Cliff & Sons, Wortley-Leeds

Today I found several of these august British bricks, a whole pile in fact, but I could only carry three.  Why import these from England? I guess they weren’t making enough of a similar quality in the States at this time. Or it must have been mighty cheap to have them shipped over? Cheaper than having some made here? I may go back tomorrow and try to get more.

From:

The Sanitary Record: A Monthly Journal of Public Health and the Progress of Sanitary Science (LONDON, 1881-1882)

The neighbourhood of Leeds, it is well known, contains a clay admirably adapted, not only for the ordinary sanitary ware, but for delicately shaped and artistically modelled articles for ornamental purposes; and under the title of Leeds Faience,” Messrs. Wilcox and Co., Burmantofts, Leeds, have placed before the public a most commendable collection, comprising not only slabs and other architectural devices, string courses, etc., but numerous specimens of tiles, etc., for dados and interior decoration. The clay, which is obtained from pits on their own grounds, when first excavated is similar to a grey stone, and has to be ground to a fine powder before mixing. It takes any colour that fancy may dictate, and is said to be capable of bearing a much harder burning than most other clays. In this respect it is remarkable for producing from the kilns very large slabs perfectly flat and level. It is being utilised, amongst other purposes, for the tops and sides of stoves, and wherever there is a danger of tiles of the usual substance becoming loose or falling off. The Leeds faience is made of the thickness of a brick to guard against it. The designs of most of the subjects are highly artistic, and reproductions of well-known works can be truthfully carried out in this material. Another of the uses to which the firm are adapting it, is for the covering of iron or wood columns; and to obviate the amount of labour where so many small pieces are used for decoration, slabs of from three to four feet are constantly being turned out from the kilns perfectly straight and flat. A fine specimen was shown in the form of a circular ornamental chimney top of considerable height and attractive design. As a producer of sanitary ware the name of Wilcocks is widely known; as manufacturer some of the best samples of most of those appliances were on show. Turning to ornamental vases and all those little appendages in pottery now so extensively in demand, a charming collection was exhibited, including many of a decidedly aesthetic character, from the tiniest and plainest example to the largest vases, with figures and flowers in bold relief, which proved that the Leeds faience and Messrs. Wilcox’s artists are worthy of taking a front place in this class of art work.

No less noticeable were the productions of Messrs. Cliff and Sons, of Wortley, near Leeds, which, broadly speaking, were of a somewhat similar character. This firm is also extensively known as makers of sanitary ware, and holds a high position in the market for this work, the specimens shown being of a decidedly superior character. They also manufacture baths lined with a thick coating of white enamel, which possess the great advantage of being remarkably light in weight. Generally, it is understood that full-sized plunging baths made of pottery weigh about 7 cwt., yet this firm are able to produce them as large in size, and of similar substance, that do not exceed about 4 cwt., a difference that offers advantages not to be overlooked. A variety of slop and other sinks similarly enamelled and offering the same advantages as to weight, were on view, as well as a washing pan of the same material and of specially designed shape to render it most suitable for laundry purposes. This article, we are told, is extensively exported to the United States, and as it is decidedly the best article we have seen for its purpose, from a sanitary point, we are not surprised at our American friends having taken to it. It deserves to be widely known, and we hope Messrs. Cliff will succeed in obtaining as great a patronage for it at home. They also showed some specimens of salt glazed ware for string courses and other exterior uses, which it may be fairly assumed are practically indestructible. In the higher forms of decorative painted and glazed clay work, their exhibits ran over a wide range. Tiles and slabs in all sizes, including amongst the larger ones some very fine masterpieces, were in force, and their ornamental bricks were in many instances gems of art as regards their decoration and colouring. The chef d’auvre in Messrs. Cliff’s exhibit was a majolica column some twelve feet high and intended for covering an iron column. The design of this pillar was worked out in a spiral or serpentine form, and was composed mainly of six-inch tiles, between which was entwined a narrow band composed of wreaths of flowers all in bold relief and well formed. This, too, extended from the top to the bottom. When it is considered that each of the tiles and pieces composing this column had to be made of a curved form, and when we add each fitted in its place as if the whole had been made in one, it will be understood what an amount of care must have been bestowed on this production.

And from:

Special Reports on the Mineral Resources of Great Britain:
Vol XIV – Refractory Materials: Fireclays (1920)

It records the operations of the Leeds Fireclay Company Ltd of Wortley, listing its branches as Joseph Cliff and Sons, Burmatofts Co, Edward Brook and sons, Oates and Green Ltd, W. Ingham and Sons, Wortley Fireclay Co and Joseph Brooke and Sons.

It states that the Leeds Fireclay Company is the largest concern of its kind in Great Britain. It listed the mines and quarries operated in a table which provided information on location, depth, gradient of seam, height above sea level, seams worke, typical seam sections and the use of the clay.

It lists the following quarries in the Leeds area operated by Leeds Fireclay Company :

Elland Road Quarry, Hunslet
Stanningley Quarry, Farsley

It lists the following mines in the Leeds area operated by Leeds Fireclay Company :

Harehills Mine (shaft), Potternewton
Gipton No.2 Mine (day hole), Potternewton
Cardigan Mine (shaft), Beeston
Coronation Mine (shaft), Holbeck
Greenside Mine (day hole), Pudsey

View of Cliff House, also known as Western Flatts, which stands in an elevated position above Fawcett Lane. For many years it had operated as Newcliffe House School and was the property of Leeds City Council, although it has recently been sold. The Grade II listed building dates from 1843 and was the property of Joseph Cliff and his family. The Cliffs were known for their Brick and Sanitary Tube works in Wortley. The interior of the house has a fine spiral staircase under a glass dome, and plasterwork, which were all restored during Architectural Heritage Year in 1975. There is a mosaic floor where it is said a famous racehorse is buried, and a coachhouse designed with a covered courtyard. Walter Cliff, son of Joseph, who was born at Western Flatts on 30th August, 1844, offered land to the council to form Lower Wortley Receation Ground (now Western Flatts Park) in 1902. His brother, Stephen, donated the house and grounds in 1929. The family belived in the creation of parks as beneficial to the health of work people.