GoedeWaagen

GoedeWaagen is a ceramics firm founded in the Dutch town of Gouda that began with pipemaking more than two centuries ago. Although the name is better known today for decorative ceramics, the firm's starting point was the clay pipe, and its reputation among pipe enthusiasts rests on the double-walled bowls it produced in its later period.

From Guild to Factory

The firm's founding date is taken as 1 January 1779, the day Dirck GoedeWaagen received his master's certificate from the Gouda pipemakers' guild. The company marked this date as its founding year throughout the following two centuries. It is reported that the family's first workshop operated on Keizerstraat, that the business moved after continuing at the same address for several generations, and that later generations also formed ties by marriage with the De Jong family, one of Gouda's established pipemaking houses; neither of these details has been confirmed by independent records.

The business's growth to factory scale began in 1853. That year, Pieter and Tobias GoedeWaagen, from the family's younger generation, bought the "De Star" pottery, whose origins reached back to the 17th century; this facility is the direct ancestor of today's company. Ceramic and pottery production was thus added to clay pipes. According to the account, around 1880, Pieter's son Aart persuaded his father to broaden the range of models, and P. GoedeWaagen & Zoon was founded for this purpose. By the end of the century, the catalogue held hundreds of shapes, and sales had reached well beyond Dutch borders. Due to lack of space, the firm moved to a new facility on Jaagpad in 1909; the year it was granted its royal title is not made clear in sources.