Bardon Mill Pottery

Errington Reay & Co. Ltd (aka Bardon Mill Pottery) is a family-run business, and the sole remaining UK commercial producer of salt-glazed pottery, selling directly from its visitor centre and factory shop in Bardon Mill. The business was established in 1878 by Robert Errington and William Reay, based in a former water-powered wool mill, producing salt-glazed sanitary ware and drainage pipes. In the 1970s, after plastic pipes made ceramic drainage less profitable, they shifted production to garden pots, known for their traditional hand-thrown production and unique salt-glazed finish. Historically, Errington Reay & Co. Ltd, also owned some local mines: Millfield (in the 1880s), Bardon Mill (1930s), Thorngrafton (1940s), and Barcombe (1950s).^[1] There was once a tramway network linking mines and quarries, which terminated in Bardon Mill.^[2] Possibly this was used for transporting clay to the business, as well as coal and stone.