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Image courtesy of Lema Publishing Ltd, publishers of ‘Tableware International’ www.tablewareinternational.com
Last updated: 1st August 2011
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. |
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. |