11/01/2025
Sharing with you all a beautiful little find . It’s not often I find whole stamps on ceramic ware. I’ve come across stamped ware before and normally they are cracked or the date is missing . But this little gem is a beauty . After some digging it turns out that this piece was made in Arklow . It’s dates from mid 1930s which means it was part of Arklow pottery’s first ever collection of pieces hand crafted in its new factory . The stamps are significant!!
Arklow Pottery was the second Irish pottery after Carrigaline in Cork to be founded by the Free State. Arklow Pottery was founded in 1934 and formally opened by Seán Lemass (Minister for Industry and Commerce) 29 July 1935 in South Quay, Arklow, County Wicklow.
When it opened, it employed 200 people. These included 15 local young women from a technical institute and 30 experienced professionals from Staffordshire Potteries. As there had been no historical ceramics industry in Ireland, the English workers were needed to train their Irish colleagues.
• From when Arklow Pottery opened in 1934 and up until 1949, the back stamps generally show ‘Eire’, ‘Ireland’ or ‘Made in Ireland’
• After 1949, Ireland became a Republic and products from many industries, including Arklow Pottery, stated very clearly and proudly ’Made in the Republic of Ireland’. This remained all throughout the 1950’s, 1960’s and into the 1970’s.
It’s pretty amazing what you can find in the sand and this piece is a small piece of Irish history .
I can only imagine who may have sipped tea or eaten cake from this piece of china .
Happy Saturday all
