About Us

Craven Dunnill Jackfield Tiles

Almost fifty years after leaving Jackfield, Craven Dunnill & Co. have returned to their roots at the Jackfield Tile Museum and are carrying on the company tradition of tile manufacture in the same buildings which they founded nearly 130 years ago. Continuing the original company's philosophy of flexible manufacturing we produce not only ceramic tiles, but ornamental decorative art, including the reproduction of original and modern three dimensional artefacts such as door surrounds and ceramic giftware.

The Jackfield Tile Museum is part of the Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust sites and this provides us with a unique partnership between museum resource and commercial enterprise. In addition to the museum's archive, the site now includes a complete conservation, design and manufacturing facility unique in Britain. Flexible manufacturing techniques and a highly skilled team of staff have enabled us to undertake many prestigious ceramic restoration projects in conjunction with many specialist conservation companies over the past thirteen years.

 

Historical context of Jackfield ceramic craft

Jackfield has a long tradition of ceramic manufacture based on the use of local clays that is thought to date back to the sixteenth century. The local speciality was black and white Jackfield-ware, a dark, glazed earthenware used particularly for mugs in pubs.

The village itself developed into a prosperous community during the eighteenth century due to its close proximity to the river Severn. This lead to the establishment of several companies in the area, the first of which being Maw and Co. in 1852.

Yorkshire businessman Henry Powell Dunnill formed Craven Dunnill and Company Limited in 1872 and started production in the Jackfield potworks. In 1870 the company unveiled plans to erect a new factory comprising of all the latest technologies. This factory still exists today and is now home to Craven Dunnill Jackfield, The Jackfield Tile Museum and various other companies.