Historical information

Used by lightkeeping families. The twenty shards of crockery represent tableware from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The pieces were recovered from a rubbish dump in the grounds used by previous lightstation residents. They include blue and white transfer-printed tableware in the ubiquitous ‘Willow’ pattern as well as floral designs with distinctively British flowers, both of which remained in constant production by all the major Staffordshire companies and were hugely popular with the Australian market. Other pieces in the collection include part of a plate with a distinctive red and yellow border, a small Chinoiserie jug probably dating from the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, and fragments of heavier, more utilitarian white ceramic ware. A few of the shards are printed with trademarks or other insignia, and
closer examination of these marks as well as the patterns should be able to yield information on their date and manufacturer. Most if not all the fragments are from affordable, everyday wares that were common in lower income homes. Numerous ceramic fragments are also held in the Cape Otway Lightstation collection.

Physical description

Domestic crockery fragments x 20. Some have been burnt.