Ray & Diane Ginns ©
Collecting Cottage Pastille Burners 1820-1900
Staffordshire cottages remind me of gatehouses or grand house lodges
with wonderful rose covered arbors and herbaceous borders. But, like
most pottery items, Staffordshire cottages had a purpose. These
fabulous little houses, formed as anything from cottages to castles,
were a very necessary part of refined living in early nineteenth century
England. Essentially, they held a burning, heavily scented pastille.
Smoke from the pastille rose through the chimney or a hole in the roof
of the cottage, emitting a fragrance that perfumed the air and disguised
the odours of life in the early 19th century.
A fine selection of porcelain pastille burners, some two piece, the lavender
castle having a detachable drawer c1830-1840
After the passage of the Health Act of 1848, living conditions slowly
started improving. Before that date, overcrowded slums with little or
no sanitation were common. Streets were often filthy, drains were
blocked and sewers overflowed. Even within more affluent middl
class homes, the air smelled bad: Cooking smells combined with the
stench of commodes and the rancid odour of cheap candles made of
animal fat. Before the introduction of slow burning pastilles, urns of
potpourri and herb-strewn flagstone floors were the housewife's best
defense in the battle against bad odours. But pastilles more effectively
masked pungent smells because they were both longer lasting and
stronger. The pastille itself could be bought commercially or made
to one's own recipe. No wonder Staffordshire's potters made
wonderful pastille burning cottages, imaginatively covered in sweet
scented flowers, to add fragrance to the air and to delight the eye.
A two piece church c 1830 A two piece cottage c1830 A two piece cottage c1830
A two piece cottage c1830 A very rare three piece church c1830
Porcelain cottage pastille burners of the 1820-1840 period are the
most desirable. These are usually lavishly decorated with flowers
and other encrustation's. Their roofs often have lantern light
windows and large chimneys covered in wisteria. Rare models
have detachable drawers and some even separate into two or three
sections. The range for collectors is enormous because factories
made these charming little abodes in many shapes and sizes,
ranging from classic thatched houses to Chinese pagodas, garden
follies, and even gazebos.
A selection of porcelain pastille burners c1830-1840
Porcelain cottage c1830 Porcelain cottage c1835 Porcelain cottage c1840
The latter 1850's saw cottages become more decorative, rather than
practical, in use. Pieces of this period are frequently linked to
interesting news items of their day. Models of Potash Farm and
Stanfield Hall, made notorious by criminal deeds, were popular, as
were models of Windsor, Balmoral, and even Shakespeare's house.
Tourist towns sold cottages formed as money boxes. One such
cottage, commonly found, bears the inscription
" A Present from Scarborough".
A group of one porcelain and four pottery cottages c1835-1875
Three wonderful pottery cottages c1860-1870