Buchan Pottery Stoneware Bottles

This grouping of three stoneware ginger beer bottles comes from the Buchan Pottery in Portobello, a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland. The most prominent and important pottery in Portobello, the pottery was founded in 1867 by Alexander Willison Buchan and operated for over 100 years.

Buchan produced ginger beer bottles like these until the end years of the 1800's, when they began to be replaced by glass bottles, which are more sanitary. The bottles are formed of a grayish-white clay, the upper part glazed yellowish-brown (mustard) with what's called a "shoulder slip." It covers the shoulder up to the neck, over the mouth and continues a short distance down into the bottle. The bottle was then given a clear glaze, with the bottom left dry.

Two of the bottles are marked, impressed near the base with "BUCHAN PORTOBELLO EDINBURGH;" the third bottle is unmarked but identical to the other two. This is an early mark that predates their later thistle motif.

The bottles measure 8 3/4 inches tall with a 2 3/4 inch mouth opening and a 3 inch diameter base; their weights vary from 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds each. They're all in very good condition, no cracks or chips except for the unmarked one, which has a small divot about halfway down (shown in our photo highly magnified). This trio of Scottish stoneware bottles makes an interesting display and a nice gift for bottle collectors.

❃❃PLEASE NOTE: These bottles were made in the mid-1800's. Under "Highlights" above, which Etsy writes, not us, it's stated these are from the 1930's, due to a glitch on Etsy's part when they changed the listing format.

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