Histories of UK potters and pottery manufacturers

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Last updated: 1st August 2011

ROYAL ALBERT TIMELINE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1864

Born 11th September 1864. Thomas Clarke Wild. Second of nine children of Thomas Wild.

1873

Began part-time work at the Beaconsfield Works of Beck, Wild & Co., his father being a partner in the business. Age 8-9.

c.1890

Associated with his father at the Albert China Works, High St, Longton.

1895

Thomas Wild Snr and T. C. Wild jointly purchase the Albert Pottery, High St, Longton, and form Thomas Wild & Co.

1898

Death of Thomas Wild Snr (age 57). T. C. Wild continues the business as Thomas Wild & Co with himself as sole proprietor.

1904

Trading as Thomas C. Wild at the Royal Albert Crown China Works

1905

Eldest son, Thomas E. Wild, begins work at the Albert Works, age 15.

1905

Purchase of the St Mary’s Works, High St, Longton from Bernard Moore. Works used initially for decoration of wares manufactured at the close-by Albert Works. Manufacture of Royal Albert Crown China gradually transferred to the St Mary’ s works.

1907

Second son, Frederick J. Wild starts work in the business

c.1907

Purchase of the business of Adderley & Lawson with his brother James Shelley Wild and the formation of Wild Bros. intended for the manufacture of lower priced china tea ware. The Salisbury Works and the Crown China Works are part of the purchase.

1910

Purchase of the Park Place Works, High St, Longton (opposite the Albert Works)

1911

Park Place Works re-opens manufacturing white ware only with Mr Harry Reid (traveller for TCW) as manager.

1913

Sells a half-share in the Park Place Works and business to Mr Harry Reid, the two partners establish the new business as Reid & Co. with Mr Harry Reid as Managing Director.

1916

Establishes Chapman’s (Longton) Ltd with William Thomas Chapman to operate from the Albert Works, High St., Longton.

1917

Sons T. E and F. J. Wild enter the business and the name is changed to Thomas C. Wild & Sons.

1918

Purchase of the bone china manufacturing business of Shore & Coggins Ltd, including their Edensor Works.

c.1919

Purchase of the china manufacturing business of William Lowe (from his executors, Lowe having died in 1898), including the Sydney Works in High St and Sutherland Rd, Longton.

1920s

Businesses owned by Thomas C.Wild or in which he held an interest:

 

T. C. Wild & Sons (St Mary’s Works)

 

Chapman’s (Longton) Ltd (at the Albert Works)

 

Reid & Co (Park Place Works)

 

Shore & Coggins Ltd (Edensor Works)

 

William Lowe (Sydney Works)

 

Wild & Adams (Royal Crown Pottery)

 

Blairs (Longton) Ltd  (Beaconsfield Pottery)

 

Barlow’s (Longton) Ltd (Melbourne Works)

 

T. W. Barlow & Son Ltd (Coronation Works)

 

Thomas Cone (Alma Works)

 

Colclough & Co (Stanley Works)

 

Burgess Bros (Carlisle Works)

 

Wild Bros (TCW relinquished his share to his brother in 1922)

1928

Becomes Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent, retires from active management of Thomas C. Wild & Sons.

1928

Closure of Wild & Adams and Colclough & Co. and sale of the associated factories

1930

Closure of William Lowe and Blairs (Longton) Ltd businesses

1932

Retirement of Thomas Wild and appointment of F. J. Wild and T. E. Wild as joint Managing Directors.

1933

Incorporation of T. C. Wild & Sons Ltd. Objectives: To acquire the business of china manufacturers T. E. Wild and F. J. Wild at St Mary’s Works, High St., Longton as Thos. C. Wild & Sons. The permanent directors are T. E. Wild and F. J. Wild.
T. E. Wild the first Chairman of the company

1934

Mr Harold Holdcroft joins as Art Director

1937

Death of Thomas C. Wild on 13th December 1937.

1937-1939

Modernisation and expansion of the St Mary’s Works

1939

Closure of Burgess Bros (earthenware manufacture)

1939-1945

Business remains active during the war years producing large quantities of bone china wares for export.

1946

Sale of Thomas Cone and the Alma Works (closed in 1942 under the concentration scheme.

1946

Reid & Co incorporated and the name changed to Roslyn China Ltd

1946

Major expansion of the St Mary’s Works begins.

1947

Public share issue on 8th July oversubscribed five time.

1947

Three similar businesses listed: Reid & Co, run as a branch of the Company, and Chapmans (Longton) Ltd and Shore & Coggins Ltd.

1947

Reorganisation of the share capital of the company and listing on the London Stock Exchange to facilitate raising funds for expansion. Company acquired the issued share capital of Chapmans and Shore & Coggins and amalgamated them with the parent company (they remained separate only for trading purposes). T. E. and F. J. Wild sell half the share capital to the public; the brothers and their sons retain the other half. The brothers remain as join Managing Directors with their sons as directors (David G. Wild, Peter G. Wild, Kenneth T. Wild and Anthony L. Wild).

1960

Acquisition of Paragon China Ltd, to continue to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary

1961

Death of Frederick, J. Wild in January 1961 (age 68).

1963

Roslyn China Ltd closed

1964

Cash and share offer for the whole share capital of T. C. Wild & Sons Ltd by Lawley Group. Mr T. E. Wild, present chairman to become life president and Mr K. T. Wild and P. G. Wild invited to join the Board of Lawley Group/AEP

1964

Lawley offer accepted

1964-1968

Further expansion of Royal Albert production through use of the Edensor Works (ex Shore & Coggins) and the Montrose Works (ex Shelley)

1968

Mr G. D. Wild Managing Director of Paragon China Ltd (and a Director of AEP)

1965

Resignation of Peter Grenville Wild from the Board of Allied English Potteries and its subsidiaries (including, presumably from his position as Joint Managing Director of T. C. Wild).

1965

Peter Wild was principally concerned with the management of Shore & Coggins Ltd and it can be speculated that the plans to close Shore & Coggins were the cause of his resignation.

1966

Reorganisation of the Wild subsidiary companies, closure of Chapmans (Longton) Ltd and Shore & Coggins Ltd.

1968

Death of Mr Thomas E. Wild (aged 77) in an motor vehicle accident at Barlaston. Mr Kenneth T. Wild, managing director of T. C. Wild & Sons Ltd was in Canada at the time. Another son David G. Wild (sometimes Gerard D. Wild) is managing director of Paragon China Ltd.

1969

Resignation of Mr Kenneth. T. Wild and Mr Gerard D. Wild from the Board of Allied English Potteries and from the Boards of Thomas C. Wild & Sons Ltd and Paragon China Ltd, ending family involvement in the company.

1970

Allied English Potteries change the name of the business to Royal Albert Ltd.

1972

Royal Albert Ltd becomes a subsidiary of Royal Doulton Tableware Ltd following the amalgamation of the Royal Doulton and Allied English Potteries Ltd businesses.

1998

Closure of the historic St Mary’s Works and transfer of the production of Royal Albert China to other Doulton factories

2002

In December 2002 Doulton transfer the manufacture of all Royal Albert branded china to factories in Indonesia.

2005

Royal Albert becomes a Waterford Wedgwood brand following their purchase of Doulton s share capital.

2009

Royal Albert one of the three brands to survive the sale of Waterford Wedgwood assets to a venture capital company following the failure of the parent company in late-2008.