\paperw3360 \margr0\margl0\ATXph16380 \plain \fs20 \f1 \fs22 During the 18th century, canals provided the essential link between the relatively underdeveloped area of Cornwall an
d the busy Potteries of the northern Midlands. China clay could thus be transported from the westernmost tip of southern England to the Staffordshire chinaworks. The farsighted Josiah Wedgwood, who is said to have æelevated pottery manufacture from a m
atter of guesswork and procedure by rule of thumb to a matter of scientific method and calculation,Æ made his own works almost independent of local supplies of raw materials. He was an enthusiastic supporter of the Grand Trunk Canal which linked the Pot
teries with the Mersey in the North, the Midlands and London, and his Etruria works were served directly by barges laden with china clay and coal. The introduction of plaster of Paris moulds in 1745 considerably improved casting methods, ovens became la
rger and provided more even temperatures for firing, and enamelling and transfer printing were used for decoration. Wedgwood also had the acumen and vision to avoid competing with other potters through price reductions and instead to encourage quality a
nd fashion. æFashion is infinitely superior to Merit in many respectsÆ was one of his business aphorisms.\par
