Aynsley China Ltd. was a British manufacturer of

bone china Bone china is a type of ceramic that is composed of bone ash, feldspathic material, and kaolin. It has been defined as "ware with a translucent body" containing a minimum of 30% of phosphate derived from animal bone and calculated calcium phospha ...

tableware, giftware and commemorative items.

History

The company was founded in 1775 by John Aynsley in Lane End,

Longton, Staffordshire Longton is one of the six towns which amalgamated to form the county borough of Stoke-on-Trent in 1910, along with Hanley, Tunstall, Fenton, Burslem and Stoke-upon-Trent. History Longton ('long village') was a market town in the parish of S ...

. In 1861 his grandson

John Aynsley John Aynsley (1823 – 7 February 1907) was an English potter who established the Portland Works in Longton, Staffordshire. Biography John Aynsley's family had been producing fine bone china since 1775. He was born in Longton, Staffordshire in ...

built the historic Portland Works on Sutherland Road,

. The company's profitability made it a desirable acquisition. In June 1970

Spode Spode is an English brand of pottery and homewares produced by the company of the same name, which is based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Spode was founded by Josiah Spode (1733–1797) in 1770, and was responsible for perfecting two extremely ...

put in a bid, this was then topped in July by Denbyware. Discussions then followed with

Waterford Glass Waterford Crystal is a manufacturer of lead glass or "crystal", especially in cut glass, named after the city of Waterford, Ireland. In January 2009, the main Waterford Crystal manufacturing base on the edge of Waterford was closed due to the i ...

and a £1 million bid was agreed. In 1970 John Aynsley and Sons was taken over by Waterford and renamed Aynsley China Ltd. In 1987 Waterford sold the company in order to focus the group's fine china sales on the worldwide Wedgwood brand.''Strategic Management Cases'', p625 In May 1997, Aynsley China was acquired by The

Belleek Pottery Belleek Pottery Ltd is a porcelain company that began trading in 1884 as the ''Belleek Pottery Works Company Ltd'' in Belleek, County Fermanagh, in what was to become Northern Ireland. The factory produces porcelain that is characterised by its ...

Group in Ireland. The company closed its

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...

factory in September 2014. As of July 2015 the factory shop is still open but its future is uncertain as the site is being advertised as for sale.

Products

The company is a favoured supplier of the British royal family. Both

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

and

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

, chose Aynsley china as wedding presents from the British china industry.''Invitation to a Royal Wedding'', p59 Aynsley's market has historically been within the United Kingdom.

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

Belleek webpage for Aynsley
* http://www.thepotteries.org/allpotters/29b.htm * http://www.luxurydining.co.uk/aynsley-222-c.asp {{Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire pottery Companies based in Stoke-on-Trent Ceramics manufacturers of England British companies established in 1775 1775 establishments in England