Edmund Potter
Millowner and Philanthropist
The mayoral unveiling of a Blue Plaque for Beatrix Potter’s grandfather, Edmund Potter took place on 6th September 2014 at the Paint Superstore, Dinting Vale House, Glossop.
High Peak Mayor, Cllr Alan Barrow, did the honours and in attendance was David Morris, Head of Collections Whitworth Art Gallery and Christine Clough representing The Beatrix Potter Society and ‘Friends of Gorse Hall’ where Beatrix’s mother had lived in Stalybridge.
The unveiling took place at what was once Dinting Vale Printworks where Edmund Potter, MP, DL, FRS JP, the Manchester-born philanthropist, liberal activist and educationalist managed the largest Calico printers in the world.
Alistair Marsden, proprietor of The Paint Superstore, sponsored the event providing space for the Edmund Potter Exhibition and kindly funded the Blue Plaque, now a permanent fixture on Dinting Vale House.
The building is yards from the now demolished Victorian house, “Dinting Lodge” where Edmund Potter lived from 1842-1861 and raised his family of seven children; second son Rupert being the father of Beatrix.
The Whitworth Art Gallery’s historical connection to the Potters and Glossop is a real educational opportunity for the public to trace back the beginnings of high art generating from 19th Century industrial and engineering profits placed in the right hands of benevolent educationalists. Edmund Potter’s eldest son, Edmund Crompton Potter, took over the Printworks in 1861 when Potter senior moved to London as a newly elected MP.
Four years later, Edmund Crompton Potter had acquired some 20 acres around the site of the Whitworth Art Gallery and the large mansion, Rusholme House, built in 1819. During his ownership, some of the grounds were opened to the public and became known as ‘Potters Fields’. Edmund Junior’s obituary referred to him as being a notable connoisseur in Manchester and that his collection of pictures were amongst the best.
Works by Millais, Landseer, Rossetti, Cox, Romney had hung in the Rusholme mansion, and within two years a new collection of art collected and hung in the adjoining property, Grove House, by the trustees of Sir Joseph Whitworth a wealthy engineering magnate. In 1888 the two mansions amalgamated to create the Whitworth Institute & Park and to this end David Morris, Head of Collections, Whitworth Art Gallery was in attendance at the Dinting unveiling.
Throughout the 19 years they lived in Glossop, the Potter family had a strong Manchester connection. Potter Senior was a trustee of Manchester New College and co-founder of Manchester School of Art and Design as well as President of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce.
Although hailing from Manchester and dying at Camfield Place, Hertfordshire, Potter Senior came back to his spiritual home in the North and his remains were brought by train to Godley station, and conveyed to Hyde Unitarian Chapel, near Glossop, a grave shared by Beatrix’s parents, Rupert and Helen.
Souvenir Brochure for the unveiling of the plaque (pdf, 2mb)
140th Anniversary of the Death of Edmund Potter
On the 140th anniversary of his death, we hosted a talk, taking a brief survey through the life of Edmund Potter. Although he is probably most famous for being the grandfather of the author, Beatrix Potter, he had an illustrious career of his own.
Kate Raine shared new research on Edmund’s life. The talk looked at his role in the great institutions, society and politics in Manchester and the Calico Print Works at Dinting Vale, which were at one point the largest in the world.
An article of the talk can be found here.
There are more articles about Edmund Potter and Dinting Vale Print Works in the industry section of our website.