Glasgow, Stafford Street, Bell's Pottery

NS56NE 89.01 5955 6624

Bells' Pottery (also known as the Glasgow Pottery) was established in the 1830's by John and Matthew Preston Bell. Initially producing sanitary ware and garden ornaments, the pottery went onto produce porcelain from 1842 onwards. It became one of the few producers of high quality porcelain in Scotland. Between 1894 and 1919, the pottery was reduced in size as the Caledonian Railway expanded. In 1929 Bergius Kelvin Ltd built the engineering factory on the site (see NS56NE 89.00).

The excavations carried out by GUARD revealed that the state of preservation of the pot bank remains was excelllent, due to the controllled demolition of the pottery in the 1920s. A number of the standing walls of Kelvin Diesels contained evidence of having been part of the pottery buildings. Finds included vast amounts of pottery sherds and kiln furniture.

Information from Keith Speller, GUARD 1996 (see NMRS MS/725/105)

NS 5955 6620 During February, June and September 1996 Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division carried out a field assessment on the site of Bell's Pottery (NMRS NS56NE 89). Bell's is widely considered to be Scotland's largest industrial pottery site and foremost fineware producer of its time (c 1842-1923). On the basis of the assessment, the site has subsequently been designated a Site of National Importance under NPPG5 guidelines.

Trench 1. Stone and flint mill and adjoining slip house. The stone bases of a large flint-crushing machine were revealed with an underlying slip drain.

Trench 2. Sanitary pressing shop and underlying clay cellars. This trench revealed the floor of the cellar, which was coated with calcined flint deposits. No other archaeological features were recorded.

Trench 3. The NW kiln complex. Approximately 90 degrees of a bottle kiln base was exposed, in excellent condition. Limited excavation took place to investigate the central area and one of the ash pits which had been rebuilt.

Trench 4. Central kiln area. The remains of part of four bottle kiln bases were exposed, in varying degrees of preservation. A trench was excavated through one in order to investigate the construction style and methods and to determine the depth of deposits and thereby a chronology.

Trench 5. China kiln house. According to documentary evidence, two bottle kilns were sited here. However, excavation revealed the well-preserved remains of a non-circular kiln, with metal firing door and grate still in situ. A large amount of pottery wasters were retrieved from the flue voids beneath this kiln. Small areas of adjoining rooms were also exposed.

Trench 6. Clay bunker. A rectangular cellared space was exposed containing clay and pottery wasters.

Trench 7. Internal road. A perfectly preserved stretch of internal cobbled road and pavement were revealed. Pottery was retrieved from beneath this road.

Trench 8. Internal flue. This trench revealed more of the room partially revealed in trench 5, adjacent to the non-circular kiln. Parallel to the external brick wall was a flue containing demolition debris and capped with stamped firebricks.

Trench 9. Entrance-way. This trench covered the original S entrance to the potworks. All original features had been destroyed by redesigning of this area by the subsequent occupants of the site, Kelvin Diesels.

Trench 10. Warehousing and road. This trench revealed the in situ wall bases of two ranges of warehousing, divided by an internal cobbled road.

Trench 11. Kyle Street and sanitary pressing shop. This trench revealed that Kyle Street had been built up to gain access to the canal to the N of the pottery and also revealed external and internal walls at the S end of the pressing shop range.

A large amount of pottery, over 300 plaster-of-Paris moulds and various types of kiln furniture were retrieved from the site, along with samples of bricks, clays, slips and other structural materials.

Sponsors: VICO Properties (Scotland), Appleyard Group.

K Speller 1996

NS 595 662 A variety of fieldwork (watching briefs, evaluation, excavation) has been conducted at the site of the former Bell's Pottery (NS56NE 89 and NS56NE 89.1 ). Bell's was Scotland's foremost producer of fineware ceramics and was in operation during much of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The current development site occupies much of the northern half of the former potworks. The area attracted previous archaeological attention (DES 1996, 54) prior to an earlier development of the southern extent of the site in the mid-1990s.

An initial watching brief was undertaken of seven boreholes and six probe holes opened up across the site. This confirmed that the archaeological remains of Bell's Pottery remain largely intact and in good preservation across the site, and sealed beneath the current concrete capping layer. The deposits encountered ranged in depth from 0.15-3.10m.

An evaluation and watching brief located in the northernmost extent of the site found significant archaeological remains of the Pottery at a depth of 2.2m. This resulted in the excavation and recording of the remains of a chimney (known from historic maps of the site), adjacent cobbled flooring and sandstone flagging, and a series of drains, including two field drains related to the earlier use of the site as a field. Substantial amounts of archaeological finds relating to the Pottery were recovered. A watching brief took place in the SE area and located the remains of the flint kiln (also known from historic maps of the site). Work has been discontinued in this area and the remains preserved.

The main and ongoing watching brief of approximately 400 boreholes, four lift shafts and machine-excavation of the road off of Kyle Street have recovered substantial finds and information relating to the use and topography of the site. Included within this was the discovery and recording of a wall located along the small road off Kyle Street, just outwith the site of the pottery but coming off the boundary wall.

At present the work at the site continues. However, the recent work has already added significantly to enhance our understanding of the site, in particular in regard to its overall topography. A large quantity of pottery, some moulds, and various types of kiln furniture have been recovered. (GUARD 1176)

Sponsor: Victoria Hall Ltd.

K Seretis 2002