This is Harry Garner. He was a jollier at Alcock, Lindley and Bloore. He was a member of the Westlands Bowling Club and racked up an unbeaten run of 65 games from 1955 to 1957. He passed away in 2004, at the age of 97. This gives me hope that there might still be people alive who remember the factory and some of the people who worked there.

OMG!!!!

SO....my sister and I are in Blissfully Yours, in Tampa. We strike up a conversation with a very interesting lady regarding teapots. She tells us she has been trying to find the same two teapots her mother/grandmother had. Cream, one with a copper cozy, one with a stainless cozy, both felt lined. Well, I was not familiar with any such teapots, but did a search when I got home. Found it!! Well, the copper one, anyway. So, she got one of her teapots. I must admit I was feeling very good. I love doing thing for other people, especially when it is something as special as finding that teapot. Now, here comes the kicker...........God, in all his wisdom and mercy sent me a gift through a seller on Ebay. Just thought I'd take a chance and see if any new ALB's had been listed since yesterday, and THIS is what I found......

 

Oh yeah, you KNOW I bought it!!

YUM!!

I can't believe it! Stopped into Walmart to pick up a few groceries, and what did I find? Lightbody Scottish Caramel Shortbreads. I almost fell over. I have been trying to find these ever since my mom and I took the train from Edinburgh to London. They were served on the train, but no one at the railway could tell me where to buy them. If you get the chance, give them a try. They are absolutely lovely with a cup of Irish Afternoon tea.

Website

You know, on further consideration, I don't think I'll be putting up another website. As the options on the blog are so good, I think we'll just keep it as is. I'll keep adding to the blog whenever I come across something of interest to collectors. Please keep sending pics and any info you might come across.

New Collectors

Well, things have been hopping lately regarding ALB teapots. I've seen some "new" ones.......designs I haven't seen before. Waiting for pics from a lady who just purchased a Collector's Guide. Hopefully, hers will NOT be in the guide, so I will have a new one to add.

Also, just met the most charming lady in Tampa at "Blissfully Yours" consignment shop. (Gorgeous shop, by the way!!) She told me she inherited a couple of ALB's from her mother. When I told her the size of my collection (well over 250) she couldn't believe it. Waiting on pics from her, as well. She tried to describe one of them, and it sounds very intriguing......

I've gotten several emails from people asking for info on their teapots, so it looks like these lovely gems are definitely finding their niche.

Disposable Teapots

Unlike porcelain teapots, ALB pottery teapots were made for the masses for daily use. As they were very inexpensive at the time, they were considered "disposable" and no one worried about breaking one. They were easily replaced. Even the workers at the pottery didn't see them as anything special. No doubt the last Mr. Bloore would be shocked and amazed at just how popular these teapots are now, and how much some of them can cost. Julie C., in California acquired a gorgeous blue ALB of a design I've never seen before. Congrats to you, Julie! Hope I see the next one first!

Question about a teapot

To the person who left a message in March.....yes, I have an email where you can send a pic. You didn't leave any contact info, so I hope you read this. You can contact me at: albteapots@aol.com

Old Web Site

Well, the old web site is no more. I'm going to be building a new one over the next few months. I've been in contact with the grandson of the last Bloore to work for the company. Got some interesting info from him via his grandmother. Also seems our numbers are growing, as I have been contacted by new collectors. Glad to know there are more out there, but now I have even more competition!!

Donavan Bloore

Got some exciting news! I have been contacted by Peter Bloore, grandson of Nanet and Donavan Bloore. Mr. D. Bloore was the last of the Bloore's to work at the ALB pottery. Peter's girlfriend bought a guide for him for Christmas, and he showed it to the rest of the family. Happily, they all loved it, and now want to start a collection themselves!

Peter told me something I found very interesting. He said that when his grandfather was with ALB, they had so many of these teapots, and that they were so inexpensive, they were actually considered to be "disposable" items. It was no big deal to break one, as they were easily replaced.

What would Donavan Bloore think now???

New Find!!

Actually, a couple new finds. There is a teapot I'm been trying to get for AGES, and finally found one online. I'll let you know if I get it. I have a milk jug to match, so it would be nice to get my hands on this teapot. No, I'm not going to tell you which one. Not yet.

Also, my tankard arrived today from England. It's shorter than my other one, but just as beautiful. Awesome picture surrounding the outside. I'll try to get a nice pic to post soon. I'm beginning to wonder if the ALB fairies are out there still making these things! There doesn't seem to be any end to them.

Website

Still trying to finish the website. I apologize for taking so long. Been busy with the horses, and building websites for other people, so mine went to the back burner. Got a nice email from Edward's China Shop in the UK about their Brown Betty teapots, so I added a link to their site on my teapot homepage. If you want a REAL English Brown Betty, you can get one there.

Long Time, No See

Whew! It's been a long time since I was here last. Found a few more great teapots, and sold a few more collector's guides. One went to New Zealand, and one to the great-grandson of Mr. Alcock of ALB. Pretty cool, huh? Kind of nice to know that my little endeavor ended up scattered all over the world. Still looking for those all-elusive coffee pots and hot chocolate pots. Kudos to my buddy in California for finding them before me, but I'll beat you to one some day.

Broken Links

Just to let you know, some of the links on this page will not work at the moment. When I have finished the corresponding page on the new web site, I will update the links. Thanks so much for being patient.

NEW WEB SITE!!

Yep, I'm FINALLY getting the new site up. It's taking a lot longer than expected. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the old site to load into a new hosting location, so I'm going to have to rebuild from scratch. Regardless of that, I do have a couple of pages up and running, and I'll keep working on them as much as possible. I hope to have the whole site back up in a week to 10 days, so keep checking back! The new site is located here: http://albteapots.com/

ALB Web Site

I think I finally found a host for the web site. I will be out of town until the 19th, so the going will be slow, but I'll be working on it every chance I get. I'll do my best to have the site back up by the end of this month. Thanks for your patience.

ALB Website

Well, thanks to AOL shutting down "hometown", the ALB website will be temporarily unavailable. I am working on finding a suitable host to upload all the pages and get the site back on line. I appreciate your patience, and will get the site back up as soon as possible. The address will be posted here when it is up and running!

Vulcan Pottery

The Vulcan Pottery jar arrived. It's a beautiful deep red, darker than the photo. The inside is also red. The glaze stops just around the rim on the bottom. Perfect condition, which is amazing for an item this old. It's dated around 1910-1920. Great piece, and a wonderful addition to the collection. Does anyone out there have any Vulcan Works pottery to share? I'd love to see more.

Guide Reviews

Well, I've sold a few of the Collector's Guides, and everyone seems to be enjoying it. I've gotten some very nice comments, and I couldn't be more pleased. It really was a "labor of love".

Chris C. of Nundle, Australia said: I received it today and had a very good read and laugh at times too. Was great to see some of your aquisitions and to read about some of the complex history of the potteries.

R. Steuber said: You did an absolutely magnificent job on this guide. The photos, history and commentary are very professional. There certainly is more variety in the pottery than I thought, and the patent information is very helpful and interesting. The inclusion of the insured price ranges was a bold (and much needed) effort. It lends perspective on which pieces are more difficult to find.

Anyone who would like to contribute, feel free. I am always willing to update the guide with photos or stories about the pottery and/or the teapots. Speaking of which, I've acquired another HUGE teapot. I think that makes five or six now, of the 70 ounce size. Funny how certain ones never show up, then a number of them show up at the same time. Hmmmm.........

New Find

I'm so excited! I got a great piece of pottery from the Vulcan Works from Ebay. Only Vulcan Works item I've ever seen. It's a cute pot with a lid, and bright red. Don't know if it's meant to be a biscuit jar, or to hold sugar, flour, or something else. Needless to say, I'm going to use it as a biscuit barrel. I'll post a photo when it gets here, and maybe someone will have an idea of it's original use.

Finally Made it Back

I've been trying to get the blog back up and running for a while now. Don't know what happened! Kept getting an error message, and could not find any info on how to fix it. Hope this works. If it does, I will update this blog in the next few days.