Pilkington's Group Plc was a UK-based manufacturer and supplier of wall and floor coverings and building materials. The group had a history in ceramic

tile Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or o ...

manufacturing with the head office located on Rake Lane in Clifton Junction, near

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The Pilkington's Manufacturing Ltd brand is currently owned by a Polish group of companies Rovese S.A - the second largest tile manufacturer in Europe.

History

Pilkington's Group was established in 1891. In the early 1900s,

Pilkington's Lancastrian Pottery & Tiles Pilkington's Lancastrian Pottery & Tiles was a manufacturer of tiles, vases and bowls, based in Clifton near Pendlebury, Lancashire, England. The company was established in 1892 at Clifton Junction, alongside Fletcher's Canal. The company empl ...

was formed as a result of an amalgamation of the skills of William Burton and the company's team of artists and designers from Minton Hollins and

Wedgwood Wedgwood is an English fine china, porcelain and luxury accessories manufacturer that was founded on 1 May 1759 by the potter and entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood and was first incorporated in 1895 as Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Ltd. It was rapid ...

. In 1913 the company was awarded the Royal Warrant, and Royal Lancastrian Pottery was created. By 1938 the company began to specialise in ceramic wall tiles. The group was previously known as Pilkington's Tiles Group Plc. As of Monday 14 June 2010 Paul Flint and Brian Green of KPMG LLP were appointed joint administrators of the Pilkington's Group Plc, Pilkington's Tiles Ltd and Quiligotti Access Flooring Ltd. The affairs, business and property of the companies are being managed by the joint administrators. The decision to appoint administrators followed an unsuccessful attempt to refinance the Pilkington's Group business.

Pilkington's Ceramic Tiles

Ceramic tiles were first produced by Pilkington's in 1893. The biscuit fired tiles (tiles which have been fired once), were taken for glazing either with a plain glaze or for decorating by the paintresses and fired again. Twice fired tiles were renowned for being superior in quality and this eventually overtook the pottery business to become the company's main production. More recently, in 2004 the company was purchased by a private company that since acquiring the group has brought large investment and phased growth and brand development. Pilkington's still makes ceramic tiles, however the portfolio now includes many other wall and flooring products. Many of the Pilkington's ceramic tile ranges are manufactured at the group's manufacturing facility in Clifton Junction near Manchester.

Brands & UK manufacturing

The Quiligotti brand of marble, terrazzo and natural stone products became part of the group in the 1970s. Quiligotti

Terrazzo Terrazzo is a composite material, poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of chips of marble, quartz, granite, glass, or other suitable material, poured with a cementitious binder (for chemical bind ...

flooring is installed in a large number of UK supermarkets, shopping centres, railway stations and the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The ...

.Architects' Journal, Jubilee Line, Westminster Underground Station
/ref> Quiligotti is also manufactured at the group's manufacturing facility in Clifton Junction, Manchester.

Closure

Pilkington's Tiles Ltd went into administration on 14 June 2010. Pilkington's brand was acquired by a Polish owned group of companies - Rovese S.A. However all of other company's assets were sold to different vendors.

References

External links

Official Pilkington's Group sitePilkingtons Lancastrian Pottery Society Website

Tile Association Website
{{Authority control Ceramics manufacturers of England