Castle Hedingham Ware

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Example of Castle Hedingham Ware
Example of Castle Hedingham Ware

Castle Hedingham Ware An art pottery studio founded by Edward Bingham at Castle Hedingham in Essex, England. This pottery was in production from 1864 to 1901 and made medieval and Tudor type wares. Bingham produced some massive wares, with 'Essex' jugs up to three feet high being typical. Bingham also made many colourful and vivacious pots of average size, frequently mimicking the medieval revival style.

The pottery had a raw quirkyness and is often compared with "Elton Ware" pottery made by Sir Edmund Elton of Clevedon Court in Somerset at about the same time. However, Elton was more adventurous with his materials and experimented with a type of coloured clay known as slip as well as specialist glazes including a striking development of the craquel glaze technique common in contemporary ceramics. Castle Hedingham pottery was less refined in its finish. Of all the main art studio potteries of the latter part of the 19th century (the others include Martin Brothers), Castle Hedingham was comparatively neglected.