Goss Crested China

A small collection of affordable Goss Crested China.
Copyright © Carol Fisher

The Industrial Revolution in Victorian Britain brought prosperity and mobility to many people. In particular the railways opened up travel to ordinary people on an unprecedented scale. Before the coming of the railways, the majority never left their home town or village except to visit the nearest market town.

The opening up of the country brought opportunities to businesses too. William Henry Goss, owner of a pottery in Stoke-on-Trent, was one of the men that took advantage of this. He had studied at the London School of Art and Design and then went to work for the Copeland factory as chief designer. In 1858, when he was 25, he left to start his own factory. However, it was over twenty years before he started making the crested china which has made his a household name. His sons, Adolphus and Victor, are credited with the idea of making souvenirware bearing crests and names of seaside resorts.

The white glazed porcelain souvenirs were typically made in the classical shapes of Roman and Greek antiquities. Some were also modelled on attractions in particular areas like a statue of Captain Cook with the name and crest of the Captain's home town of Whitby. Other souvenir wares were made in the form of busts of famous people like Queen Victoria or George V, others were models of forms of transport like ships and cars. Amongst the most collectable pieces are the Goss cottages (see the picture below).

Left: A Goss model of Lloyd George's house in Criccieth, Wales. Right: A Goss model of Shakespeare's house in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Copyright © Carol Fisher

In the early years of the 20th century collecting Goss became immensely popular. It is estimated that at least 90% of homes had at least one piece of Goss Crested China. This popularity continued until the First World War when interest began to wane. In 1929 the Goss family sold their factory although souvenirware continued to be made there under the Goss name until the end of the 1930s. It is generally thought that the products made after the sale of the factory were inferior to the original Goss ware. It was only after the Second World War that interest in Goss revived and, in fact, it became as popular as ever to the extent that a Goss Collectors Club was started.

Genuine Goss usually has an inscription on the base describing the item and also a Goshawk crest with the name W.H. Goss below it. Pieces made in the 1930s, after the factory was sold, also bear the word 'England'. Other factories, including Carlton, Shelley and Arcadian, also made souvenirware but Goss is still the most collectable.

Copyright © 2001 by Carol Fisher