Fenton Roofscape

A three-stage reduction linocut of bottle kilns in a roofscape in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent. These are the three flint kilns (otherwise known as calcining kilns) at the former W. Baker & Co pottery factory in Fenton, one of the six towns of Stoke-on-Trent. The pottery works were in operation from 1839 to 1932 producing earthenware, these kilns were built around 1900, just a few years before James Kent aquired the site to supply his own factory which was then near Longton a few miles up the road. 
 
They are now listed, and cared for by his company James Kent Ltd. On Heritage Open Days, it's often possible to visit the kilns, and have a guided tour to see underneath them which is fascinating. I love the shapes of the roofs around them, a mixture of old and new industrial and residential buildings in the middle of the community. Part of the old factory frontage is preserved on the main road and is used as shop units.
 
The print is on off-white Ho-Sho paper, and using Caligo Safewash relief ink. The image is 10cm x 15.5cm, (roughly A6) and the paper is 20 x 14cm. Each print is hand-inked and hand-printed, so each is slightly different giving them each a unique quality. As this is a reduction print, the lino plate is gradually cut away during the process so that no more prints can be made. It is a limited, signed  edition of 19.