| Back in 1846 Thomas Goodwin Green, son of a | | | | the mid-Victorian years and there's no record of |
| Lincolnshire corn merchant, had a fancy for a lady | | | | who at TG Green came up with the idea of |
| by the name of Mary Tenniel (sister of Sir John | | | | turning this type of pottery into a modern range |
| Tenniel the famous illustrator of such books as | | | | of kitchen wares. It is believed that the idea was |
| Alice in Wonderland). He asked her to marry him | | | | driven by the need to give the TG Green lathe |
| but was rejected. So in true romantic spirit, he | | | | turners employment in the mid 1920s during the |
| took his broken heart and sailed for Australia, | | | | post WWI recession. A Pottery with a |
| where he made his fortune as a builder. Fifteen | | | | background of social conscience. Gotta love that! |
| years later he had word that Mary had changed | | | | The Cornishware pieces are fired, coated with slip |
| her mind so he returned home in true prodigal | | | | which is allowed to dry and then coated with the |
| fashion, wooed and won his sweetheart and they | | | | blue slip. When this is dry the pieces are mounted |
| were married. | | | | on a lathe and bands of blue slip are turned off to |
| Whilst on honeymoon, Green met Henry Wileman | | | | reveal the white body beneath. Then of course |
| who owned the Pottery Works in Church Gresley, | | | | they are fired again. This also gives the pieces |
| Derbyshire. Having sold up his business in Australia, | | | | their texture as they have a very definitive edge |
| Green was looking for something to do now he | | | | to them; not achievable by just painting the |
| was back in the Old Dart so he bought the | | | | stripes onto the body. This hand lathe process is |
| pottery from Wileman. After all, how hard could it | | | | still carried out today in the modern Cornishware |
| be? | | | | pieces. |
| Fortunately he had bought a well run operation | | | | Over the years Cornishware has been made in |
| and being a strong-minded and determined man | | | | several colorways: yellow (Sunlit Yellow), buff |
| he soon made his new business a great success; | | | | (Cornish Gold), red, black, green and teal. My |
| in the process, setting up a pottery dynasty that | | | | collection focuses on the original blue range with |
| lasted until 1964, when it went the way of so | | | | pieces mainly from the 1930s and 40s; although I |
| many family potteries, and went into receivership. | | | | have a teapot from the 1960s when the range |
| The company assets were purchased by larger | | | | was redesigned by Judith Onions in an effort to |
| outfits who continued trading under the TG Green | | | | modernize it and revitalize its market appeal. |
| name. | | | | The TG Green range expanded during the mid |
| TG Green expanded into the kitchen and table | | | | 20th century to include many other designs, many |
| wares market. And during the first half of the | | | | of which are quite collectable today. but my |
| 20th century the pottery produced a number of | | | | favourite TG Green range is the Streamline |
| popular designs. The most famous is Cornishware. | | | | kitchen and table ware. This was characterised by |
| Supposedly named by a TG Green Regional Sales | | | | a cream coloured body formed into a distinctive |
| Representative who was inspired by 'the blue of | | | | rounded shape with a series of green stripes |
| the Cornish skies and the white crests of the | | | | piped onto to it. The stripes are raised on the |
| waves', Cornishware is the most famous of all | | | | surface of the pieces making them very tactile. |
| the TG Green lines. It is the definitive blue and | | | | The range is huge and was in production from the |
| white kitchen ware pottery of the 20th century | | | | mid-1930s to about 1950, But because it was |
| (Willow pattern doesn't really count as it is | | | | never as popular as the famous Cornishware, |
| primarily used on dinner wares rather than than | | | | Streamline pieces are harder to find, especially the |
| kitchen ware). When the popularity of Cornish | | | | more unusual items. |
| Kitchen Wares took off it spawned dozens of 'me | | | | TG Green pottery is great to collect as the range |
| too' lines from competing manufacturers: | | | | if different pieces is so large and you can build up |
| Kleenware, Fowlerware, Stanley Ware, Bretby | | | | a really interesting collection of different shapes |
| Ware, to name a few. But none of them really | | | | and pieces within the same 'family'. And it makes |
| captured the market like Cornishware. | | | | a sensational display on a kitchen dresser or shelf. |
| Blue banded white wares had been around since | | | | |