Mailing pottery was produced, firstly in Sunderland and later in Newcastle upon Tyne, from 1762 to 1963. Initially, there is little to distinguish Mailing ware from that of any other local factory in northeast England.

However, the discovery of a way to make jars and other containers by machine brought major income. (Customers included Keiller's marmalade and Ringtons tea.) This allowed the opportunity to expand the Production of decorated wares. This ice cream dish looks like a tulip.

Mailing Ice Cream dish

How to use -

Students can be encouraged to observe the artefact and share their opinions to engage in discussion.

Places to visit -

Treat yourself to an ice cream at Mark Tony’s café in Newcastle -53 Grainger Street Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 5JE or 91 Percy Street Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RW.

Visit the Destination Tyneside gallery at Discovery Museum, Blandford Square, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 4JA.

Visit the Tales of South Tyneside gallery looking at beachfront days out at South Shields. Museum and Art Gallery, Ocean Road, South Shields, NE33 2JA.

Visit the Shipley Art Gallery to explore local Pottery and Ceramics, Prince Consort Rd, Gateshead NE8 4JB.

Activities -

Borrow the Holiday-themed Museum Handling object box free from Discovery Museum.

Cultural Connectors -

A sundae is an ice cream frozen dessert of American origin. It typically consists of one or more scoops of ice cream topped with sauce or syrup and other sweet toppings, including sprinkles and fruit. It became popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s, with many people claiming to have invented the idea. It is said the name comes from Sundae, which is the day it was eaten as a treat. Is there anything you can think of that has a practical use as well as being decorative?

Mailing pottery was produced in northeast England for just over two centuries. The pottery was founded in North Hylton near Sunderland in 1762 and transferred to Newcastle upon Tyne in 1817.

Robert Maling’s son, Christopher Thompson Maling II, took the business in a new and profitable direction in the 1850s. He devised a way to make pottery containers by machine rather than hand. This sped up the production process and led to huge orders from manufacturers of goods as diverse as marmalade, meat and fish pastes, ointments, and printing ink.

In 1908, with the sale of the packaging goods still buoyant, Maling introduced a new trading name for their decorative wares. This was Cetem, a phonetic abbreviation of CT Maling and Sons. The following three decades were to be Maling’s heyday.

A succession of designers was employed to take the pottery from the years of post-Victorian elegance through to Art Deco exuberance. By the 1920s, Maling was producing over two hundred new designs a year in a successful attempt to meet the changing tastes of the British public.

Many of these designs were created by the father-and-son team Lucien Emile and Lucien George Boullemier. Both had been recruited from the Staffordshire potteries.

1924 saw the reintroduction of the Maling name used simultaneously with Cetem until the latter was dropped in the early 1930s.

By the outbreak of war, the Maling family members who had been directly involved in running the pottery were deceased, and the business was in the hands of trustees. After the war, the pottery came into the hands of new owners, the Hoult family. Although investment was made, the scale of operations was reduced, with fewer staff having to put up with a downsized working area. In a slow decline, fewer new patterns were introduced, and fewer products were sold.

Eventually, competition from more modern and streamlined potteries caused Maling to close in 1963. In two centuries, it had produced over 16,500 patterns. Items ranged from simple kitchen wares such as pudding basins to highly gilded, lustred and enamelled pieces for display in fashionable homes.

Today, an active collectors’ society exists to find and preserve what information still exists on this diverse British pottery.

Reading and Discussion -

Part 1 -

Introduction -

• Start by showing the Maling Sundae Dish. Notice how heavy it is, how it is decorated, etc.
  Create a discussion about ice cream and sundaes.

• Ask students if they have ever tried a sundae and what ingredients they think are used or what they like best; you can even buy the ingredients to make a sundae.

• Introduce key vocabulary related to sundaes using visual aids and vocabulary cards. Include words like "scoop," "topping," "sprinkles," and "whipped cream." - include phrases like “cherry on the top”.

• Then, Briefly explain Maling pottery's history, starting from Sunderland to Newcastle upon Tyne, emphasising the transition from basic containers to decorated wares, like the tulip-shaped ice cream dish. Notice the words in bold - can we change them to something simpler?

• Introduce the concept of "sundae" and discuss its cultural origins, especially in the context of American desserts.

•  Encourage students to share similar traditions or desserts from their cultures.
  
  

Part 1 -

Label What you see -

Part 2 -

A Sundae -

• A sundae is an ice cream frozen dessert of American origins.

• It typically consists of one or more scoops of ice cream topped with sauce or syrup and other sweet toppings, including sprinkles and fruit.

• It became popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s, with many people claiming to have invented it.

• The name comes from Sunday, the day it was eaten as a treat.
  

1. Create your own sundae -

   ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What toppings will you have?

   ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. How to order an ice cream - ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
   
   
   

• Fill in your own sentences about what ice cream you would like.

• You can also draw what ice cream sundae you would like.

• Afterwards, help students write down how they can order an ice cream.

Fill in the gaps to make your own sentences -

1. I like ________________ on my ice cream.

2. I prefer ____________ to ice cream.

3. I __________________ to feel better.

4. Children like ____________________on their ice cream.

5. My favourite is ___________________________.

6. In my country, we have _____________________________.

7. Maling Pottery was produced in _________________________.
   
   

Vocabulary Exploration:

Match the words from the vocabulary list with the definition.

1. The skill and quality of work exhibited by someone who creates or constructs items with great attention to detail and precision.

2. Creative skill and imagination in producing works of art; the ability to express oneself artistically through various mediums.

3. Serving the purpose of beautifying or enhancing the appearance of something, often added for aesthetic appeal.

4. Relating to the use or application of an item, emphasising functionality and utility rather than purely ornamental qualities.

5. A space or building that houses and displays works of art, often open to the public for viewing and appreciation.

6. An object or collection of objects displayed for public viewing, often in a gallery, museum, or other exhibition space.

7. The cultural, historical, or natural legacy passed down from previous generations is a part of one's history and identity.

8. The point or place where something begins, arises, or is derived is the source or starting point of something.

9. Providing a deeply engaging and absorbing experience, often involving complete mental and emotional involvement in a particular activity or environment.

10. The art or craft of making objects from clay, especially containers like bowls, plates, and vases, which are fired to harden and preserve them.

Part 2 -

In groups, answer the questions.

• Prioritise understanding over speed; allow students sufficient time to read and process each definition.

• Foster collaboration by promoting peer discussion and problem-solving within pairs or small groups.

• Challenge advanced students to create sentences or short paragraphs using the matched vocabulary terms in context.

• Encourage students to brainstorm additional examples or real-world applications of the vocabulary words beyond those provided in the exercises.

Conclusion -

• Despite being an intermediate-level workbook, the activities can be modified to accommodate the needs of both beginners and advanced students.

• These adjustments may match the skill level at which the student is operating, making the workbook a versatile tool for many learners.

  
  

Part 1 -

Label What you see -