Brannam

Brannam pottery has a history of almost 700 years. The name mostly associated with Brannam is that of Charles Hubert Brannam, the son of Thomas Brannam. Thomas started on his own after having worked for some years as a potter in Barnstaple, Devon, in 1847. The company originally made utility wares such as floor tiles and sewage pipes. Charles started work at the pottery at the age of 12. He was artistically inclined and after many years trying, managed to persuade his father, in 1879, to let him experiment with the production of art pottery at their Litchdon Street works.

Charles started by creating classically inspired designs but soon created a new range using the characteristic blue and chocolate colour scheme. In the following decade a London outlet was found for the wares, which were known as Royal Barum Ware, and the company soon established an enviable reputation. The company was patronised by the crowned heads of Europe and that included Queen Victoria, the Royal Family and Liberty’s. Fine wares continued to be produced well into the 20th century but after Charles death in 1937 the emphasis moved away from art pottery back towards plainer domestic wares. Many marks have been used over the years, mostly using combinations of ’C H Brannam’, ’Castle’, ’Barum’ and ’Barnstaple’ for their wares.