A Blue Plaque has been unveiled on the historic Nantgarw China Works, once the home of one of the greatest porcelain factories in the world.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Deputy Mayor Cllr Simon Lloyd unveiled the plaque on the building accompanied by Lord Gwilym Preece Davies, the President of The Friends of Nantgarw
The Nantgarw Pottery was established in November 1813, when artist and potter William Billingsley and his son-in-law Samuel Walker, a skilled technician, purchased “Nantgarw House” on the eastern bank of the Glamorganshire Canal and set about building the kilns and ancillary equipment in its grounds, necessary to transform the building into a small porcelain pottery.
Billingsley had been instrumental in the development of the porcelain recipe for Flight, Barr & Barr at Royal Worcester, he and Walker, had signed an agreement not to disclose their new porcelain recipe to a third party, but there was no clause preventing them from using that recipe themselves. They had left Worcester in secret and started the venture at Nantgarw with only £250 to invest in the project between them.
By January 1814, the Quaker entrepreneur William Weston Young had already become the major share-holder in their venture, having invested £630 into the first production period at Nantgarw, as his diaries at the Glamorgan Record Office testify, where payments are recorded to a Mr “Bealey;” an alias Billingsley travelled under since leaving Royal Worcester.
It is assumed Young was acquainted with Billingsley through a mutual friend, and fellow earthenware decorator Thomas Pardoe, whom Billingsley had approached at Swansea’s Cambrian Pottery, while seeking employment in 1807. Young’s work across Glamorganshire as a surveyor may have put him in the position to advise Billingsley whilst still at Royal Worcester, of the suitability of the site at Nantgarw. Its proximity to the Glamorganshire Canal enabled heavy shipments of china clay, as well as the pottery’s delicate porcelain wares to be smoothly transported to and from Cardiff docks by barges.
The rare surviving pieces of Nantgarw porcelain are considered today to be among the most valuable artefacts ever produced in Wales, and are among the most exquisite examples of British Porcelain ever made.
Deputy Mayor of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council Cllr Simon Lloyd said: “This is an exciting scheme and one which will raise the profile of the county borough to both local and wider communities.
“With the development of a Blue Plaque Heritage Trail visitors will be enthralled by the sheer wealth of history we have to offer, while many long-time residents will also be surprised at the importance of buildings near their own homes. We have an incredible heritage in Rhondda Cynon Taf and one which we remain justifiably proud of.”
For almost two years Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Libraries & Museums Service has been working closely with various voluntary organisations and individuals to determine 30 sites in the county borough as yet unrecognized for their historical background.
Due to £49,200 of Heritage Lottery funding, the project has set out to identify icons, events and buildings, culminating in the placing of blue plaques to commemorate their history and achievements. A series of articles appeared in the local and national press along with television and radio coverage to encourage people to nominate their own site.
Following consultation with community representatives and historical societies, an audit was carried out to catalogue all existing memorials, statues and plaques in Rhondda Cynon Taf. People, places or events which already have a plaque commemorating them are ineligible for a Blue Plaque, as are anyone who died less than 10 years ago.
More than 180 nominations were received and representatives of historical societies in each area met with Council officers to undertake the unenviable task of deciding which areas will receive the Blue Plaques.
