"Tin-glazed earthenware has been made in Europe since the 15th century. In Britain, floor tiles and drug pots were made in Aldgate, London in the 16th century by immigrant potters from the Low Countries. In the early 17th century, factories making dishes and other wares were set up in London close to the River Thames. Their products were initially much influenced by Chinese porcelain as well as by Italian maiolica. Manufacture spread from London to centres such as Bristol, Liverpool and Dublin. Known as 'gally ware' in the 17th century, this type of pottery has come to be known as 'delftware' from the Dutch town of Delft which was renowned for its manufacture ... The British Museum collection of delftware, which was established in the later part of the 19th century, is one of the finest in the world. It is especially notable for the number of pieces bearing dates and for those which document historical personages and events. This beautifully illustrated book will feature more than 140 items from this extensive collection and include pieces which have never before been fully described or published in colour."--Publisher's description.

Archaeological rescue excavations in Southwark between 1983 and 1990 uncovered parts of the London house of the medieval bishops of Winchester. The archaeological evidence, mainly from the east part of the site, is supplemented by detailed documentary evidence. The property developed from the mid 12th century into a palatial residence, based around an inner and an outer courtyard, and enclosed by a boundary wall. In the 14th-century palace, a great hall, service rooms and kitchens occupied the north range, household and servants were accommodated around the other sides of the inner courtyard, while the bishop had his own apartments, chapel and garden. A passage below the hall gave access from the inner courtyard north to the wharves and river. Storerooms, workshops and stables lined the east boundary wall, with gardens in the west half of the enclosure. A parliamentary survey of 1647 describes the layout of the bishop's palace, which was sketched c.1644 by Hollar for his Long View of London . The site remained in the bishops' ownership until the 1640s and it was returned to them after the Civil War, but a multiplicity of tenants and subtenants occupies the palace; by 1720 it was 'disused and very ruinous'. The medieval bishop's palace became tenements and small industrial storage units; in the 19th century large warehouses were built. Fire in 1814 revealed the surviving medieval masonry of the hall and service range, and the hall's west gable wall with its rose window remains a prominent landmark today.

This comprehensive book will soon establish itself as the standard work on the subject. The Irish delftware industry is covered in its entirety, from its beginnings in 1697 through its initial success, subsequent difficulties, and renewed fortunes in the 18th century. The author presents up-to-date research with new attributions, recent archeological investigations, and additional information concerning some of the smaller Irish factories.