J Duckett & Son Ltd

James Duckett, the founder of this firm, was born in December, 1825, the son of John and Jenny, his father was mployed as a cotton spinner. After working in a cotton mill and he became a stonemason with his brother and by 1851 was employing 30 men. In the 1859 he turned his attention to brick manufacture and by 1871 was a brick manufacturer and stone merchant employing 25 men. As the business prospered, he turned his attention to the manufacture of sanitary ware. It was this side of the business that was to prove most successful, and the works developed into the firm James Duckett and Son, Sanitary Pipe Manufacturers on Blannel Street in Burnley with a large claypit close to Burnley Barracks Station. His son Alfred later became involved with the business, as did his grandson, George.

Initially James Duckett manufactured bricks using a large Hoffmann kiln at what was originally known as the Mitre Works where in 1870 he was advertising Dressed and Common Bricks, Field and Draining Tiles. In 1892 this is shown on the OS map as a brick and tile works but by 1912 James Duckett & Son Ltd was operating a Sanitary Ware Works with five circular downdraught kilns on the site. The Hoffmann kiln was abandoned and eventually demolished as brickmaking ceased and the works then manufactured a wide range of salt glazed urinal slabs & stalls, closet pans, wash basins, sinks & channel pipes which were sold all over Britain, Europe & South America. The Hepworth Iron Company acquired Ducketts in 1961 but production continued until the early 1970s.

This trademark is on the water tank above the Duckett urinals in the Ship Inn in Macclesfield.