Royal Doulton

View Royal Doulton Dinnerware range

Royal Doulton is part of the newly formed Waterford Wedgwood Royal Doulton Holdings Ltd. This is a company that has wonderful future with its exciting new tableware products.

A Family of Quality Ceramics

When John Doulton made a £100 investment in 1815 he made a shrewd move. He used his life's savings to launch a partnership with Martha Jones and John Watts at a stoneware factory in Lambeth, London. You could say the rest was history but this was in fact history in the making. Today Royal Doulton is regarded as a world-class brand in quintessential British tableware, collectable figurines, crystal and glass and giftware too. However it had truly down to earth origins - in the production of stoneware. The business that subsequently focused on the Doulton family name took full advantage of the revolution in sanitation during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). It established the world's first stoneware pipe factory and went on to become Britain's top Victorian manufacturer of sanitary ware it was a great foundation to build on.

From Lambeth to 'The Potteries'

John worked with his son Henry to develop the business and their portfolio soon extended to artistic pottery ultimately embracing ornamental, commemorative and tableware products.

Indeed Doulton set the pace in new art schools and reaped the rewards at exhibitions. By 1871 Henry had launched the Lambeth Studio with local designers and artists who experimented with a variety of materials and glazes in an industrial setting. Their names included the Barlow family, Frank Butler, Mark Marshall, Eliza Simmance and George Tinworth. Today their pioneering work commands increasingly high prices.

It was a success story that would go on to be made in Stoke-on-Trent. In 1877 Henry purchased a major shareholding in the factory of Pinder, Bourne and Co at Nile Street in Burslem, Staffordshire - a facility that handled tableware as well as ornaments and earthenwares.

Studio-based success prompted diversification. The business introduced new techniques and produced bone china from 1884. The ideas and inspiration of key individuals like John Slater and Charles J Noke built its reputation in figurines, vases and decorative pieces. When Henry died in 1897 he was widely mourned but the Doulton name for fashion and functionality was spreading apace.

The Doulton name caught the attention of the Royal family itself. During 1901 the Burslem factory was granted the Royal warrant by the new king, Edward VII. Now the business could adopt a bold new logo - adding a crown to the British lion and a classic brand name: Royal Doulton.

Between the World Wars, the name Royal Doulton became synonymous with the finest English china across the world. Innovation and inspiration were key to its growth, whether that be flambé ware, titanian ware or bone china and it didn't stop there. Royal Doulton had launched its definitive HN Series of Pretty Lady figurines in 1913 and these collectables went from strength to strength. Under Charles Noke it successfully moved into the market of Character Jugs too. What's more it had established Bunnykins as nursery ware in 1934 moving into collectable figurines by 1939.

Royal Doulton stayed ahead of the field and in 1960 it introduced a new product: English Translucent China (ETC) that is now better known as Royal Doulton Fine China. ETC offered the excellent translucent quality of bone china without the expense. In 1966 Royal Doulton became the first china manufacturer to receive the Queen's Award for Technical Achievement.

True to its heritage, craftsmanship and quality remain paramount. Royal Doulton's largest and most expensive figure takes no less than 160 hours to hand paint and costs more than £14,000. Its collectables have proved so popular that it launched the Royal Doulton International Collectors Club (RDICC) in 1980. Royal Doulton Archives give the business and its designers access to some 10,000 watercolours dating right back to1815 and the Doulton Lambeth pedigree lives on with modern limited edition Lambethwares.

From the twentieth century onwards the pedigree of the Lambeth and Burslem Studios has been followed through with the work of key individuals such as Peggy Davies, Alan Maslankoswki and Robert Tabbenor, to name but a few. It also has a Design Studio based in Stoke-on-Trent, and a state-of-the-art production facility based in Indonesia.

Before the end of the century major changes were being implemented with the emergence of the new producers in Asia. Their cheap labour costs impacted on most of the traditional English and European tableware manufacturers who have been faced with ever increasing competition.

Royal Doulton is no longer a family business but it has a 'family' of quintessential English brands. In 1968 it merged with Minton and in 1971 (as a result of the merger with AEP) gained Royal Albert. In 2007 these three key brands became part of the Waterford Wedgwood Group and most of the items are today manufactured outside the United Kingdom in the Far East and Indonesia.

In Mar 2009 a new company was formed headed by CEO Pierre de Villeméjane. This company ‘Waterford Wedgwood Royal Doulton Holdings Ltd has secured Royal Doulton’s future with their plans to rebuild the brand.