Gunnersbury Park Museum
Chinese export porcelain plate, c. mid 18th century.
Part of Gunnersbury's large collection of Chinese armorial porcelain. |
A considerable range of archaeologically excavated material from sites across the two boroughs includes medieval pottery and a large collection of Penn tiles from Northolt Manor; production waste from the medieval south Hertfordshire-type greyware kilns at Pinner; Roman, medieval and later pottery and glass from various sites in Brentford High Street; 18th- to 19th-century redwares from the Brentford kilns; and various finds from Chiswick.
Museum acquisitions and collections include numerous local history commemorative vessels and a large number of items of pharmaceutical glass and pottery donated by local pharmacists, amongst which are several decorated tin-glazed ware drug jars.
A major collection of Chinese armorial porcelain donated to the museum is housed in the archive, including plates, teabowls and cups, saucers, teapots, serving dishes, tureens, jugs and bowls. A large punch bowl finely painted in famille rose colours originally came from a public house in Acton. Some items are currently on display, although the bulk of the collections are stored in the archive.
Highlights of the collection:
- Chinese armorial porcelain in blue and white, famille rose, famille verte, and Chinese Imari
- Pharmaceutical ceramics and glass, dating from the 17th to 20th centuries
- South Hertfordshire-type greyware production waste from excavated kilns at Pinner
- Roman, medieval and later pottery and glass from excavations in Brentford High Street and 18th- to 19th-century redware kiln waste from Brentford
- Medieval and later pottery from excavations at Northolt Manor
- Medieval Penn tiles from Northolt Manor
- Excavated ceramics and glass from various sites in Ealing and Hounslow
Chinese export porcelain soup bowl, about 1740s. The shape is European,
the decoration of European design but executed in China, hence the strange looking elephant. Part of Gunnersbury's large collection of Chinese armorial porcelain. |
Tel: 020 8992 1612; Fax: 020 8752 0686
Email: gp-museum@cip.org.uk
Opening times: Apr to Sept, Mon to Sun 11.00am - 5.00pm; Oct to Mar, Mon to Sun 11.00am - 4.00pm; closed 25-26 Dec.
Admission: Free.
Access: Partial access for disabled visitors; toilets for disabled visitors; parking; refreshments in park; shop/sales point; Friends' organisation; library/research facilities; education service; outreach programme; guided tours/lectures; corporate events.
Publications:
Blackmore, L and Pearce, J in prep, Medieval coarsewares of the London area. A dated type-series of London medieval pottery part 5: shelly-sandy ware and the greyware industries
Canham, R, 1978, 2000 years of Brentford, London: HMSO
Sheppard, D 1977, 'A medieval pottery kiln at Pinner, Middlesex', London Archaeol 3, no 2, 31-35
Hurst, J G 1961, 'Saxon and medieval pottery' in J G Hurst The kitchen area of Northolt Manor, Middlesex, Medieval Archaeology 5, 254-76 (211-299)
Links to Museum of London Ceramics and Glass website: