Royal Doulton is an English ceramic and home accessories manufacturer that was founded in 1815. Operating originally in
Vauxhall
Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...
, London, and later moving to
Lambeth
Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...
, in 1882 it opened a factory in
Burslem
Burslem ( ) is one of the six towns that along with Hanley, Tunstall, Fenton, Longton and Stoke-upon-Trent form part of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. It is often referred to as the "mother town" of Stoke on Trent.
T ...
,
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 ...
, in the centre of English pottery. From the start, the backbone of the business was a wide range of utilitarian wares, mostly
stoneware
Stoneware is a rather broad term for pottery or other ceramics fired at a relatively high temperature. A modern technical definition is a Vitrification#Ceramics, vitreous or semi-vitreous ceramic made primarily from stoneware clay or non-refracto ...
s, including storage jars, tankards and the like, and later extending to pipes for drains, lavatories and other bathroom ceramics. From 1853 to 1901, its wares were marked Doulton & Co., then from 1901, when a
royal warrant was given, Royal Doulton.
It always made some more decorative wares, initially still mostly stoneware, and from the 1860s, the firm made considerable efforts to get a reputation for design, in which it was largely successful, as one of the first British makers of
art pottery
Art pottery is a term for pottery with artistic aspirations, made in relatively small quantities, mostly between about 1870 and 1930. Typically, sets of the usual tableware items are excluded from the term; instead the objects produced are mostly ...
. Initially this was done through artistic stonewares made in Lambeth, but in 1882 the firm bought a Burslem factory, which was mainly intended for making
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 ...
tablewares and decorative items. It was a latecomer in this market compared to firms such as
Royal Crown Derby
The Royal Crown Derby Porcelain Company is the oldest or second oldest remaining English porcelain manufacturer, based in Derby, England (disputed by Royal Worcester, who claim 1751 as their year of establishment). The company, particularly known ...
,
Royal Worcester
Royal Worcester is a porcelain brand based in Worcester, England. It was established in 1751 and is believed to be the oldest or second oldest remaining English porcelain brand still in existence today, although this is disputed by Royal Crown De ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
and
Mintons
Mintons was a major company in Staffordshire pottery, "Europe's leading ceramic factory during the Victorian era", an independent business from 1793 to 1968. It was a leader in ceramic design, working in a number of different ceramic bodies, ...
, but made a place for itself in the later 19th century. Today Royal Doulton mainly produces
tableware
Tableware is any dish or dishware used for setting a table, serving food, and dining. It includes cutlery, List of glassware, glassware, serving dishes, and other items for practical as well as decorative purposes. The quality, nature, variet ...
and figurines, but also cookware, glassware, and other home accessories such as
linens
Linens are fabric household goods intended for daily use, such as bedding, tablecloths, and towels. "Linens" may also refer to church linens, meaning the altar cloths used in church.
History
The earliest known household linens were made f ...
, curtains and lighting.
Three of its brands were Royal Doulton, Royal Albert, and (after a post-WWII merger)
Mintons
Mintons was a major company in Staffordshire pottery, "Europe's leading ceramic factory during the Victorian era", an independent business from 1793 to 1968. It was a leader in ceramic design, working in a number of different ceramic bodies, ...
. These brands are now owned by
WWRD Holdings Limited
WWRD Holdings Limited is a company that was created by KPS Capital Partners in 2009 out of the remains of Irish firm Waterford Wedgwood plc, and it has been owned since 2015 by Finnish home products maker Fiskars. The company owns Waterford Cry ...
(
Waterford Crystal
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 ...
,
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 ...
, Royal Doulton), based in
Barlaston
Barlaston is a village and civil parish in the Stafford (borough), borough of Stafford in the county of Staffordshire, England. It is roughly halfway between the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the small town of Stone, Staffordshire, Stone. According ...
near
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 ...
. On 2 July 2015, the acquisition of WWRD by the
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
company
Fiskars Corporation
Fiskars Group (also known as Fiskars Oyj Abp or Fiskars Corporation, and until 1998 as Fiskars Oy Ab) is a Finnish group company. The company has its roots in the village of Fiskars (in the town of Raseborg, about west of Helsinki), where it was ...
was completed.
History – 19th century
The Royal Doulton company began as a partnership between
John Doulton
John Doulton (17 November 1793 – 26 May 1873) was an English businessman and manufacturer of pottery, a founder of the firm that later became known as ''Royal Doulton''. John Doulton married Jane Duneau, a widow from Bridgnorth in Shropshire, wh ...
, Martha Jones, and John Watts, as Doulton bought (with £100) an interest in an existing factory at Vauxhall Walk,
Lambeth
Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...
, London, where Watts was the foreman. They traded as Jones, Watts & Doulton from 1815 until Martha Jones left the partnership in 1820, when the trade name was changed to Doulton & Watts. The business specialised in making
salt glaze stoneware
Stoneware is a rather broad term for pottery or other ceramics fired at a relatively high temperature. A modern technical definition is a Vitrification#Ceramics, vitreous or semi-vitreous ceramic made primarily from stoneware clay or non-refracto ...
articles, including utilitarian or decorative bottles, jugs and jars, much of it intended for inns and pubs. In 1826 they took over a larger existing pottery on Lambeth High Street.
The company took the name Doulton & Co. in 1854 after the retirement of John Watts in 1853,
and a merger with Henry Doulton and Co. (see below), although the trading name of Doulton & Watts continued to be used for decades. For some of the 19th century there were three different businesses, run by the sons of John Doulton, and perhaps with cross-ownership, which later came back together by the end of the century. By 1897 the total employees exceeded 4,000.
Pipes and other utilitarian wares
Manufacturing of circular ceramic
sewage
Sewage (or domestic sewage, domestic wastewater, municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is typically transported through a sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged from residenc ...
pipes began in 1846, and was highly successful; Henry Doulton set up his own company specializing in this, Henry Doulton and Co., the first business to make these. This merged with the main business in 1854. His brother John Junior also later set up his own pipe-making business. Previously sewers were just channels made of brick, which began to leak as they aged. The
1846–1860 cholera pandemic, and the tracing by Dr
John Snow
John Snow (15 March 1813 – 16 June 1858) was an English physician and a leader in the development of anaesthesia and medical hygiene. He is considered one of the founders of modern epidemiology, in part because of his work in tracing the so ...
of the
1854 Broad Street cholera outbreak in London to a water supply contaminated by sewage led to a huge programme of improving sewage disposal, and other forms of drainage using pipes. These and an expanding range of builder's and sanitary wares remained a bedrock of Doulton into the 20th century. Metal plumbing items such as taps and
cast iron
Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...
baths were added to the range later. Kitchen stonewares such as storage jars and mixing bowls, and laboratory and manufacturing ceramics, were other long-standing specialities. Further facilities were set up for making these in
Paisley in Scotland,
Smethwick
Smethwick () is an industrial town in Sandwell, West Midlands, England. It lies west of Birmingham city centre. Historically it was in Staffordshire.
In 2019, the ward of Smethwick had an estimated population of 15,246, while the wider bu ...
,
St Helens near Liverpool, and
Rowley Regis
Rowley Regis ( ) is a town and former municipal borough in Sandwell in the county of the West Midlands, England. It encompasses the three Sandwell council wards of Blackheath, Cradley Heath and Old Hill, and Rowley. At the 2011 census, the comb ...
in England, and eventually Paris.
Decorative wares
![Vase with Slender Neck LACMA M](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Vase_with_Slender_Neck_LACMA_M.2001.97.1_%28cropped%29.jpg)
By the 1860s Henry Doulton became interested in more artistic wares than the utilitarian ceramics which had grown the business enormously. British stoneware had languished somewhat in artistic terms, although
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 ...
and others continued to produce
jasperware
Jasperware, or jasper ware, is a type of pottery first developed by Josiah Wedgwood in the 1770s. Usually described as stoneware, it has an unglazed matte "biscuit" finish and is produced in a number of different colours, of which the most com ...
and some other stonewares in a very refined style, competing with
porcelain
Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises mainl ...
. The Doulton wares went further back to earlier
salt-glazed
Salt-glaze or salt glaze pottery is pottery, usually stoneware, with a glaze of glossy, translucent and slightly orange-peel-like texture which was formed by throwing common salt into the kiln during the higher temperature part of the firing p ...
styles, with a varied glaze finish. This "gave stoneware an entirely new impetus, realizing the potential of the material".
As the company became interested in diversifying from its utilitarian wares into more decorative objects, it developed a number of
earthenware
Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ce ...
and stoneware bodies. The so-called "Lambeth faience" (from 1872) was "a somewhat heavily potted
creamware
Creamware is a cream-coloured refined earthenware with a lead glaze over a pale body, known in France as '' faïence fine'', in the Netherlands as ''Engels porselein'', and in Italy as ''terraglia inglese''.Osborne, 140 It was created about 175 ...
much used in decorative plaques and vases", often with
underglaze
Underglaze is a method of decorating pottery in which painted decoration is applied to the surface before it is covered with a transparent ceramic glaze and fired in a kiln. Because the glaze subsequently covers it, such decoration is completely ...
painting. Other bodies were called "Impasto" (1879); "Silicon" (1880), "a vitrified unglazed stoneware decorated with coloured clays"; "Carrara" (1887), white earthenware, also used as architectural terracotta; "Marquetrie" (1887), "marbled clays in checker work", then glazed; "Chine" impressed with fabrics to texture the clay, these burnt away in the kiln.
By 1871, Henry Doulton, John's son, launched a
studio
A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...
at the Lambeth pottery, and offered work to designers and artists from the nearby
Lambeth School of Art
Founded in 1854 as the Lambeth School of Art, the City and Guilds of London Art School is a small specialist art college located in central London, England. Originally founded as a government art school, it is now an independent, not-for-profit ...
. The first to be engaged was
George Tinworth
George Tinworth (5 November 1843 – 11 September 1913) was an English ceramic artist who worked for the Doulton factory at Lambeth from 1867 until his death.'George Tinworth', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ir ...
followed by artists such as the Barlow family (
Florence, Hannah, and Arthur), Frank Butler, Mark Marshall, Eliza Simmance and
John Eyre John Eyre may refer to:
Politicians
*John Eyre (died 1581), Member of Parliament for Wiltshire and Salisbury
*John Eyre (died 1639), MP for Cricklade
* John Eyre (1659–1709), MP for Galway Borough, son of the above
*John Eyre (died 1745), MP for ...
.
John Bennett was in charge of the "Lambeth faience" department until he emigrated to America in 1876, where he had success with his own pottery.
Doulton was rather unusual in that most of the Lambeth studio pieces were signed by the artist or artists, usually with initials or a monogram incised on the base. Many are also dated. Until 1882, "every piece of the company's art stoneware was a unique item" but after that some pieces were made in batches, as demand grew.
There were initial technical difficulties in producing the "art" pieces; at first they were fired in the open kiln with other wares, but later
saggar
A saggar (also misspelled as sagger or segger) is a type of kiln furniture. It is a ceramic boxlike container used in the firing of pottery to enclose or protect ware being fired inside a kiln. Traditionally, saggars were made primarily from ...
s were used. They were not especially profitable, sometimes not profitable at all, but there were huge profits in other parts of the business. Like other manufacturers, Doulton took great trouble with the wares submitted to international exhibitions, where it was often a medal winner. The period 1870–1900 saw "the great years of Doulton's art stoneware", which remains popular with collectors.
In 1882, Doulton purchased the small factory of Pinder, Bourne & Co, at Nile Street in
Burslem
Burslem ( ) is one of the six towns that along with Hanley, Tunstall, Fenton, Longton and Stoke-upon-Trent form part of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. It is often referred to as the "mother town" of Stoke on Trent.
T ...
, Staffordshire, which placed Doulton in the region known as
The Potteries
The Staffordshire Potteries is the industrial area encompassing the six towns Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton, Stoke and Tunstall, which is now the city of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. North Staffordshire became a centre of ...
.
File:Jug (England), 1869–72 (CH 18609557) (cropped).jpg, Vase, 1869–72, salt-glazed Lambeth stoneware with incised and relief decoration.
File:Beaker vase MET DP704010 (cropped).jpg, Incised Lambeth stoneware by Hannah Barlow, 1874
File:Flask with Squirrels LACMA M.2001.97.2 (cropped).jpg, Flask with Squirrels, 1875, Salt-glazed stoneware, Hannah Barlow, Lambeth
File:Moon flask MET DT6044.jpg, Moon flask, c. 1878 –82, Lead-glazed earthenware, transfer-printed and gilt
File:Vase MET DP704012 (cropped).jpg, Lambeth stoneware vase, 1879, by Frank A. Butler
File:Tankard (England), 1884 (CH 18482927) (cropped).jpg, Three-handled tankard, Lambeth stoneware, 1884
File:Teapot And Lid (England), 1887–1900 (CH 18802717) (cropped).jpg, Teapot in "Marquetrie ware", using different clays, stoneware, 1887-1900
File:Painted Vase, c. 1893, Royal Doulton, part of World's Columbian Exposition display - Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago) - DSC06657.JPG, Vase, c. 1893, part of the World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordi ...
display in Chicago
File:William hodkinson per doulton & co., ltd., vaso in porcellana, staffordshire UK 1891-1902, 02.jpg, Bone china vase, Burslem, c. 1890s, by William Hodkinson
File:Plate (AM 8535-1) (cropped).jpg, "Laburnham" pattern transfer-printed plate. Typical of the middle market bone china tableware made at Burslem.
File:Plate (AM 1972.107-1).jpg, Burslem bone china plate from Captain Scott
Captain Robert Falcon Scott, , (6 June 1868 – c. 29 March 1912) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the ''Discovery'' expedition of 1901–1904 and the ill-fated ''Terra Nov ...
's first expedition, marked ""DISCOVERY" ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION 1901" around a penguin
Architectural ceramics
![Inside Dunedin Railway Station 3 (31127159610)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Inside_Dunedin_Railway_Station_3_%2831127159610%29.jpg)
Doulton also manufactured
architectural terracotta
Architectural terracotta refers to a fired mixture of clay and water that can be used in a non-structural, semi-structural, or structural capacity on the exterior or interior of a building. Terracotta pottery, as earthenware is called when not us ...
(in fact usually stoneware), mainly at Lambeth, and would execute commissions for
monumental sculpture
The term monumental sculpture is often used in art history and criticism, but not always consistently. It combines two concepts, one of function, and one of size, and may include an element of a third more subjective concept. It is often used for ...
in terracotta. Their late Victorian catalogues contained a wide range of architectural elements with, for example, tall Tudor-style chimney pots in many different designs. The
Tudor originals of these were built up in shaped brick, but Doultons supplied them in a single piece. There were ranges of small Gothic arches, columns and capitals.
When the
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
St. Alban's Church was built in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, Denmark, in 1887 with
Alexandra, Princess of Wales as one of the driving forces, Doulton donated and manufactured an
altarpiece
An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting o ...
, a
pulpit
A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...
and a
font
In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a typeface. Each font is a matched set of type, with a piece (a "sort") for each glyph. A typeface consists of a range of such fonts that shared an overall design.
In mod ...
. They were executed in
terracotta
Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based ceramic glaze, unglazed or glazed ceramic where the pottery firing, fired body is porous.
In applied art, craft, construction, a ...
with glazed details to the design of Tinworth.
The
Hotel Russell
The Kimpton Fitzroy London is a historic five-star hotel, located on Russell Square, Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden. From its opening in 1900 until 2018, it was known as the Hotel Russell.
History
The Hotel Russell was built in 1 ...
in
Russell Square
Russell Square is a large garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden, built predominantly by the firm of James Burton. It is near the University of London's main buildings and the British Museum. Almost exactly square, to the ...
(1900) has a large facade in buff terracotta, including life-size statues of "British queens" by
Henry Charles Fehr
Henry Charles Fehr Royal British Society of Sculptors, FRBS (4 November 1867 – 13 May 1940) was a British monumental and architectural sculptor active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He produced several notable public scu ...
, sculpted coats of arms and other large ornamental elements. This was somewhat old-fashioned for 1900, and the new taste for
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
favoured the glazed white "Carrara" material, which remained popular through to the
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
of the 1930s, often combined with bespoke decoration in bright colours, as at the
Turkey Cafe
The Turkey Cafe is a building with a flamboyant Modern Style (British Art Nouveau style) facade in Granby Street, Leicester, England. It was built in 1900 and is now a Grade II listed building, once again used as a café. The facade puns on two ...
in
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
, also of 1900.
William James Neatby
William James Neatby (24 May 1860 – 20 April 1910), often W. J. Neatby, was an English architect, designer and artist. He is best known for his designs of architectural ceramics and was Doulton and Co.'s chief ceramic designer. His standout wo ...
was the Royal Doulton's chief designer from 1890 to 1901 and designed some of the finest
Modern Style (British Art Nouveau style)
The Modern Style is a style of architecture, art, and design that first emerged in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom in the mid-1880s. It is the first Art Nouveau style worldwide, and it represents the evolution of th ...
architectural ceramics and sculptures.
Everard's Printing Works
The Former Everard's Printing Works () is at 37-38 Broad Street in Bristol, England. It has been designated as a Grade II* listed building.
It was built in 1900 by Henry Williams, with the Modern Style (British Art Nouveau style) facade by W.J ...
is the stand out when it comes to use of the Doulton's Carrara
glazed architectural terra-cotta
Glazed architectural terra cotta is a ceramic masonry building material used as a decorative skin. It was popular in the United States from the late 19th century until the 1930s, and is still one of the most common building materials found i ...
.
One of the largest schemes they made is , now in
Glasgow Green
Glasgow Green is a park in the east end of Glasgow, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde. Established in the 15th century, it is the oldest park in the city. It connects to the south via the St Andrew's Suspension Bridge.
History
In ...
, given by Sir
Henry Doulton
Sir Henry Doulton (25 July 1820 – 18 November 1897) was an English businessman, inventor and manufacturer of pottery, instrumental in developing the firm of Royal Doulton.
Life
Born in Vauxhall, Henry was the second of the eight children of J ...
for the
International Exhibition of 1888. When the over life-size statue at the top was destroyed in a lightning strike in 1901, Doulton paid for a second hand-made statue to be produced. Sir Henry's
mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...
is another fine example of Doulton's exterior terracottas, as are the
pedimental sculpture
Pedimental sculpture is a form of architectural sculpture designed for installation in the tympanum, the space enclosed by the architectural element called the pediment. Originally a feature of Ancient Greek architecture, pedimental sculpture st ...
s for the department store
Harrods
Harrods Limited is a department store located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It is currently owned by the state of Qatar via its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority. The Harrods brand also applies to other ...
(1880s).
File:Building on Corner of Lambeth High Street - geograph.org.uk - 168449.jpg, Doulton's former headquarters in Lambeth, showing off their architectural terracotta
Architectural terracotta refers to a fired mixture of clay and water that can be used in a non-structural, semi-structural, or structural capacity on the exterior or interior of a building. Terracotta pottery, as earthenware is called when not us ...
s
File:DoultonFountain-2017 (cropped).jpg, , Glasgow Green
Glasgow Green is a park in the east end of Glasgow, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde. Established in the 15th century, it is the oldest park in the city. It connects to the south via the St Andrew's Suspension Bridge.
History
In ...
, 1888
File:St Albans Church Copenhagen pulpit (cropped).jpg, The pulpit in St. Alban's Anglican Church in Copenhagen, Denmark, donated and manufactured by Doulton
File:West Norwood Cemetery – 20181026 121502 (45569936881).jpg, Sir Henry Doulton
Sir Henry Doulton (25 July 1820 – 18 November 1897) was an English businessman, inventor and manufacturer of pottery, instrumental in developing the firm of Royal Doulton.
Life
Born in Vauxhall, Henry was the second of the eight children of J ...
Mausoleum, West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery is a rural cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery.
One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the " Magnificent Seven" cemeteries of L ...
, c. 1897
File:Maison Doulton.jpg, The "Maison Doulton" in Maisons-Laffitte
Maisons-Laffitte () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the northern Île-de-France Regions of France, region of France. It is a part of the affluent outer suburbs of northwestern Paris, from its ...
near Paris, c. 1880
File:Hotel Russell on Russell Square, London - April 2007.jpg, Hotel Russell
The Kimpton Fitzroy London is a historic five-star hotel, located on Russell Square, Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden. From its opening in 1900 until 2018, it was known as the Hotel Russell.
History
The Hotel Russell was built in 1 ...
on Russell Square
Russell Square is a large garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden, built predominantly by the firm of James Burton. It is near the University of London's main buildings and the British Museum. Almost exactly square, to the ...
, London, 1900
File:Putti 0225cc.jpg, Putti
A putto (; plural putti ) is a figure in a work of art depicted as a chubby male child, usually naked and sometimes winged. Originally limited to profane passions in symbolism,Dempsey, Charles. ''Inventing the Renaissance Putto''. University of ...
on sculptural columns on the Hotel Russell
The Kimpton Fitzroy London is a historic five-star hotel, located on Russell Square, Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden. From its opening in 1900 until 2018, it was known as the Hotel Russell.
History
The Hotel Russell was built in 1 ...
facade.
File:Bâtiment Art Nouveau à Leicester.jpg, The Turkey Cafe
The Turkey Cafe is a building with a flamboyant Modern Style (British Art Nouveau style) facade in Granby Street, Leicester, England. It was built in 1900 and is now a Grade II listed building, once again used as a café. The facade puns on two ...
in Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
, 1900, Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
in "Carrara" white glazed architectural terracotta
Glazed architectural terra cotta is a ceramic masonry building material used as a decorative skin. It was popular in the United States from the late 19th century until the 1930s, and is still one of the most common building materials found in U ...
.
File:Broad Street -Edward Everard.jpg, Edward Everard printworks, Bristol, 1901, with "Carrara" white glazed architectural terracotta
Glazed architectural terra cotta is a ceramic masonry building material used as a decorative skin. It was popular in the United States from the late 19th century until the 1930s, and is still one of the most common building materials found in U ...
.
File:Royal Doulton 4115068724 bef06891a2.jpg, Detail of frieze ''Pottery through the Ages'' for the exterior of Doulton's Lambeth headquarters, 1939, now V&A Museum
By this time Doulton was popular for stoneware and ceramics, under the artistic direction of
John Slater, who worked with
figurine
A figurine (a diminutive form of the word ''figure'') or statuette is a small, three-dimensional sculpture that represents a human, deity or animal, or, in practice, a pair or small group of them. Figurines have been made in many media, with cl ...
s, vases, character jugs, and decorative pieces designed by the prolific
Leslie Harradine. Lambeth continued to make
studio pottery
Studio pottery is pottery made by professional and amateur artists or artisans working alone or in small groups, making unique items or short runs. Typically, all stages of manufacture are carried out by the artists themselves.Emmanuel Cooper, ...
in small quantities per design, often in stoneware and typically ornamental forms like vases, while Burslem made larger quantities of more middle market bone china tablewares and figures. By 1904 over 1,200 people were employed at Burslem alone.
The retirement and death of Sir Henry Doulton, both in 1897, led to the company going public at the start of 1899.
20th century
![Miles Franklin's waratah cup and saucer 1904 a834001](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Miles_Franklin%27s_waratah_cup_and_saucer_1904_a834001.jpg)
In 1901
King Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...
awarded the Burslem factory the
Royal Warrant, allowing that part of the business to adopt new markings and a new name, Royal Doulton. The bathroom ceramics and other utilitarian wares initially continued to be branded Doulton and Co. The company added products during the first half of the 20th century, and the tableware and decorative wares tended to shift from stonewares to high-quality
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 ...
. Figurines in fashionable styles became increasingly important, for example a series of young girls in bathing costumes, in a mild version of
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
. Figures continued to be important throughout the 20th century, but the peak of quality in modelling and painting is generally thought to have been between the world wars.
![Dinnerset, part of (AM 1991](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Dinnerset%2C_part_of_%28AM_1991.115-6%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
The well-known artist
Frank Brangwyn
Sir Frank William Brangwyn (12 May 1867 – 11 June 1956) was a Welsh artist, painter, watercolourist, printmaker, illustrator, and designer.
Brangwyn was an artistic jack-of-all-trades. As well as paintings and drawings, he produced des ...
designed a pattern for a dinner service in 1930 (see gallery), which continued to be made for some time. He created the design, but specified that the factory painters actually decorating the pieces be allowed some freedom in interpreting his designs.
The headquarters building and factory of Royal Doulton were in Lambeth, on the south bank of the Thames. This
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
building was designed by T.P.Bennett. In 1939
Gilbert Bayes
Gilbert William Bayes (4 April 1872 – 10 July 1953) was an English sculptor. His art works varied in scale from medals to large architectural clocks, monuments and equestrian statues and he was also a designer of some note, creating chess piec ...
created the friezes that showed the history of pottery through the ages.
In 1969 Doulton bought
Beswick Pottery
John Beswick Ltd, formerly J. W. Beswick, was a pottery manufacturer, founded in 1894 by James Wright Beswick and his sons John and Gilbert in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent. In 1969, the business was sold to Doulton & Co. Ltd. The factory closed in 2 ...
, long a specialist in figurines, mostly of animals, including some
Beatrix Potter
Helen Beatrix Potter (, 28 July 186622 December 1943) was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as ''The Tale of Peter Rabbit'', which was he ...
characters. Their factory in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent was used to make the popular "
Bunnykins
Royal Doulton Bunnykins tableware and figurines are popular ceramic designs manufactured as nursery dishes and collectible figurines. The chinaware line originated with artwork by Sister Mary Barbara Bailey ( née Barbara Vernon Bailey), the da ...
" line of anthropomorphic rabbits, originally produced in 1936 to designs by the then managing director's daughter,
Sister Barbara Bailey, who was a nun.
The whole English pottery industry was losing ground in the post-war period, and Doulton's purchases of other companies was not enough to stem decline. The Lambeth factory closed in 1956 due to clean air regulations preventing urban production of salt glaze. Following closure, work was transferred to
The Potteries
The Staffordshire Potteries is the industrial area encompassing the six towns Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton, Stoke and Tunstall, which is now the city of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. North Staffordshire became a centre of ...
. The factory building was demolished in 1978 and the friezes transferred to the
Victoria & Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...
. The office building in Black Prince Road survives, complete with a frieze of potters and Sir Henry Doulton over the original main entrance, executed by Tinworth. The Nile Street factory in Burslem also closed on 30 September 2005, and has been demolished.
Corporate
![Plate (AM 1952](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Plate_%28AM_1952.64-2%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
In 1971, S. Pearson & Son Ltd, a subsidiary of the
Pearson industrial conglomerate acquired Doulton & Co. Pearson & Son owned Allied English Potteries and merged operations into Doulton & Co. All brands from Allied English Potteries and Doulton & Co. Ltd. including Royal Doulton, Minton, Beswick, Dunn Bennett, Booths, Colclough, Royal Albert, Royal Crown Derby, Paragon, Ridgway, Queen Anne, Royal Adderley and Royal Adderley Floral were moved under the umbrella of Royal Doulton Tableware Ltd. Royal Doulton Tableware Ltd was a subsidiary of Doulton & Co. Ltd, itself a subsidiary of the Pearson Group Doulton & Co. became Royal Doulton plc in 1993. Pearson spun off Royal Doulton in 1993.
Waterford Wedgwood
Waterford Wedgwood plc was an Irish holding company for a group of firms that specialized in the manufacture of high-quality porcelain, bone china and glass products, mostly for use as tableware or home decor. The group was dominated by Irish bu ...
completed a takeover of Royal Doulton in 2005, acquiring all assets and brands.
Parts of the old business were sold off at points. The bathroom ceramics business was bought by
Stelrad. In 1983 David Edward Dunn Johnson bought the hotelware division of Royal Doulton, now renamed
Steelite. This still makes pottery in Stoke-on-Trent.
[Steelite International, Orme Street, Burslem]
thepotteries.org. Retrieved 19 October 2018.[A Journey Through The Years]
www.steelite.com. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
Royal Doulton Ltd., along with other Waterford Wedgwood companies, went into
administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal
** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...
on 5 January 2009. Royal Doulton is now part of
WWRD Holdings Limited
WWRD Holdings Limited is a company that was created by KPS Capital Partners in 2009 out of the remains of Irish firm Waterford Wedgwood plc, and it has been owned since 2015 by Finnish home products maker Fiskars. The company owns Waterford Cry ...
. Some items are now made in the parent company, WWRD Holdings Ltd in
Barlaston
Barlaston is a village and civil parish in the Stafford (borough), borough of Stafford in the county of Staffordshire, England. It is roughly halfway between the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the small town of Stone, Staffordshire, Stone. According ...
, south of the Potteries Conurbation. Further production is carried out in
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
On 11 May 2015,
Fiskars
Fiskars Group (also known as Fiskars Oyj Abp or Fiskars Corporation, and until 1998 as Fiskars Oy Ab) is a Finnish group company. The company has its roots in the village of Fiskars (in the town of Raseborg, about west of Helsinki), where it was ...
, a Finnish maker of home products, agreed to buy 100% of the holdings of WWRD. On 2 July 2015 the acquisition of WWRD by Fiskars Corporation was completed including brands Waterford, Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, Royal Albert and Rogaška. The acquisition was approved by the US antitrust authorities.
Cultural references
* In the comedy television series ''
Keeping Up Appearances
''Keeping Up Appearances'' is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke. It originally aired on BBC1 from 1990 to 1995 with two specials airing in 1997 and 2008 on PBS. The central character is an eccentric and snobbish middle class s ...
'' her Royal Doulton china "with the hand-painted periwinkles" was frequently mentioned with great pride by the main character, Hyacinth Bucket.
* A Royal Doulton bowl features prominently in the 2018 film
Mary Poppins Returns
''Mary Poppins Returns'' is a 2018 American musical fantasy film directed by Rob Marshall, with a screenplay written by David Magee and a story by Magee, Marshall, and John DeLuca. Loosely based on the book series ''Mary Poppins'' by P. L. Tr ...
, and is the basis for the song
"The Royal Doulton Music Hall".
* In the James Bond 007 franchise films, Judi Dench's M character has a Royal Doulton’s "Jack the Bulldog" figurine on her desk at MI6.
Notable designers
*
Hannah and Florence Barlow
The sisters Hannah Bolton Barlow (born 2 November 1851 in Church End House, Little Hadham, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England; died 15 November 1916) and Florence Elizabeth Barlow (born Bishop's Stortford) were artists who painted pot ...
, two painter sisters
*
Leslie Harradine
*
Agnete Hoy
*
Charles Noke
Charles John Noke (1858 Worcester - 27 May 1941), was an English pottery designer and artist who primarily worked for Royal Doulton.
History
He is noted for producing many different ranges of pottery using differing techniques and was also hugel ...
Gallery
File:Jug (AM 1998.5.1-2).jpg, Lambeth stoneware commemorative mug for the Coronation of Edward VII, 1902
File:DoultonHiggins1.JPG, Vase, Lambeth
File:The Captain, a figurine by Royal Doulton.jpg, Modern figure, ''The Captain''
File:Royal Doulton Ruby Rose Teapot.jpg, Ruby Rose Teapot
See also
*
List of Royal Doulton figurines
This is a list of list of Royal Doulton figurines in ascending order by HN number. HN is named after Harry Nixon (1886–1955), head of the Royal Doulton painting department who joined Doulton in 1900. This list includes the HN number, the t ...
*
List of Bunnykins figurines
This is a list of Royal Doulton Bunnykins figurines. Doulton & Co. (Royal Doulton) introduced the Bunnykins figurines in 1939 with six original Bunnykins figurines designed by Charles Noke based on illustrations by Sister Mary Barbara Bailey. ...
Notes and references
References
*
Battie, David, ed., ''Sotheby's Concise Encyclopedia of Porcelain'', 1990, Conran Octopus,
*Furnival, W.J., ''Leadless decorative tiles, faience, and mosaic'', 1904, W.J. Furnival, Stone, Staffordshire, reprint , 9781176325630
Google books*Godden, Geoffrey, ''An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of British Pottery and Porcelain'', 1992, Magna Books,
*"Grace's": "Doulton & Co."
''Grace's Guide to British industrial history''*Hughes, G Bernard, ''The Country Life Pocket Book of China'', 1965, Country Life Ltd
*Wood, Frank L., ''The World of British Stoneware: Its History, Manufacture and Wares'', 2014, Troubador Publishing Ltd, , 9781783063673
External links
Official websiteExamples in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
{{Stoke-on-Trent
Ceramics manufacturers of England
English brands
English pottery
Figurine manufacturers
Kitchenware brands
Staffordshire pottery
Waterford Wedgwood
Companies based in Stoke-on-Trent
Manufacturing companies established in 1815
1815 establishments in England
Privately held companies of the United Kingdom
British Royal Warrant holders
Fiskars
British porcelain
Art pottery