1. Introduction

Access to the Clyde was how it all began...

Welcome to the Great Glasgow Pottery Trail. The Broomielaw marks the spot where the export of Glasgow's pottery began. It was here that ships laden with pottery first left the Clyde and exported ceramics across the globe. Access to rivers and waterways was an integral part of the foundation of Glasgow's export potteries that produced vast quantities of ceramics for domestic and international markets for over two centuries. Such reliable transport routes made Glasgow a highly developed and major centre for the production of ceramics in the 19th Century and a rival to the Staffordshire potteries.