Church Works and Bedford Works
I created this page as a temporary space in which to illustrate any late Church Works or Bedford Works pieces I might come across, mostly from email and online contacts, that did not fit into any of the established pages in the hope that, eventually, some order may come out of chaos.
Church Works
E. J. Ridgway & Abington
Edward John Ridgway
Bedford Works
E. J. Ridgway & Son
Ridgway, Sparks & Ridgway
Ridgways
Ridgways (Bedford Works) Ltd.
Pattern 2/2281 "Eugénie" table
Church Works
"Verona"
The meat dish is 495mm by 406mm. Earthenware.
Photos © Jackie Casey 2022
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Pattern 6477 "Florida" table
For dessert wares with the same pattern see the nine-lobed dessert page.
The dinner plate is 267mm in diameter. Earthenware.
Photos © April's Vintage Mercantile, owner April Conner 2021
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Pattern 6614 "Pheasant"
The dinner plate is 265mm in diameter. Earthenware.
Photos © Chris Holland 2023
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Pattern 7536
This service has the same handles as 6477 and 2/2281, but it has a moulded edge so is clearly from a different shape set.
The dessert service. Earthenware.
The tall dessert comport is 325mm handle to handle, 280mm wide, and 160mm tall. Earthenware.
The square dessert comport is 272mm handle to handle, 240mm wide, and 45mm tall. Earthenware.
The oval dessert comport is 293mm handle to handle, 232mm wide, and 52mm tall. Earthenware.
The round dessert comport is 260mm handle to handle, 223mm wide, and 70mm tall. Earthenware.
The dessert plate is 225mm in diameter. Earthenware.
Photos © Willa Latham ~ Gentle Rattle of China 2021
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Pattern 8445 'Formosa'
The sauce tureen (minus lid and stand) is 105mm tall, 185mm wide across handles, 130mm diameter, 80mm by 80mm base. Earthenware.
The impressed "C" is often seen on Church Works pieces and is probably a tally mark.
Photos © Shannon Williams 2023
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Pattern 9699
The short dessert comport is 260mm wide and 70mm tall. Earthenware.
The impressed name "ALBA" is often found on E. J. Ridgway earthenwares and may be a body name as it occurs on different shapes.
Photos © robgar8 (eBay) 2022
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Bedford Works
"Oriental" blue gilt
William Ridgway was bankrupted twice and, as a result, the contents of the Bell Works were sold by auction twice, in 1848 and 1855. William's son Edward John Ridgway appears to have bought the printing plates and moulds used at that works, probably at the 1848 sale. Subsequently some of the patterns were reissued, but in the case of the "Oriental" pattern the backstamps were not modified until it was necessary to add "ENGLAND" in 1891, at which point "RIDGWAYS" was also added. Several of the shapes were changed in the reissues. The shapes below are certainly not ones the Bell Works would have issued.
The prints are nowhere near as sharp as the original Bell Works issues, presumably due to wear of the copper printing plate. The backstamps appear to have been completely recut and differ in several minor ways from the original.
The meat dish is 432mm long, 365mm wide, and 44mm tall. Earthenware.
Photos © Bonnie Jean Seiwell ~ Lady in Decadence 2022
The dessert size soup plate, or soup twiffler is 225mm in diameter. Earthenware.
The impressed "12 / 07" is a date code for December 1907.
Photos © Bonnie Jean Seiwell ~ Lady in Decadence 2020
The reversible egg cups (duck/chicken) are 90mm tall. The large end is just over 60mm in diameter and the small end just over 50mm. Earthenware.
The mark is only on one cup and may be a tally mark. The egg cups are otherwise unmarked.
Photos © David Gallacher 2017
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'Willow' blue
The incription on the base reads: "ENGRAVED 1832 FOR W. RIDGWA[Y & Co.]". That date is the assumed date for the start of the partnership. There is, however, no evidence that W. Ridgway & Co. produced 'Willow' apart from this backstamp. On the other hand there is evidence that William Ridgway produced 'Willow' at the Bell Works, and Ridgway & Abington probably acquired the printing plates at the 1848 sale. So by the time Ridgways decided to reuse the plates they had probably forgotten which factory they came from and assumed it was the Church Works.
The gravy boat is 194mm handle to spout, and 95mm tall. Earthenware.
Photos © Bonnie Jean Seiwell ~ Lady in Decadence 2021
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Pattern 2/2281 "Eugénie" table
For dessert wares in the same pattern see Nine-lobed Dessert Shape page.
For a jug in the same pattern see octagonal pinch-handled jug page.
This print is so much like prints previously known by the Church Works it must belong to the factory. It is known that the factory used a 2/xxxx series of patterns when the four figure series came to an end. The exact dating is a little uncertain but appears to roughly coincide with the move to the Bedford Works.
The dessert plate from a table service, is 210mm in diameter. Earthenware.
The shape appears to be a rounding out of the 'Clarendon' shape much as the later 'Bedford' shape was rounded out at the Broad Street Works, perhaps to facilitate machine manufacture.
A classic example of the stapler's skill.
It appears that the name was printed using type, but an English set with no "É" so an apostrophe was used instead.
The name probably refers to the French Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III.
Photos © Sue Parkin 2018
The soup plate is 265mm diameter and 50mm tall. Earthenware.
The pattern number has been damaged so badly nothing can be read from it, but this seems to be the 2/2281 pattern so it is included here.
Photos © Gay Jungemann ~ Ruby Lane 2022
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Pattern 2/2603
The dessert centrepiece. Earthenware.
The impressed "4" is probably a tally mark.
Photos © Aldona Taras 2022
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Pattern 2/2680
These same prints were used later on jugs.
The punchbowl is 325mm in diameter and 150mm tall. Earthenware.
Photos © Haya Sapira 2021
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Pattern 2/6566 'Simlay'
The comport is 241mm in diameter and 127mm tall. Earthenware.
Photos © Ba Penney 2022
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Pattern 4/7780 "Birmah"
The covered vegetable dish is 244mm handle to handle, and 140mm tall. Earthenware.
Photos © Bonnie Jean Seiwell ~ Lady in Decadence 2022
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Pattern i/287 "Phlox"
This type of covered bowl is a known Ridgways shape and occurs in several patterns. It often has a stand.
The registration diamond is for 17 December 1879, Parcel 11 which is recorded as for Ridgways, Bedford Works, Hanley.
The print name "PHLOX" only occurs on the saucers.
Photos from the collection of Marlene Ostler © 2020
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Pattern 3328 "Simlay"
The table centrepiece or fruit bowl is 257mm in diameter and 143mm tall. Earthenware.
The marks above the pattern number are probably "PS". That and the "N" are probably tally marks.
Photos © Chris Croucher 2024
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Pattern 5059 "Anglesey"
The meat dish is 300mm long, 235mm wide, and 30mm tall. Earthenware.
Photos © Chris Holland 2023
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