Why Is There Fragments of Willow Pattern China In The Soil ?

As the title suggests, after an evening spent with my son and his friend playing football by the beach, we began to make our way home, passing through some public gardens I frequented as a child.

I remember many happy hours spent finding bits of willow pattern china, feeling nostalgic I decided to see if I could still find any.....

Amazingly, I did, after 29 years I found a piece, seemingly not quite so plentiful nowadays (one piece was all I could find), nevertheless, I still found it just as fulfillng as I did when I was small.

But one question for me remains unanswered, and has always baffled me ......

Why is there fragments of willow pattern china in the soil ?

I'm sure this is a really easy question to answer, and someone out there will probably quench my curiosity very quickly, in fact it is probably more baffling why I don't know the answer !

Over the years I have seen these fragments in the soil of arious locations around the UK, so perhaps it is deliberately added ?

Anyway,someone please put me out of my misery.

reply to post by solargeddon


That Blue Willow pattern china used to be used as ballast on ships. It was very cheap.
I imagine lots of folks owned it, and when it broke, they tossed the bits out into the yard.
Also, it is likely that pieces that were broken en route, were probably tossed out in all kinds of places.
Maybe vases and bowls were used as plant pottery. When they broke, they ended up in the yard.

Ironically enough, some Blue Willow, the darker blue lightweight serving plates ,etc. are now quite
valuable.

Not Knowing your location, (don't tell me) I do know that rubbish was often buried, broken china was just/is useless rubbish. You could probably find out in your locale what those public gardens used to be at some other time. Even in my garden I have dug up pottery and china, and medicine bottles all related to the last, possibly two centuries.

So working on that premise, are the fragments found where they broke, or is it just shipped in amongst soil that is laid down ?

It is a funny old thing, I have images of great swathes of people smashing plates, having a good old "smash fest"

Originally posted by Wildmanimal
reply to post by solargeddon

 

That Blue Willow pattern china used to be used as ballast on ships. It was very cheap.
I imagine lots of folks owned it, and when it broke, they tossed the bits out into the yard.
Also, it is likely that pieces that were broken en route, were probably tossed out in all kinds of places.
Maybe vases and bowls were used as plant pottery. When they broke, they ended up in the yard.

Ironically enough, some Blue Willow, the darker blue lightweight serving plates ,etc. are now quite
valuable.

Actually the ballast thing could be the reason, because the gardens are just across the road from the beach (although there is a strip of lawn, and the promenade between too), certainly makes sense as to why there would be so much of it.

I'd like to see some pictures of this pattern as I have no idea what you're talking about.

reply to post by EvilSadamClone


Here is a Link to a website with an image (I have no idea how to put it up on here), just scroll down, you can't miss it

reply to post by solargeddon


I wouldn't lie to you my fellow ATS'r.

That is the reason as to why I am here, and the shards are there.

The remnants have scattered where they will.

reply to post by Wildmanimal


Thanks for filling me in

People used to throw broken pottery and glass down the outhouse hole. There was no rubbish collection in those days and you either burned your trash or threw it down the already dug and handy hole. Those outhouse areas have turned into nice fertile soil over the years. Add in the amount of uprising and mixing plowing an area will give you, and...