Northcote Pottery started its life as a suburban Melbourne pottery in 1897 making architectural terracotta products such as garden pots, air vents, roof tiles etc., and business life progressed uneventfully for the first 50 years. But, by the post World War II period, the owners grasped the potential of the growing (plant growers) industry to meet the needs of the parents of today’s baby boomers. Their suburban backyards became a new focus for family life in peace time. Traditionally, garden plants were supplied in small cone shaped terracotta pots which, once the plants were planted, were stored in their hundreds in the garden shed for reuse ‘one day’. These two to twelve inch diameter terracotta cones, or Bill and Ben (the flower pot men) pots comprised almost the entire production of the pottery and were made on static presses imported from England.
Melbourne’s mild climate made it the perfect location for an expanding nursery/grower industry and, naturally, Northcote Pottery had a virtual monopoly in Victoria because of its location. Similarly, each major state in Australia had its own terracotta pot manufacturer too. In New South Wales, Barkers Pottery, Western Australia, Courtlands Pottery, South Australia, Bennetts Magill Pottery, and Queensland’s Sandisons Pottery. Victorian companies such as Cheesmans, Paramount and Rimmingtons bought thousands of small standard flowerpots each year. From a pottery manufacturer’s point of view this was a perfect and healthy business environment–a limited number of large clients expanding their business each year, easily accessible clients located within a reasonable distance for distribution of fragile and breakable products, a product range that was limited and easy to manufacture, and a social and economic climate that was peaceful and prosperous. Things seemed to be going almost too well!
Then came the spectre of obsolescence at the hands of the plastic garden pot. This cheap, light, and easy to transport product was very frightening. How does a business reinvent itself in the face of such steep competition. Terracotta had always had the functional advantage of being a better medium for growing plants, is environmentally friendly, and does not break down due to prolonged exposure to ultra violet light. So, the new marketing approach which promoted the benefits of terracotta over plastic became integral to the business, and still continues to be today. Historically, terracotta had also always had the aesthetic advantage. So, Northcote Pottery sought other markets for their terracotta garden pottery, one which was right in front of it: the discerning retail client seeking a fashionable garden pot in which to grow established ‘display’ plants. This new appearance-conscious client demanded new designs and larger size pots. The Northcote Pottery ‘fancy’ range was subsequently developed. These products were either completely hand thrown, or blanks were stamped out on a static press then hand modified by skilled throwers. These techniques created unique designs that were larger and more ornate than previously made on a static press. The strawberry pot, stippled planters, frilled edge planters, bellied planters and many more designs were developed by the artisan
Thrower reshaping pressed forms
Northcote Pottery production
techniques
Static or electric cycle pressing
Static pressing involves placing a kerosene and wax lubricated piece
of clay between two steel spinning dies which are compressed to create
the desired shape. These presses apply up to 40 tonne pressure. They have
been used for the past 50 years and are continually upgraded and modified
to suit contemporary production. Each press has a variety of die shapes
which can be changed daily if necessary. Each die is worth approximately
$5000 to $10,000 so it is essential that each pot shape is commercially
viable before being converted into a steel die shape. All new designs
are generally made by hand by in-house throwers until they prove their
commercial viablilty and are then converted to machine dies for commercial
manufacture. Presses vary in scale and pressure and take different die
sizes. Northcote pottery has eight presses in operation. The majority
of terracotta pots are made on steel dies on electric cycle pottery presses.
These forms can then be hand finished using a potters wheel. A blank (pot)
made from an electric cycle press is re-centred on an electric wheel,
re wet, and then thrown to the desired shape by stretching and re-shaping
the clay until the ideal shape is achieved.
potters. Each new design took very little time and expense to develop compared with a static press die, and the potters loved to have free rein with the new designs. During this period the potters made almost as many pots per year as the factory machines with each hand-finished item being more expensive and appropriate to the needs of the new style of customer. Concurrent with these developments in the factory, Northcote Pottery undertook a program of importing very large terracotta pots from Italian potteries to further expand the size range of products available. The factory was still unable to make large scale pots and was limited to pressed pots of 12” diameter.
The mid-late 90s ushered in the era of the ‘designer
garden’ and lifestyle television programs such as Burke’s Backyard,
Healthy, Wealthy and Wise and the prominence of events such as the Melbourne
International Flower and Garden Show. Demands for constantly changing
designs reached a feverish pitch and an in-house designer was added to
the company’s staff. A range of additional forming processes were
added to the traditional static press and the potters wheel–ram pressing,
jolly and jigger, extruding and roller head forming rapidly expanded the
breadth of designs the factory could manufacture commercially.
The Northcote Pottery era of pot feet instead of saucers, Victorian style garden edges for renovators, bird baths for native gardens, and contemporary tripod pots reflected the expanding interests of the customer base, and new technology was the means by which this could be achieved.
Artisan throwers continued making ever more ornate designs, and tested new designs before they went into mechanical production. And alongside Northcote Pottery’s factory production, the imported product range (Chinese, Vietnamese and Malaysian) grew. Exports to Japan and the west coast of the USA helped relieve excess production capacity during the quiet winter period in Australia and the original site at Clyde Street, Thornbury became a pressure cooker environment as the business outgrew the physical confines of the site.
The new millenium has seen enormous expansion with the NSW distribution centre’s move to premises three times the previous size in western Sydney, and the construction of a state-of-the-art flagship distribution centre in Melbourne’s north close to the metropolitan ring road. The space at the Clyde Street (Northcote) site has enabled the factory to concentrate on an innovative range of glazed terracotta garden ware. These products meet the demands of a retail market stimulated by the miracle makeover TV programs such as Backyard Blitz, Changing Rooms, Position, Position, Better Homes and Gardens etc). The new terracotta ware is simpler, far less rustic than the robust Tuscan forms of the late ‘90s and more in keeping with contemporary architectural trends. Glazed water-features have risen to prominence as the current designer garden product, and makes an ideal addition, along with hanging wall planters, to small inner city gardens and courtyards. Precision cone shaped planters which sit into stands, and minimal bowl forms designed for mosaic artists now play a key role in the product range for the 21st century
Ram pressing
Ram pressing involves using a plaster die (with hollow absorbent tubes
running through it) . The die is used on a pneumatic press which applies
pressure of up to 40 tonnes to a slab of firm clay placed between the
die halves. Under compression the clay’s moisture and steam from
the process works though the plaster die tubes to be released, thereby
stopping the plaster from exploding. Reverse air pressure is then forced
back through the plaster to blow the shape of the die gently. This method
is generally used for flat forms, wide shallow forms, or forms with relief
decoration.
Extruding (left)
Extruded lengths of clay can be put through a wire
cutter to create pot feet, garden edge tiles or simple pavers.
Roller head forming (above)
Roller head forming involves shaping the moist clay between a plaster
die and a rolling steel head (die) to create the desired shape. Each technique
used for forming requires a high degree of manual maintainence and changing
of dies. These services are all performed by qualified staff with considerable
experience in the clay industry.