At its peak, in the third quarter of the 20th century, the Twyfords company operated in FOUR continents. It had established factories across the UK, in South Africa, in India, and in Australia.
Thomas Twyford established his first factory in Bath Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.
Thomas Twyford established his first factory in Bath Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.
BATH STREET WORKS - Hanley 1849
Operated by Thomas Twyford (1927-1872) father of Thomas William and brother of Christopher who were also sanitaryware potters.
 |
| Twyfords factory 1849 Bath Street (now Garth Street) Hanley |
 |
| Twyfords Bath Street Works Garth Street formerly Bath Street. In 1960 it was E & B Morris, Potato Merchants. Photo: Bert Bentley |
ABBEY WORKS - Bucknall 1849
Established in the same year as the Bath Street Works.
NEW STREET WORKS - Hanley 1860s
Christopher Twyford (1825-1869), brother of Thomas (1827-1872) who was father of Thomas William, also manufactured Sanitaryware. He operated from New Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. New Street is now called Goodson Street after a major street renaming in The Potteries in the 1950s. Goodson Street is dominated by a Marks and Spencer store. The street is less than half a mile from Thomas Twyford's Bath Street factory.
CLIFFE VALE WORKS - Cliffe Vale 1887
 |
| Twyfords Cliffe Vale Pottery |
 |
| Twyfords Cliffe Vale Pottery alongside the Trent and Mersey Canal |
 |
| Twyfords Cliffe Vale Warehouse - early 1900s Note the valve closet basins hanging from the beam. The sliding valve closet was patented in 1778 by Joseph Bramah. They are still in use in UK Royal Palaces. |
 |
| Twyfords Cliffe Vale Pottery Photo: Source unknown Date: 1920s |
 |
| Twyfords Cliffe Vale Pottery and Fireclay Factory Source: Britain from Above Date: 1928 http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw023584 |
 |
| Twyfords Cliffe Vale Pottery From the air. Date: 1950s |
 |
| Twyfords Cliffe Vale Pottery Source: from the E J D Warrilow Collection Date: 1951 |
 |
| Twyfords Cliffe Vale Pottery Source: Aerofilms Date: Early 1950s |
 |
| Twyfords Cliffe Vale Pottery from the Trent and Mersey Canal Photo: Unknown source Date: probably 1940s |
 |
| Twyfords Cliffe Vale Pottery Belching oven Date: early 1950s |
 |
| Placing sanitaryware in a bottle oven Note the ladders, called 'osses, also the massive saggars |
 |
| Twyfords Cliffe Vale Pottery View from canal probably by Horace Astill, Designer Date: early 1940s |
 |
| Twyfords Cliffe Vale Pottery Packing and loading in straw. Date: 1960 |
 |
| Twyfords Cliffe Vale Pottery Factory frontage on Shelton New Road Date: 1991 |
 |
| Twyfords Cliffe Vale Pottery Main gate with Caradon Twyfords new signage Date: 1991 |
Notice the sign in the apex of the building. Cast in stone. The sign remains today (2020) even though the factory was converted into apartments in the mid 2000s.
 |
| Twyfords Cliffe Vale, Shelton New Road Pic shows the building now converted to flats. Fireclay factory site on the right, being converted to warehousing Photo: source unknown Date: late 2000s |
"THE POTTERIES - ILLUSTRATED"
A descriptive account of The Potteries - 1893 advertising and trade journal.
Here is a transcription from an 1893 advertising and trade journal giving a wonderful description of Twyfords Cliffe Vale site. A pic of the original document is here here>
Mr. Thomas W. Twyford, Sanitary Potter
Cliffe Vale Pottery and Enamelled Fire Clay Works,
Hanley, Staffordshire
""" Mr. Thomas W. Twyford, Sanitary Potter, Cliffe Vale Pottery and Enamelled Fire Clay Works, Hanley, Staffordshire. The manufacture of white enamel fireclay goods, such as sinks, wash tubs, urinals, etc., is quite a new feature in the district of the Potteries, but the new departure has been undertaken with great spirit and enterprise, and there is no doubt that it will rival both Stourbridge and Yorkshire for high-class quality. Cliffe Vale Pottery is the largest pottery in Staffordshire where Sanitary earthenware forms the sole object of manufacture.
Considering the size of the works, and the fact that 400 potters are employed, the circumstances to which we refer constitutes in itself a striking indication of the merit and popularity of the specialities put forward. Indeed, these goods have made a reputation which fully entitles them to rank as absolutely the best appliances of the sort ever introduced to the market. They are sold and in constant demand wherever civilisation holds sway, and they represent the application of advanced scientific theory with an adequacy and a completeness such as has seldom been attained. Although the real importance of the Cliffe Vale Pottery may be said to date from the year 1879 - the year in which the proprietor introduced the original "National" closet basin - the concern is one of the oldest in the Potteries, having been started by Mr. Twyford's grandfather early in the present century. [19th century]
The premises now occupied by the firm were built expressly for the work from plans designed by Messrs. Scrivener, the well-known local architects, and cover a considerable area of ground, and comprise quite an aggregation of buildings. Flanked by the canal on one hand, and by railway sidings on the other, the site offers exceptional advantages with respect to the matter of transport; whilst the compact and convenient arrangement of the various departments, their structural suitability to the purposes in hand, and the up-to-date perfection of the equipment, provide for an even greater output than might be inferred from the imposing appearance of the exterior.
Briefly speaking, Mr. Twyford turns out three main classes of sanitary ware, viz., best white or decorated, yellow or cane, and white enamelled fireclay. The principal line is undoubtedly sanitary closets, the Iatest patents being Twyford's “Unitas" wash-out and the “Deluge" wash-down, each combining water-closet basin, urinal and slop sink. Both are made on the pedestal principle, which dispenses with the unnecessary and unhygienic wood-work, so common in ordinary water-closets, and both present the advantages of improved formation as regards basin and trap, and perfect flushing arrangements, affording thorough cleanliness and clearing of all contents through trap, which latter is continuously covered by a deep water seal, thus effectually guarding against any possible escape of sewer gas. The matter of appearance has also received due attention - shape and ornamentation being alike elegant, and the general finish first-class.
The extensive catalogue issued by the firm shows nearly every known variety of the latest designs in sanitary pottery and sanitary specialities on the most advanced and modern principles, suitable for all the markets in the world.
We will, in conclusion, content ourselves by stating that Cliffe Vale Pottery is really one of the sights of the Potteries, and to those interested in Sanitation, these typical and model works are especially worthy of a visit."""
 |
| 16 bottle ovens |
Twyfords, Ratingen, Germany 1901
To circumvent the high German import duties on finished goods, Thomas William Twyford Twyford built a factory in Ratingen, Dusseldorf, Germany But at the start of the First World War in 1914 Twyford stopped manufacturing and vacated the factory. It was not reoccupied by Twyford but in 1918 the name of the company was changed to KERAMAG Ceramic Werke Aktiengesellschaft. This company still produces sanitaryware at the factory to this day. (Note that Alfred Johnson similarly built a factory in in Wesel and his cousins, the brothers Johnson, in Florsheim Feuertonfabriken.) Interestingly both Twyford and Keramag are now part of the Geberit Group.
Kreuzerkamp 11, 40878 Ratingen, Germany
 |
""The company was founded in 03.09.1917 as Ceramic Works AG takeover of the present in compulsory liquidation English Feuertonfabrik of Thomas William Twyford (Ratingen), the English Steingutfabrik Alfred Johnson (Wesel) and the diamond Steingutfabrik GmbH Flörsheim (Main). On 06.19.1918 the company name was changed to "Keramag" Ceramic Works AG. In the meantime there was the headquarters of the company in Meiningen. It sanitary earthenware, fireclay and other ceramic products were produced.""
ETRURIA WORKS - Garner Street 1912
 |
| Twyfords Etruria Works - new bottle ovens being built - probably 1920s |
 |
| Twyfords Etruria Works - new bottle ovens being built - probably 1920s |
 |
| Twyfords Garner St, Hanley. Ovens 1921 |
 |
| Twyfords Etruria Works 1929 |
 |
| Twyfords Etruria Works Photo: source known Date: unknown |
 |
| Twyfords Etruria Pottery Probably by Horace Astill, Designer Date: early 1940s |
 |
| Twyfords Etruria Works Image: from booklet New Designs Date: early 1940s |
 |
| Twyfords Etruria Works, Garner Street, Etruria. 1928 http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw023568 |
 |
| Twyfords Etruria Works, Garner Street, Etruria. 1929 http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw026971 |
 |
| Twyfords works at Etruria. www.britainfromabove.org.uk 1929 |
 |
| Twyfords Reconstruction of Etruria Pottery - Aug 1947 |
 |
| Twyfords Garner Street 1950 |
 |
| Twyfords Garner Street Bottle Ovens 1950 |
 |
| Twyfords Garner Street, Etruria Works - Just prior to closure 2004 (The white Cavalier car belonged to the author of this blog) |
FIRECLAY FACTORY - Cliffe Vale 1911
 |
| Twyfords Fireclay bath manufacture Hand-built pottery baths Date: around 1930 |
 |
| Twyfords Fireclay Warehouse, Cliffe Vale 1930 |
 |
| Twyfords Fireclay works - making shop, bomb damage - second world war. No loss of life. 1940 |
 |
| Twyfords Fireclay works - bomb damage from the outside 1940 |
 |
| Twyfords Fireclay Works 1953 |
 |
| Twyfords Fireclay Works canteen Stage and proscenium arch designed by Gordon Forsyth |
CARDIFF FACTORY - Edward Curran Engineering - Bath Plant - 1910
In 1910, Edward and John Curran, stonemasons by trade, began to build coal-fired furnaces for shipyards, patenting a system of heating which adapted to a wide range of metal industries.By 1916, the riverside works at Hurman Street diversified into the additional field of armaments manufacture. 1918 and the post-war period introduced, briefly, the manufacture of motor car parts, before the cartridge case factory became the stamping department of an enamelled steel hollow-ware plant - “Edward Curran & Co." was established.
The mid—twenties saw the introduction of oil-fired furnaces and the overcoming of metal "pickling" problems with a new, safer, enclosed plant. During the 1930s, the enamelled ware business grew, supplying both the UK and export markets. Meanwhile the Cardiff foundry was a model of innovation, a leader in the field.
In June I937, the rearmament scheme meant the recommencement of cartridge case manufacture. The foundry produced power presses, machine tools and all the castings needed for the many wartime contracts handled in the works. During the war, the Cardiff factory was host to three royal visits.
 |
| Edward Prince of Wales During a Visit to the Curran Munitions Works in Cardiff |
 |
| World War 2 photo of Edward Curran Engineering The company employed 10000 people making Ammunition Shell Cases |
Also in 1937 Curran was listed as an Exhibitor at the British Industries Fair. Silver Swallow, Chef, and Lilywhite Enamelled Ware, "In a wide variety of pleasing modern colours, in addition to the ever-popular white - designed by housewives for housewives."
By 1947, other branches of the Curran empire had extended to other parts of Cardiff, Ireland and as far as Canada. The Cardiff foundry was sold, but “Edward Curran Engineering Ltd." retained the hollow-ware division. Press lines for steel stamping produced everything from buckets & jugs to washbasins & baths, with tool making, laboratories and vitreous enamel production on site.
And so, to recent history.
In 1961 Edward Curran invested in a massive 1600 ton press to produce high quality steel baths and in 1972 began to manufacture vacuum formed acrylic baths.
In 1973, Currans, by then the leading manufacturer of steel baths, joined Reed Building Products Division, adding both steel and acrylic baths to the Twyfords range of sanitaryware, with washing machine drums an important sideline. 1985 saw its purchase by Caradon, with the absorption, in 1990, of Doulton acrylic baths from Cirencester.
In the Spring of 1997 the Hurman Street Works of Edward Curran was closed. The land was sold and used for housing.
SOUTH AFRICA WORKS - Port Elizabeth, near Johannesburg 1962
A new company, Twyfords (South Africa) (Pty.)Ltd., was formed for the purpose of manufacturing in South Africa, as a wholly owned subsidiary. In 1961, Alec Miller and Gordon Clarke went out to arrange the land purchase and building, which began later that year. In January 1962, Derek Yates flew out with an experienced production team consisting of Messrs Groom, Raftery, Bowdidge and Lockett.
 |
| Twyfords South Africa 1962 |
INDIAN WORKS - Bahadurgarh, near Delhi 1960
After extensive survey of sites throughout 1960, land was bought at Bahadurgarh, near Delhi - where the climate was reasonable, and raw materials within easy reach in nearby Rajasthan. The foundations were cut for the Twyfords-designed factory in June 1961.
With a mission to revolutionise the sanitaryware market in India, Mr. Rajendra K. Somany, in collaboration with Twyfords Ltd. of UK, established Hindusthan Twyfords. Hindustan Twyfords Ltd. was incorporated to introduce vitreous china sanitaryware for the first time in India.
With a mission to revolutionise the sanitaryware market in India, Mr. Rajendra K. Somany, in collaboration with Twyfords Ltd. of UK, established Hindusthan Twyfords. Hindustan Twyfords Ltd. was incorporated to introduce vitreous china sanitaryware for the first time in India.
Backed by innovative products, Hindusthan Twyfords was the first company to introduce vitreous china ceramics in India. Keeping in mind the need to change the sanitation conditions in the country, his vision and goal found perfect harmony with his desire to do something for the social welfare of the nation as well. With this thought, enormous encouragement given by his family and with technical support provided by Twyfords, Mr. Somany founded the Bahadurgarh plant which commenced its production in 1962. (NEAR BUS STAND, DIST JHAJJAR, Bahadurgarh - 124507, Haryana, India)
 |
| Hindustan Twyfords, India, 1960 |
The company thrives today (Nov 2015) as Hindware Homes, part of HSIL Ltd, "The Company is the most respected sanitaryware manufacturer in India today. Our first manufacturing plant was established in the year 1962 with a technical collaboration with Twyford of UK. As of now we produce 12,000 pieces of premium sanitaryware ware and have a worth of $200 Million. The foundation pillars of brand 'Hindware' are Customer Satisfaction, Product Innovation and Quality Control, making us a a leader (prominent name) in the industry."
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-05-18/news/31765860_1_hsil-container-glass-division-bahadurgarh
Bahadurgarh, known as the "Gateway of Haryana, Subdistrict/Tehsil, a city and a municipal council located in Jhajjar, a district in the state of Haryana, India. Bahadurgarh is approximately 2 km from Delhi (Tikri Border). It is also one of the major cities of National Capital Region.
AUSTRALIAN WORKS - Broadmeadows, Melbourne, Victoria 1969
In 1968, Harry Barclay found a 61 acre site at Broadmeadows, Melbourne - and three months after, Gordon Clarke (now the Company’s Chief Engineer) under took a preliminary survey and confirmed the deal on the land. Twyfords (Australia) Pty. was formed in the autumn, and building started the following April. Australia proved to be somewhat over-produced and a difficult market to crack, but the Company was nevertheless aiming for profitability in three years. In fact, it was in the black in a little over two, and with the help of a second kiln installed in 1972, went on to become what was probably the most profitable sanitaryware factory on the Continent.
 |
| Twyfords Factory in Broadmeadows, Melbourne, Australia. Early 1970s photo: Company PR shot |
 |
| Photo : courtesy - Copyright National Archives of Australia http://photos.naa.gov.au/photo/Default.aspx?id=5949314 |
Broadmeadows is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 16 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its local government area is the City of Hume. At the 2011 Census, Broadmeadows had a population of 10,578. The City hosted the road cycling event at the 1956 Summer Olympics.
 |
| Broadmeadows is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
ALSAGER WORKS, Alsager, construction started in 1956
"The land was levelled, the roadways cut and the storm water and sewerage systems dug. This was all done by August 1956."
 |
| Article in the Evening Sentinel 1956 Many thanks go to Selwyn Rowley for sending me this piece of history |
By November, the building contractors, G. Percy Trentham (the same firm that had worked on the reconstruction) were able to set to on the factory proper, beginning with the sliphouse. The stack for the first kiln, Number Seven, was completed in June 1957, and the first of the buildings and making shops made ready. The sliphouse was operational by February 1958, and in that same month the kiln was lit. The second kiln, Number Eight, was firing just four months later, and at the end of June ‘58, the factory came into large scale production. (from James Denley's History of Twyford)
 |
| Twyfords Alsager Ceramant Factory 1956 |
23 August 1957 - the 'Alsager Times' report
Good progress had been made with the new Vitreous China factory at Alsager. "We notice that Twyfords' new factory at Alsager is rapidly taking shape and that roofs are now on some of the buildings. It certainly looks a very handsome factory and far from detracting from the appearance of the district, we might say that it provides quite a smart new approach to the village from the North Staffordshire end. "
 |
| Twyfords Alsager - "Ready to Light Kiln" - Evening Sentinel 1957 |
 |
| Twyfords Alsager Factory 1957 |
 |
| Twyfords Alsager office entrance 1957 |
 |
| Twyfords Alsager Factory 1960 |
 |
| Twyfords Alsager factory from the air - 1967 photo: courtesy Donald Parry |
 |
| Twyfords Alsager Factory |
In the photo above, Munroe Blair (left) is standing in a field next to Twyfords 1956 factory. The picture was taken for the Manchester Guardian. Munroe hold the plans for a 66,000 square foot extension which was started in the early 1960s and finished in August 1964. The gentleman with Munroe is Mr E A Bachelor Director of the CBCSM (Council of British Ceramic Sanitaryware Manufacturers - now the Bathroom Manufacturers Association). Mr. Bachelor was known as “Bach” throughout the industry.
 |
| Twyfords Alsager factory 1986 The year when Caradon bought the company |
 |
| Twyfords Alsager factory from the air 1994 National Distribution Centre built 1992 |
 |
| Twyford Bathrooms Training Centre 2000 |
 |
| Twyfords Alsager Factory from the air 2000 |
HISTORY OF TWYFORDS ALSAGER FACTORY, IT'S BUILDING & DEVELOPMENT
Including the effects which the development of the factory had on other factories in the group.
Unknown author. Dated around 1980. Edited from the original.
The search by Twyfords' Board for a suitable site included the whole of Staffordshire and south Cheshire, and took about 18 months before a possible plot of land was found at Alsager, on the Cheshire/Staffordshire border. Various checks were made for coal, salt and general geological conditions before the land was purchased from Lawton Estates in mid 1955.
The original area was 52 acres, of which about 4 acres was situated on the south side of the Derby to Crewe railway line. The four acres were sold to a local builder and is now occupied with residential property.
Alsager residents had some misgivings about the erection of a pottery factory on their doorstep. At that time many of them were employed in the pottery factories in Hanley, Tunstall, Burslem and Stoke-on-Trent and were only too familiar with the smoke created by bottle ovens in the mid 1950s. After many re-assurances and members of Twyfords staff attending Council meetings and discussions to allay local fears, a factory with modern smokeless tunnel kilns was designed. The factory site was landscaped by the renowned Richard Sudell, Landscape Gardener (details>) Today looking from Lawton Road, the factory is hidden behind trees. Trees are still being planted and since the original layout the areas of trees have been planted in consultation with the Local Planning Authority.
At the start of the factory design Twyfords were very conscious of the problems associated with pollution. The chimney stacks to take the exhaust from the kilns and boilers were designed in accordance with findings made by Esso Research Team at Fawley in Hampshire, where there had been problems associated with fumes affecting vegetation in the New Forest due to fumes from the Fawley Refinery.
By August 1956 the land had been levelled and roadways, storm water and a sewerage system were installed at a cost of £38,000.
Following negotiations with Manweb, the regional electricity supplier, a supply of 11 kv linked to the overhead cables between Mow Cop and Crewe was installed. There were numerous breakdowns in supply, approximately one per week, until improved switchgear techniques became available in about 1960/61. A 150 kw steam-engine-driven alternator was installed to cater for interruption in electricity supply to the two kilns.
During the site works in 1957 the slip drains or trade effluent drains were buried in a culvert 20ft. deep. This was to ensure that sufficient fall could be placed on the pipelines to carry the trade effluent away. Storm water was carried by a separate drainage system direct to a local stream. To give some idea of the amount of rainwater that has to be disposed of, 1" of rain falling onto the Alsager factory produces about half a million gallons of water - all of it passed through the drainage system.The basic design of the effluent treatment plant for both Alsager (and for the Garner Street factory, in Stoke) was carried out by Twyfords own personnel but the actual construction design was completed by outside contractors.
In November 1956 construction of the main factory building was started. The sliphouse commenced operations in February 1958. It was designed so that it could be readily converted to the direct preparation of slip, but the factory commenced operations using the method using filter presses and mixing arks. (After conversion the filter presses were subsequently shipped to the Twyfords South Africa factory for use in slip preparation and remaining mixing arks were then used for general slip storage.)
The factory was designed as a twice-fired factory, ie firing to biscuit and then to glost. (One-fired vitreous china had not yet been perfected). Both No.7 and No.8 tunnel kilns were designed for either glost fire or biscuit fire. These kilns were built by Gibbons of Dudley and were based on a kiln design then in use at Ideal Standard Sanitaryware factory in Hull. The Hull kiln had very high outlet gas temperatures and it was a condition in the specification of the Alsager kilns that this temperature should be much lower.The first kiln, No.7, was lit in February 1958. The No.8 kiln was lit in June 1958.
In early 1958 two casters were moved to Alsager to become the nucleus of production staff and they prepared the way for more casters to move from the Garner Street and Cliffe Vale works. A special bus service was run from Newcastle to Alsager to facilitate the change of location of the casters and they were given an extra payment of 26/- per week to offset the cost caused by their change of location.
At the time of the design and layout of the factory, the output per man at the Garner Street works was between 20 and 26 washbasins per day. The new factory necessitated a change in payment to the casters from 'good from oven' to 'good from hand.'
Trade effluent disposal was negotiated with the then Mersey Weaver River Authority and Royal Commissions Standards were enforced. At later dates, after about 10 years operation, many river authorities both from home and overseas visited Alsager to see the method of dealing with trade effluent. Since that time better analytical techniques have enabled the River Authority to enforce improved standards for treatment of trade effluent.
At the Cliffe Vale works, due its low lying position, the disposal of trade effluent and storm water from the Cliffe Vale site was by ejectors operated by compressed air from the Stoke-on-Trent Corporation Hanley Sewerage Works. These ejectors situated on the Cliffe Vale site pumped the water to two further ejectors situated beneath the surface in the middle of Shelton New Road. These Corporation ejectors then pumped the water to Howard Place where it fell by gravity to Hanley Sewerage Works off the Leek Road. These Sewerage Works came to the end of their useful life in 1964 and at that time there was installed in place of the ejectors 2-20,000 gallons per hour pumps that pumped the water to the Fowlea Brook through a drain that crossed the main railway tracks. These pumps are still in use [when this was written] and work automatically.
At the time the kiln design was finalised it was agreed with the West Midlands Gas Board that gas would be available at Alsager. It subsequently turned out that to use gas would mean running a new gas main from Kidsgrove town, 3 miles away, at a cost of £12,000 so it was decided to use oil. The kilns were fired on oil 950 secs. from 1957/58 until 1970. In 1962 following the success of a new burner system at Garner Street the Gibbons compressed air burner system was changed for a more accurate system and the oil specification was changed to 2,500 secs. which decreased the cost of firing and this fuel was used until 1970 when there was a change to Natural Gas.
Railway sidings were installed initially at the factory so that deliveries of clay from Devon and Cornwall could be made direct into the sidings. Unloading the clay was done with the aid of a Jumbo Crane fitted with a grabbing bucket. Agreement was reached with British Rail that we should take clays by this method for 10 years. It subsequently became uneconomical to use a rail service direct into the factory sidings. All clays were subsequently brought into the factory by road transport from Longport station (near Stoke) after being shipped by rail from Devon and Cornwall to Longport. Some clay, however, was brought direct by road from Devon and Cornwall.
All finished sanitaryware ware was despatched from the loading bays at the northern end of the factory to either the Cliffe Vale works for packing or direct to customers. At the commencement of operations the vehicle backed up to the loading deck under the canopy and was loaded from this deck. Later a loading deck was made inside the building which allowed vehicles to be loaded under cover. At that time disinfected straw and woodwool were used as packing materials. About this time we increased our transport fleet with a maximum. carrying weight of 5 tons from 2 vehicles to 3 and those were gradually increased in numbers and size to those in operation at the present day. Our first trailer was used in 1966/67.
In 1963 a building was erected to store raw materials, clays, etc. This building of precast concrete construction with asbestos cement sheeting was chosen to avoid contamination from steel structures and to avoid maintenance costs.
In 1964 the first extension of six 'bays' to the factory was completed. It consisted of the building, now occupied by the cistern shops and the main ED stores. This enabled cistern fitting, then carried out at Cliffe Vale, to be transferred to Alsager and cistern fitting production was increased from about 450 to around 1500 per week.
The second expansion of 66,000 sq.ft. was in 1964. At this time the then Wilson Government decided that they were going to build 500,000 houses per year, which did not materialise, and as soon as the extension was completed the factory went onto a four-day working week and remained so for about 2 years. This area contained a new maintenance shop for fitters.
The third expansion took place in 1966/67 of approximately 66,000 sq.ft. and was constructed in the area outside No.8 kiln and was to contain two kilns plus the refire section. No.9 kiln was constructed as a refire kiln in January 1968. Up to this date refires had been transferred to Garner Street works. The refires for Nos.7 and 8 kilns were fired through No.9 kiln. As there was capacity available in No.9 kiln, refires for Garner Street were also, for a period, fired through this kiln.
In 1969 we decided that we would close the sliphouse at Cliffe Vale and make all our slip at Alsager and transport it by tanker to Garner Street. This allowed better and more efficient equipment to be installed at Alsager and avoided the use of filter presses at the Cliffe Vale site. There was insufficient room at Garner Street to contain a filter press sliphouse adequate for the production of that factory. At this time it was decided that the sliphouse at Alsager now fully occupied on the direct preparation of slip should make and supply slip to the Garner Street factory. Up to this date the sliphouse at Cliffe Vale, completely refurbished in 1952, had supplied filter cakes to the Garner Street factory where they were made up into casting slip. Three 200 gallon stainless steel tankers were purchased and raw slip made at Alsager is now transferred to Garner Street.
Prior to 1970 despatches of ware were made from Alsager, Garner Street and Cliffe Vale with the main despatch area being Cliffe Vale. Ware was taken by trailers from both Alsager and Garner Street to Cliffe Vale packing.
In 1970 we transferred all the home despatch from Cliffe Vale to Alsager and the export remained at Cliffe Vale. Here the intention was to load vehicles completely under cover and to load up to twelve vehicles at a time. The design of the home warehouse doors was based on the design used for an aircraft hanger.
The conveyors from No.7 and 8 kilns were erected over the top of No.8 and 9 kilns to the sorting area and allowance was made for the installation of a further Kiln No.10.
In 1971 an additional 5-bay extension was completed and No.10 kiln was completed in 1972. The ware from the 5-bay extension being fired in this new kiln. No.10 kiln was the first kiln to be designed for single thickness silicon carbide chambers fronts. Although single thickness fused alumina chambers "S" shape from the USA were used in No. 9 refire kiln which was put into service in 1968. In 1972, a further 14 bays to complete the export warehouse were completed and a feature of both the home and export warehouses is the large supporting beam over the doors to give the minimum restriction to access by vehicles using the loading bays. The doors themselves are based on the successful design that was used for the Brabazon Hanger at Filton, near Bristol, that was completed in the first decade after the second world war.
To soften flints to enable them to be easier crushed and milled they are heated to a temperature of around 750C. before being passed through crushers, granulators, etc., to a particle size of about 0.5". These flints were calcined in calcine kilns at Cliffe Vale, 3 in number. Two of these kilns are still standing and are similar in outline to a bottle kiln, the third much narrower in section was demolished in the 1960s. The flints to be calcined were placed in layers between layer of coal in the kiln and the whole rested on a bed of wood which was burnt to get the coal burning. About 70 tons of flints were calcined in each kiln and the process took about 4 days. The smoke and fumes given off from the calcining kilns added to the smoke and fumes given off from the bottle ovens firing ware, and the intermittent kilns firing fireclay, and the calcining kilns due to the obnoxious fumes given off from them became the responsibility of the Alkali Division of the Factory Inspectorate who indicated that the calcination of flints by coal had to cease. Experiments were tried using coke. These were successful but with the coming of Natural Gas and the fading out of Gas Works carbonising plants that produced coke, it was clear that other methods had to be used. In 1971 two calcine kilns gas fired were put to work at Alsager. There was no crushing plant or mill at Al sager at this time and the calcined flints were taken back to Cliffe Vale where a hole was cut into the side of one of the calcine kilns at Ciffe Vale. The calcined flints from Alsager were tipped into this kiln and so they began their normal production flow pattern to the ball mills. During 1979 a preservation order was placed on the two calcine kilns at Cliffe Vale by the Department of the Environment. This order does not allow for the demolition of the kilns without the departments permission and is a means of preserving the heritage of the Industry.
In 1974 the Alsager Canteen was completed, up to this date the compressor house originally built in 1957 to house the air compressors for the kilns was used as a mess room from 1960/61 when the change took place on the oil burners for the kilns until 1974 when full canteen facilities were provided.
By 1973/74 there was in use at Alsager Nos.7, 8, 9 and 10 kilns, the steam engine driven alternator installed in 1957 was no longer of sufficient size to keep the kilns running in the event. of a power failure which were still prevalent during thunder storms and industrial action from various parties. To overcome this problem there was installed in 1973 and completed in 1974 a dual fuel (diesel oil or natural gas) engine driven alternator of 460 kw to run in parallel with the public supply and the steam driven alternator. These two engines kept the factory running during the miners' strike of 1973/74 enabling the factory to meet 90% of its work output.
Also completed in 1974 was the mill. This enabled us to close the mill at Cliffe Vale. Three Edwards & Jones 9' 0" x 7' 6" diameter mills were installed to start with and later 6' 6" x 6' 0" mills which were purchased from Kervit Ceramics when that unit closed down were installed. Provision was also made in this mill to take the 7' 0" x 7 0" mills from the Cliffe Vale mill after they had been rebuilt. This Mill took the calcined flint from the calcining kilns and after crushing and weighing is passed to the ball mills already referred to after which it is stored in slop form in agitators in the sliphouse. The pipeline supplying slop flint from the mill to the sliphouse is lagged and heated to avoid freezing in the cold weather. The floor of the mill at first floor level is constructed in open mesh to avoid dust collecting and the weighing system provided in such that it can be operated remotely from the flint being charged into the hopper.
2016 August/September
Twyfords Alsager Works demolition nearing completion
2017 January
The Twyford Alsager factory from the air. Note the massive concrete floor plan with deep holes for storage arks, bottom middle. The NDC (National Distribution Centre) is the large light grey building on the left. The sales office and showroom building was the red brick building near the top just off to the left. The dark grey slab in front of this was the staff car park.
 |
| Twyford Alsager factory from the air Photo source: Many thanks to www.alsagercomputers.co.uk Date: January 2017 |
2018 October
Moorfield Group acquired the 324,000 sq ft warehouse (Twyfords NDC) near Crewe for £16.25m from Lagan Developments. The distribution facility is let until December 2020 to Geberit, a Swiss group specialising in bathroom products and drainage systems. The building is Geberit’s only distribution centre in the UK, working with its Warwick sales office, and sits close to Alsager.
2018 November
Wain Homes name the site Lawton Green and describe the development on their website "In the heart of the Cheshire countryside, Lawton Green is a superb new development of 4 & 5 bedroom stunning detached family homes and luxury 2 bedroom apartments, situated in the small market town of Alsager, located just 7 miles east of Crewe and 10 miles north-west of Stoke-on-Trent." Wain Homes> https://www.wainhomes.net/developments/Lawton+Green+-+Cheshire/
2019 July
"Alsager set for dementia facility in former office"
"Lagan Developments has completed the freehold sale of a 32,000 sq ft former office at Linley Point, Alsager, to Seddon, which will start shortly on the conversion of the building into a specialist dementia care facility. The former headquarters of Twyfords Bathrooms has planning permission to be turned into accommodation for 70 residents. P4 Planning secured full planning approval for the conversion, after the change of use application was unanimously approved at committee by Cheshire East Council. The scheme will include en-suite bedrooms, dining areas, a cinema, hairdressers, laundry, library, café and external terrace." Information courtesy: North West Place
https://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/alsager-set-for-dementia-facility-in-former-office/ "The project is due to complete early 2020."
2020 July
Twyford House (the former Twyford offices) opens as luxury care home "providing residents with the highest standard of care and the very best in supported, luxury living."