Around 1873 Jesse Carter who was a builder's merchant and ironmonger bought a near derelict pottery in Poole, Dorset. The pottery is in the same place today. Jesse knew that there was a large deposit of clay just to the north of the town, and an excellent means of transporting his products out, and his fuel in, through the harbour. By the 1880's the factory was known for its tiling products, mosaic flooring and advertising panels.

Another pottery in the same area was based at Hamworthy and known as the Patent Architectural Pottery. The Jesse Carter pottery beat the Hamworthy factory in quality and quantity, and in 1895 the Jesse Carter family bought the competition for £2,000. The next significant event happened in 1901 when Jesse Carter retired. When he retired he handed over control of the potteries to two of his sons, Charles and Owen. It happened that Charles liked the manager side of the business and Owen was more hand's on. Another name worth mentioning during the following twenty years is James Radley Young. James Young was the head of the Design Department and his influence helped to put Poole Potteries where it is today. The period between 1901 and 1920 saw countless coming and goings of the Carter family involving different members of the family.

The First World War did not do much to help the situation. But the Carter Company prospered and distinctive styles were beginning to emerge. Around 1920, Charles Carter introduced his son Cyril to Harold Stabler, who in turn had Cyril shaking hands with John Adams. Harold Stabler was a designer and silversmith, and John Adams was a designer and potter. John Adam's wife, Truda, had a huge influence over the years to come.

Around 1921 the company of Carter, Stabler and Adams was set up as a subsidiary of the Carter Company to produce ornamental and domestic pottery. At this time the Carter Company was mainly manufacturing tiles and architectural products. Carter Stabler and Adams with a lot of help from Truda Adams introduced a range of hand decorated, bright and vivid designs.

Products made in the 1920's and 30's are the most sought after today. The range of wares was impressive. Decorative tiles, stoneware, vases, urns, jugs, bowls, plates, dishes etc. They were made in a huge range of colours, decorations, and finishes. Harold Stabler and his wife Phoebe also introduced a faience range and a whole series of figures and plaques.

CSA also made a range of tableware. The first range was Studland designed by Stabler and produced in about 1930. However, Purbeck soon overtook this and then around 1935 the streamline range. As the Streamline range was being developed, CSA developed a two-colour decor scheme. Known around the world today as 'Twintone', it gave the CSA tableware a distinct and recognisable character.

Possibly the most sought after pieces made during this period would be the 'Ship Plates'. It is said that the artists decorating these plates could look across the harbour and copy the real ship, which would be lying at anchor.

The 1920's and 30's saw the company of Carter Stabler and Adams going from strength to strength. Then in 1939, World War II occurred and CSA nearly departed. Making highly elaborate and decorative pottery was not a very good idea between 1939 and 1945, and the Poole factory was not really geared for munitions. Added to that, the British Government didn't like fancy goods at the time, and stopped them. But the CSA factory kept going until the end of WWII. Harold Stabler died in 1945 and John Adams was not in the best of health, so Cyril Carter was left to re-build the company. He convinced the board of directors to invest in a new type of kiln in 1946, and by 1948 the factory was in almost full production again.

Post war production was based almost entirely on the pre-war designs, with the notable introduction of contemporary 'freeform' pieces designed by Alfred Read and Guy Sydenham. These 'freeform' pieces were hand thrown and hand painted, and they are sought after by collectors the world over

In 1958 the company appointed Robert Jefferson as it designer and he developed a whole new range of 'studio ware'. This was known as the Delphis range with its bright colours and individual styling. Being hurled into the 1960's, the Delphis range found immediate success and helped the company maintain its market position. The Delphis range was complemented by the Aegean range, which was introduced in 1970.

The Delphis and Agean can be difficult to identify as being one range or the other, particularly with the earlier Delphis pieces. The usual method of identification is the finer texture on the Delphis pieces and a more grainy texture on the Aegean range.

Around this time Cyril Carter left them, and in 1964 Carter Stable & Adams became part of the Pilkington group, and changed its name to Poole Pottery Limited. Between the Pilkington take over, and, 1992 a management buy-out took Poole Pottery back to an independent company, other ranges of decorative wares have been produced such as Contrast, Sienna, Olympus, Domino and Calypso.

With a new range of 'Studio Ware' introduced in 1996, a recently developed Pottery Museum, and a thriving Collectors Club, and demand for the older ranges exceeding supply, the company can look forward to an exciting future.