which Edward descended, details of his forebears are included in the family tree, creating an interesting picture of family dynamics in the 18th and 19th centuries: multiple births, infant mortality, and the somewhat confusing habit of naming children after their parents and grandparents!
Tom, Lillian and Len were also involved with an exhibition of Locke porcelain in Worcester, which led to an odd coincidence: “An American couple came along, having seen our booklet advertising the event, and they turned out to be a Mr and Mrs Locke!” says Lillian.
“They were in the UK researching a different branch of the Lockes, but if they had not happened to be in Worcester at that time, they would never have known about this side of their family.”
The book covers Locke’s career, from the early years as an apprentice with Worcester china manufacturer George Grainger to the founding of his own factory. Tom, Len and Lillian discovered that the true location of E Locke & Co was Newtown Road, Shrub Hill, and the book contains copies of the original architectural plans.
There’s information on some of the artists who decorated the porcelain, and evidence that Locke was a benevolent employer who cared for his workforce. Also recorded is a 1902 court battle between the firm and Locke’s former employer, Royal Worcester Porcelain Co, concerning the use of the word “Worcester” in advertising material.
The book is illustrated with many examples of Locke porcelain, which is collected by a large number of people.
Edward Walter Locke, Master Potter 1829–1909: His Family And His Factory is available for £10 (plus p&p if required) from Tom and Lillian at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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