Description:The photograph shows the rear of Arthur Wood's pottery which was originally part of Longport Pottery. Longport Pottery dates from the 1770s and over time became a large works which occupied the east side of the Trent & Mersey Canal in Longport. This photograph was taken from where the canal bends round Westport Lake (which is off to the left). Arthur Wood took over part of the works which fronted onto Davenport Street, some buildings of which remain, but these canal side works have been cleared and are now a mixture of light industry and commerce.
This side of the works was a mixture of warehouses, workshops and kilns. The square kiln just visible to the right of the chimney was probably a calcining kiln, used to bake bones and flint before they were ground and added to the clay body. A location alongside the canal was important for the import of bulky raw materials.