Learning on ScreenCOALS FOR CHINA
Series
- Series Name
- Mining Review 12th Year
Issue
Story
- Story No. within this Issue
- 3 / 4
- Summary
- BFI synopsis: making of porcelain and china at the Royal Worcester Porcelain Works.
NCB Commentary - The "Arcturus" coal serves a factory on the banks of the canal where fine Porcelain has been made for over 200 years. The making of Porcelain and Bone China is still essentially a hand craft.
Here is the first rough throwing of what will be a cup.
The finishing shaping is done in moulds.
Handles are added after the articles have been fired for the first time.
The clay takes shape in a thousand ways. Here’s how an oval dish is spun into form. A mould pressed on top shapes the edge decoration.
Furnace coal from Wales and Staffordshire keeps production going.
Once the kiln has been lit, no interruption in the heating process can be allowed. Throughout the industry more than a million and a half tons of coal a year are used.
After firing china must be glazed.
The great skill of this operator makes sure that a completely even spread of glaze takes place.
After the second firing the kilns are unloaded so that articles can go on for the decorating processes.
Some decoration is hand painted.
Gold always looks black before the final firing.
Steady hands and keen eyes are essential in the China craft.
Other decoration is applied by means of transfers.
Once again craftsmanship in hand work is the key to perfection. The end product has beauty, utility and high value.
Without Coal it would not be made. - Researcher Comments
- Commentary recorded 25th July 1958.
- Keywords
- Industry and manufacture; Fuels
- Locations
- Worcester; England; Worcestershire
- Written sources
- British Film Institute Databases Used for synopsis
Film User Vol.13 No.147 January 1959, p27.
The National Archives COAL 32 /12 Scripts for Mining Review, 1956-1960
- Credits:
-
- Production Co.
- Documentary Technicians Alliance
- Sponsor
- National Coal Board
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