Watcombe Pottery marks

About Watcombe Pottery

Watcombe pottery began production in 1869 near Torquay, Devon, after the discovery of usable red clay on the grounds of Watcombe House. The owner, Mr Allen, established the enterprise with Charles Brock, a Staffordshire potter, as its first manager. Early production emphasized terracotta figures, busts, plaques, urns and classical vases. Some pieces were enamelled or gilded, while others retained the natural color of the clay.

The factory subsequently broadened its range to glazed art pottery, novelty shapes, jardinières and decorated domestic ware. Floral relief decoration and painted landscapes accompanied the more familiar tourist pottery. Hexter, Humpherson & Co., already owners of Aller Vale, acquired Watcombe in 1901. The linked businesses brought together different decorative skills, including colored-slip work and the cottage scenes and mottos associated with Torquay ware.

Watcombe continued through changing tastes in the twentieth century, making birds, floral designs, scenic souvenirs and humorous or practical gifts. After the Second World War it acquired the rival Longpark business and introduced further decorative ranges, including Widecombe Fair and Winter Cottage. Production finally ended in 1962, closing nearly a century of local pottery manufacture.