The old ceramic factory in Pujol i Bausis, popularly known as "La Rajoleta", was one of the most important centres of industrial ceramic production in Catalonia. It is located between Carrer de l’Església and Passatge del Puig d'Ossa, in the city centre of Esplugues de Llobregat. This industry began its activity in the last quarter of the 19th century, although its industrial antecedent began its activity in the middle of the 19th century. The culminating moment of its manufacturing activity came at the end of the 19th century during the modernist era with the commissions of prominent architects of this artistic movement such as: Gaudí, Domènech i Montaner or Puig i Cadafalch.
The factory ended its activity in 1984 and then the city council acquired the property. Several buildings were demolished and archaeological surveys were carried out which allowed the underground spaces to be discovered and documented, such as the large underground oven, which is, 20 m long, or the six Arab-type ovens (ca. 1887). The large 22-metre-high brick chimney located at the southern end of the plot and the two large bottle ovens also made of brick remain standing.
These last bottle kilns, named because of their shape, were built between 1913 and 1914 to bake stoneware and porcelain, in the context of a remodelling of the factory under the direction of its owner, Pau Pujol. With a circular base, they are formed by a cylindrical section covered by a conical section topped by a chimney. They are made of brick reinforced with a steel mesh made of iron rings and strips to prevent expansion of the facing during the firing of the pieces. Several semicircular arched openings at the base.
The industrial antecedent of the Pujol i Bausis ceramics factory dates back to 1858, when two French businessmen built a mill on this land owned by the Pujol family. In 1876 the factory was acquired by Jaume Pujol i Bausis, who remodeled it in the 1880s to manufacture ceramics, and since then it has been known as "La Rajoleta". Its heyday corresponds to the period of modernism, during which the main architects of this artistic movement commissioned work at the factory. In 1901, Joan Baptista Alòs, renowned ceramic designer and teacher at several arts and crafts schools, began working there as artistic director. After the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), the factory became a limited company, it stopped manufacturing ceramic tiles and started manufacturing high voltage insulators for the electricity companies. Finally, its activity ended in 1984 and the city council acquired the property.
After several archaeological prospecting campaigns, in 2002, the La Rajoleta Ceramics Museum was inaugurated in a newly constructed space located in the centre of the old industrial site.
