Wade Ceramics Ltd is a manufacturer of

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 main ...

and earthenware, headquartered in Stoke-on-Trent,

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 ...

. Its products include animal figures for its Collectors Club, whisky

flagon A flagon () is a large leather, metal, glass, plastic or ceramic vessel, used for drink, whether this be water, ale, or another liquid. A flagon is typically of about in volume, and it has either a handle (when strictly it is a jug), or (more ...

s, and a variety of industrial ceramics. Wade whimsies 4o06

In the 1950s, the Wade potteries created 'Whimsies', small solid porcelain animal figures first developed by Sir

George Wade Field Marshal George Wade (1673 – 14 March 1748) was a British Army officer who served in the Nine Years' War, War of the Spanish Succession, Jacobite rising of 1715 and War of the Quadruple Alliance before leading the construction of bar ...

, which became popular and collectable in Britain and America, following their retail launch in 1954, and were widely available in shops throughout the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The figurines have also been offered along with Red Rose Tea since 1967. Its other brand names of inexpensive collectable porcelain include 'TV Pets', 'Whoppas', and 'Minikins'. Wade has produced licensed pieces based on TV shows, comic books, and

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

films.

History

Wade Ceramics was established in 1867 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. ...

, England. It originally comprised several different companies founded by various members of the Wade family and was united as Wade Potteries Limited in 1958. The original companies were: # Wade & Myatt (later became George Wade & Son, which made industrial ceramics and Wade Whimsies). Established 1867. # John Wade & Co (later Wade Heath & Co, which made decorative ware, particularly

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 ...

vases in the 1930s). Established 1867. # J & W Wade (later AJ Wade Ltd, which made tiles, notably the original tiles for the London Underground). Established 1891. In 1905, George Wade & Son took over rival company Henry Hallen. As the Hallen firm was owned by a distant relative and had been founded in 1810, Wade Ceramics (through this) claims to have been established in 1810. In the 1930s, Colonel Sir George Wade gained control of the Wade companies that had previously been run by his father and uncles. He also started further Wade factories, including Wade (Ulster) Ltd in

Portadown Portadown () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of a ...

. Following the death of Sir George Wade in 1986 at the age of 94, and the death of leukaemia of his innovative son George Anthony (Tony) Wade in 1987, the Wade potteries were taken over by Beauford Plc in 1998 and renamed Wade Ceramics Ltd. In the early 1990s the Irish pottery factory was renamed Seagoe Ceramics, and was closed down. Beauford plc's pottery factories were taken over by a management buyout in 1999, becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Wade Allied Holdings Ltd. Edward Duke, former CEO of Beauford, became the major shareholder of Wade Allied Holdings and Chairman of Wade Ceramics. His partner Paul Farmer became Managing Director of Wade. In 2009, Wade Allied Holdings invested £7.9m in a new factory with the latest robotic manufacturing equipment to make ceramic

s for the whisky industry. The last Wade factory in Burslem was closed in 2010, and sold for housing development. The original factory is still standing and has lay derelict for 10 years, subject to vandalism and arson over the years. As of 2011, Wade's Ceramics operates from Bessemer Drive in Eturia, Stoke On Trent. In November 2022, The company entered into administration citing the difficult UK economic conditions and rising energy prices for its operating difficulties. As of 2nd December 2022, Wade Ceramics entered into Administration with the termination of all employees.

References

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External links

Official website of Wade Ceramics Ltd.
Ceramics manufacturers of England Staffordshire pottery Manufacturing companies established in 1867 British companies established in 1867 1867 establishments in England Companies based in Stoke-on-Trent

History

Further reading

References

External links