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Monday, December 9, 2024
Exploring Photos: Evans Cottage by RJR Pottery
Evans Cottage by RJR Pottery.

RJR Pottery was produced in Niagara-on-the-Lake between 1950 and 1964 as a hobby and was mainly sold to friends. Each piece was a one-of-a-kind. The founding members were three close friends who used the first letter in their last names to create the RJR logo. Dr. Bruce Rigg was a local physician who used his knowledge of chemistry to formulate some of the early coloured glazes. He also prepared the raw clay for shaping and firing, turned plates and bowls on a potter’s wheel, and decorated many of the pottery pieces. Mary Jones was a talented artist who decorated many of the pieces with scenes of local churches, old buildings, historic sites and other points of interest. Bill Richardson operated a local coal business and dug the clay from the Queenston dock area. It then would be fired in a kiln located in his coal yard until 1956. This featured piece shows Evans Cottage which was at 36 Picton St. It was known in the early 1900s as Evans Store, which sold candy and ice cream. The original building is now part of the Prince of Wales hotel complex and can be rented as the Evans Cottage Suite.

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