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Picture Library

This section of the site contains a selection of images from the Society's extensive collection. Click on the thumbnail image to view a larger version of the picture.

Further photographs can be seen by clicking on the links below:

Picture Gallery - North Devon
Picture Gallery - Dorset

Section 1: What is Ball Clay?

Lump clay entering shredder
Ball clay entering a shredding machine (full image - 68kb)
Shredded clay
Shredded ball clay
(full image - 97kb)
A ball clay "slip"
Ball clay slurry
(full image - 141 kb)
Refined clay noodles
Refined ball clay noodles
(full image - 155kb)

Spray dried clay
Spray dried ball clay
(full image - 258kb)
Ball clay body "slugs"
Extruded "slugs" of
prepared body
(full image - 509kb)
2. Ball Clay in the Bovey Basin
Eastern outcrop of Bovey Basin
Aerial view of the eastern outcrop of the Bovey Basin
(full image - 506 kb)


 

Video Clip:

Flying over Southacre Quarry in a helicopter. (N.B. This clip is a 2.3Mb Windows Media Viewer file)
3. Production in the Bovey Basin

Great Plantation WBB 1901

1901photo of open pit - Great Plantation (WBB Bovey Basin)

 

Upper part of highback in the 1950s

The upper part of a highback in the 1950s (Bovey Basin)

W.J.V. Watts surveys Junipark Quarry (Bovey Basin) in the 1950s

W.J.V. Watts surveys Junipark Quarry (Bovey Basin) in the 1950s

 

 

 

    
4. Applications
5. Transport in S. Devon
a. Stover Canal

Hanging lock gates in 1901

Hanging new lock gates in 1901

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. People
a. WBB in S. Devon

Charles Davey Blake

C.D. Blake - a founder of WBB in the 1880s

   

 

 

  

To view the pictures referred to below, click to the right of the last word in the description.

The aerial view of the eastern outcrop of the Bovey Basin is looking south from Chudleigh Knighton towards Newton Abbot, with Teignmouth and the Teign Estuary in the top left. (link)

The 1901 picture of an open pit in the Bovey Basin is from the Watts Album. It shows a pit at the northern end of Great Plantation (later to become WBB Preston Manor Wirks). In this area, the highbacks were the typical method of tranport from the pit and lasted as the principle method until the 1950s. (link)

Charles Davey Blake was one of the three founder members of WBB. He was born 1n 1838 and was with WBB from 1860 until his death in 1925. He was probably the most influential person in the development of the Ball Clay industry, in his work in the field of clay sales and his interests in many of the other clay companies as well as WBB. This picture is thought to have been taken in the 1880s.(link)