 |
|
The watercolor above reads "taken from behind ye China House at Bow". This 18th century landscape was painted by Jeffryes Hammett O'Neale, who arrived in London c.1754. Perhaps the bags in the wagon contained the clay to be used for the Bow ceramics. Obviously, windmills were a major source of power. The Bow Porcelain factory was located east of London at the Essex County boundary. It was several miles above Bow Creek's confluence with the Thames near Blackwall, where the Thames moves in a horseshoe bend around the Isle of Dogs. Excavations at the site occurred in 1867, 1921, and 1969--all of them constrained by the fact that the area was already congested with industry. The wasters of figures and fragments of wares confirm the location of the largest early porcelain manufacturer in England. Present-day explorers should take the train to West Ham station and walk several blocks to the Newham Museum which was formerly called the Passmore Edwards Museum. The Museum presents a good selection of Bow and other objects denoting local history. |
|
