The company manufactured a wide range of terracotta and faience: statues of lions and pelicans to adorn the Natural History Museum in London; architectural terracotta for banks and schools; and garden urns and planters. By the 1950s, when the factory finally closed, it was best known for more practical items, such as drainage pipes, sinks, vases and jars.
Today, there is little evidence of the factory in Glascote, but the legacy lives on in the decoration and plumbing of many buildings in Britain’s major towns and cities.
Buildings featuring Gibbs and Canning terracotta
Natural History Museum, South Kensington, London. Designed by
Alfred Waterhouse. Both the interior and exterior statues, and the block-work, are Gibbs and Canning (G&C).[1]
Royal Albert Hall, South Kensington, London. The buff, ornamental terracotta on the exterior.