Tunbridge Ware

For a little more than a century from the late 1820’s, mosaic inlaid ware in natural coloured woods was produced at Tunbridge Wells and other centres in the south of England. This mosaic ware is often regarded as Tunbridge ware per se, though the wood turners of the district had been famed since the seventeenth century – long before the invention of the technique. As Tunbridge Wells developed into a fashionable spa with visitors expecting to purchase souvenirs, local craftsmen adapted their wares to suit the taste of their customers. Paradoxically the most revolutionary development in the industry came when the spa was in decline. The book discusses the nature of early Tunbridge ware and illustrates the various later styles of decoration – painted and printed wares, marquetry, stickwork, half-square mosaic and the familiar mosaic ware. The many photographs are all from the permanent collection of the Tunbridge Wells Museum and Art Gallery, which holds one of the most representative collections of Tunbridge ware in England.