In 1751, the first Worcester Porcelain factory was founded by a group of 15 men, headed by Dr. John Wall, an eminent physician.
Dr. Wall along with another of the group, an apothecary called William Davis, developed their method for producing porcelain.
Before the 18th century, porcelain was only made in the Far East. By 1755 Worcester was making the best English blue and white porcelain tea wares that money could buy, as well as more expensive coloured enamel sets.
Worcester's main advantage over its rivals was that the Worcester soapstone porcelain did not crack when boiling water was poured into it. (Many other British porcelains did crack!) .
In 1774 Dr.John Wall retired, and William Davis took control of the Worcester factory.
William Davis had been the manager of the Worcester factory for over 20 years before he took sole charge in the late 1770's. The firm gradually turned to new ideas. General improvements were made to the porcelain body and glaze and elegant new fluted tea sets and scallop shaped dessert wares were introduced. The Worcester factory started to concentrate on production of tableware for individual wealthy customers. For the first time, the shapes of items in a tea or dessert service were all designed to match one another.
In 1783 the Worcester Warmstry House factory was purchased by its London agent, Thomas Flight for his two sons Joseph and John. Over the next few years the Flights struggled with countless problems, but eventually their fortunes began to change.
John Flight travelled in France to study the latest French porcelain designs and the introduction of new spiral fluted shapes and French sprig patterns at Worcester heralded a period of great success. In 1788 King George III and Queen Charlotte toured Flight's Worcester Porcelain factory and ordered a breakfast service in the Blue Lily design. Flight issued a porcelain token to commemorate the Royal visit and renamed the chosen design Royal Lily in honour of Queen Charlotte. On the advice of the King, they also opened a prestigious new London shop, and the following year George III gave Flight his Royal Warrant, allowing them to use the Royal Coat of Arms and the words 'Manufacturers to their Majesties' .
In 1804 Martin Barr Junior joined in partnership with his father and Joseph Flight. The next decade was to be exceptionally successful; some of the finest quality British porcelain was made at the Warmstry factory. Porcelain services were made up at a customer's request with views of his own properties and grounds, local beauty spots and landmarks. English aristocrats travelled around Britain in search of Picturesque and beautiful landscapes. Prints of country houses were published and fashionable places such as Cheltenham, Worcester and Malvern were depicted on porcelain, alongside famous beauty spots such as Warwick castle, Carisbrooke Castle and High Tor near Matlock.
During the late 18th and early 19th centuries Chinese porcelain decorated with the family Coat of Arms was a great status symbol. The porcelain took years to arrive and was sometimes full of mistakes.Worcester produced a magnificent alternative - whiter with brighter colours and more readily available, becoming the height of fashion in the early 19th century. Rich personalised services were made for the wealthiest customers including, Tzar Alexander I, The Duke of York, King George III, King William IV, The Duke of Clarence, The Imam of Muscat, The Marquis of Buckingham and the Nabob of Oude. The Prince of Wales spent huge sums of money on porcelain, buying at least six services from the Worcester factory. The Prince's love of red, blue and gold Imari designs is reflected in two of his dessert services made by Barr, Flight & Barr in 1807. In the same year he awarded the company his Royal Warrant.
Martin Barr died in 1813 and once again Joseph Flight became the principal shareholder with George & Martin Barr junior in partnership. The great success of the company was continued and boosted by the employment of the talented artist Thomas Baxter from 1814 to 1816.
In the 1830's the Neo-Rococo style became popular with the newly wealthy industrialists, who now had more money than old established families. The demand for rich classical porcelain diminished and the Flight, Barr & Barr factory was reluctant to change designs that had been so successful.
In 1783, Robert Chamberlain, head of the decorating department for Dr.John Wall at Warmstry House, left the company to start his own porcelain decorating business in King Street, Worcester.
The Chamberlain factory quickly established an enviable reputation for the production of finely painted porcelain.
Chamberlain sold porcelain through his shop at 33 Worcester High Street and through china and fancy goods dealers in other large towns. In 1813 Chamberlain opened a London showroom at 63 Piccadilly, moving to 155 New Bond Street in 1816. Customers would choose the decoration for individual 'cabinet' pieces. Views of country houses and figure subjects taken from prints of well-known paintings were very fashionable. The factory built up a large library of source material for the artists to work from. Decoration with copies of oil paintings gave porcelain the status of minor works of art. In the 19th century the East India Company shipped many goods to Britons living abroad. Chamberlain exported large quantities of porcelain to India and the services ordered in 1817 for the East India Co. headquarters at Fort St.George, Madras were the largest ever made at Worcester.
In 1840 the former rivals, Chamberlain & Flight, Barr & Barr joined forces under the name of Chamberlain & Company in 1840.
Porcelain continued to be made in Severn Street, Diglis, where the factory still operates today. The new firm also developed ideas and products to try to meet the increasing demand for novelty in design. Buttons, and porcelain door furniture took up a large part of the business, but financially things were difficult. Their efforts were severely restricted by a now old factory and a lack of modern machinery.
Many old churches were being restored and new ones were built during the middle years of the 19th century. Chamberlain & Co. produced medieval style encaustic floor tiles at the old Warmstry factory. In 1851 the last of the Chamberlain family, Walter, retired, leaving the factory in the sole charge of the Dublin business man, William Kerr, who was to dramatically change the fortunes of the company during the 1850's.
In 1852 Richard William Binns and William Henry Kerr took over the management of the Chamberlain & Co. porcelain works in Severn Street, Worcester. The factory had been ravaged by fire and an extensive rebuilding programme took place in the 1850's. Modern machinery and working methods improved the quality of the product in every department.
The first public display of new company products was at the Exhibition of Art & Industry, Dublin in 1853. The Shakespeare Dessert Service, an example of restrained Classical design, used a combination of new materials - Parian for the figures and white bone china. Parian, a new type of porcelain received great attention when first displayed at the London, Great Exhibition of 1851. The new material imitated marble, which was mined in Paros, Greece. Introduced at Worcester in 1853, Parian only needed one firing to produce a cleanable material with a matt finish. Parian was used to make small versions of Classical sculpture at an affordable price and was in great demand by the new middle classes. Many sentimental and moral subjects were popular alongside National Heroes and characters from mythology. Worcester also produced Ivory Porcelain (glazed Parian) from 1856 that imitated carved ivory.
Many small ornamental items were produced in Parian. Decorative finishes included the soft and sugary Raphaelesque colours introduced in1861 and oxidised silver introduced in 1855. Enamel work on copper from Limoges inspired Thomas Bott to create the Worcester Enamels. In 1855 a display at the Paris Exhibition received excellent reviews. In 1859 Queen Victoria ordered a dessert service to be decorated with Worcester Enamels. This service re-established the reputation of the Worcester Royal Porcelain Works after many troubled years. In 1862 W.H.Kerr returned to Ireland. Under the leadership of Richard Binns, having established new materials, bodies and glazes and trained new staff the factory was set to climb to new heights as Royal Worcester.
On the retirement of William Henry Kerr in 1862, The Worcester Royal Porcelain Company Limited was formed with Richard William Binns and Edward Phillips as joint Managing Directors.
Edward P.Evans (1843-1928) joined them as Company Secretary in 1867, and over the next 21 years the freehold was purchased, the works almost reconstructed and £600,000 was paid in wages.
Between 1851 and 1887 the Severn Street factory expanded from 70 to 700 employees. Royal Worcester kept pace with public demand for novelty in design with the development of a wide range of new materials and glazes, including glazed and unglazed Parian, earthenware, majolica and bone china. The firm concentrated on the production of figures and vases, introducing over 2500 new decorative items between 1862 and 1900. Royal Worcester's Art Director, Richard Binns encouraged the design of decorative objects in many styles including Japanese, French Empire, Persian, Indian, Renaissance and Classical Greek. In the 1860's, after 100 years of isolation the Japanese started to trade again with Europe. In 1872 His Excellency Sionii Tomomi Iwakura, Junior Prime Minister of Japan, visited Royal Worcester and saw Japanese style wares being made for display in Vienna the following year. Japanese bronzes, ivories and prints, purchased by R.W.Binns in Europe, inspired the Worcester craftsmen who did not slavishly copy, but adapted ideas for the English market. (For more go to - The Origins of the Museum of Worcester Porcelain) Japanese designs were fashionable with the supporters of the Aesthetic Movement, championed by Oscar Wilde. Arthur Liberty, whose shop opened in 1875, first sold Japanese goods in London. Aesthetic ideas affected even the average household, encouraging people to think about their homes. In theory an Aesthetic interior would display a few beautifully made items. In reality people packed their homes with the symbols of Aestheticism, ferns, palms, Japanese fans, and screens, feathers, books and drawings. Victorian clutter was born! Special Services - Porcelain decorated with a family coat of arms or corporate badge was very fashionable in the second half of 19th century. Many colleges, shipping companies, hotels, clubs and individuals had specially commissioned services made by Royal Worcester.Well-known customers included The Royal St.George Yacht Club, Hyde Park Hotel, H.M.Treasury, The Royal Irish Dragoon Guards, The Great Eastern, The Marquis of Bute and the Duke of Hamilton. When a special service was ordered the customer would choose an existing numbered pattern or border design. The factory would then copy the coat of arms or badge from a wax seal or printed visiting card. A sample, printed from an engraved copper plate or hand painted would then be sent to the customer for approval. ROYAL WORCESTER PORCELAIN 1862 - 1900 Many of these bespoke services were made of Royal Worcester Vitreous, a high-fired earthenware, for durability. In 1878 Royal Worcester displayed a fascinating pair of vases at the Paris Exhibition. They were designed by James Hadley (1837 - 1903) in Italian Renaissance style, using the novel idea of making pottery tell its own story. The vases illustrate Longfellow's poem 'Keramos'. The original vases, gilded in coloured metals by Josiah Davis (1839-1913) and the Callowhill brothers won a gold medal and were sold on the spot and the Worcester Art Director, Richard Binns was awarded the Legion D'Honour. A second pair of vases, decorated in soft Raphaelesque colours were made for promotional display and are now in the Museum of Worcester Porcelain. As a result of rapidly developing communications, the postal service, the telegraph and the railways, the public became more aware of other countries and cultures. Royal Worcester enjoyed great success with figures of Eastern Water carriers, Indian Craftsmen, and a series of National figures in the 1880's modelled by James Hadley. Unusual animals and birds were also represented, heads of elephants were even used as designs for tureen handles. In 1893 Royal Worcester created some of the most adventurous objects (now on display in the Museum of Worcester Porcelain) for the Chicago World Fair. The Exhibition surpassed all its American and European predecessors, in concept and scale. The Exhibition covered more than 200 acres and millions of visitors went to be entertained by the marvels of new technology and the cultures of 44 Nations. The Seasons Vase, the largest vessel ever made by Royal Worcester was designed as the centrepiece of the British Exhibit. The 53-inch vase took over a year to produce and cost £500. It was designed and modelled by James Hadley, the clay pressed in giant moulds by John Finney and carefully painted with flowers by Edward Raby (1863-1940) The whole was completed with raised paste work by Thomas and George Shaw and gilding by Josiah Davis. A display of pierced or reticulated porcelain was also displayed at the Chicago Exhibition. The technique of piercing was developed in the 1880's to imitate Oriental and Indian Ivory carving. George Owen (1845 - 1917) perfected the art of piercing, producing individual, unique patterns of tiny holes, designing them to fit accurately onto totally blank areas. Every hole was cut by hand using an oiled knife when the clay was still damp. One slip of the knife would mean starting again! In the mid 1890's fashions started to change and there was a decline in the demand for heavily modelled objects in an historical style. In 1896 James Hadley and Edward Locke (1829-1909) set up their own independent companies and Richard Binns retired in 1897. At the turn of the century new styles and ideas were beginning to emerge under the guidance of Managing Director, Edward P.Evans, Art Superintendent, William Moore Binns (1861-1920) and Head Designer, Frederick H.Thorpe (1859-c.1916) The influence of Art Nouveau in Europe with its organic shapes and natural decorations, can be seen in Royal Worcester's development of Blush Ivory wares at the turn of the century. A huge range of small decorative objects were made of matt glazed Parian, decorated with enamel flowers designed by Edward Raby and Frank Roberts.
In the early 20th century, Sheraton and Hepplewhite furniture enjoyed a revival in England and Georgian style interiors became fashionable. Royal Worcester produced new versions of many old Worcester designs in Georgian style.
The favourite patterns of the early 20th century were coloured flower borders, Willow pattern, and Blue Dragon.
Around 1900 Royal Worcester allowed the painters to sign their work for the first time. (The signature usually appears on the edge of the painting, not on the bottom of a piece) The artists were encouraged to specialise and develop individual styles, they all collected cuttings, photographs and postcards, which they often worked from. The most well known painters were Charles Baldwyn, Henry Chair, Harry Davis, George Evans, William Hawkins, George Johnson, Ernest Phillips, Frank Roberts, Frank R. Rushton, Edwin Salter, Richard Sebright, Harry Stinton, James Stinton, John Stinton Jnr..
Royal Worcester absorbed the Grainger workforce in 1902 and Hadley's employees in 1906 and there was often not enough work to go round. Painters had to do alternative jobs when there were no orders for their specialist subject. As a result, many artists painted watercolours and oil paintings that they sold locally to supplement their income.
Life styles changed dramatically during and after the First World War and a new generation wanted modern tableware for entertaining. Under Art Director, John Wadsworth, several new styles were tried with varying degrees of success. Boxed coffee sets, bowls for floating flower heads and lampshades in geometric designs were chic new ideas. Printed linear tableware patterns, enamelled by hand were also developed. China patterns had always been given numbers by the factory, but for the first time in the mid 1920's china tableware designs were given names such as Marjorie, Lady Evelyn and Duchess.
Some of the most extravagant china was made for export. Richly gilded patterns such as Imperial designed by Harry Davis (1885 - 1970) in 1911 and Embassy designed by John Wadsworth in 1916 were especially popular in the USA. Tiffany of New York sold rich service plates that were embellished with hand gilded acid etched patterns. Prouds Ltd and the Flavelle Brothers of Sydney commissioned the Australian artist Ellis Rowan to paint a series of exotic flowers to be copied onto Royal Worcester tea services, by artists such as Walter Sedgley, Albert Shuck, Edward Phillips, and the Austin brothers. The Foreman painter, William Hawkins (1858-1930) also painted some remarkable portraits of Aborigines fro the Australian market.
With high unemployment in Europe, the General strike of 1926 and the Wall Street crash of 1929, there was still little demand for luxury china on either side of the Atlantic. Royal Worcester narrowly escaped closure and was rescued by Charles Dyson Perrins who bought the company outright in the early 1930's.
All forms of earthenware and glazed Parian were discontinued in 1931 and in the same year Royal Worcester launched a new range of bone china figures at the Beaux Arts Gallery in London. Only the models of children by Freda Doughty were popular at first.
In 1933 an American publisher encouraged Royal Worcester to make Limited Edition bird models. Dorothy Doughty designed birds for the American market working from the studio in Cornwall, which she shared with her sister, Freda. She had never worked in clay before, but was determined to make the birds as life-like as possible. Special mat colours were developed and new skills in mould making, casting and propping were needed to make such complex models in bone china. Dorothy made two visits to America to study the birds in their natural habitat, making sketch models to spontaneously capture their character. 36 pairs and 3 individual models were designed between 1933 and 1960. Towards the end of her life Dorothy also designed a series of 21 English birds and a set of 12 collectors' plates, which were modelled in relief.
During the Second World War, one third of the Worcester factory was turned over to the Ministry of Aircraft and from 1941 insulators were made for radio and radar equipment. A high fired, heat and shock resistant porcelain had been developed at Government request in 1914 for use in hospitals and laboratories and production continued throughout the Second World War. This hard porcelain was also used to make 'Fireproof' cookware from the 1930's onwards including gold and silver lustre wares which were introduced after the war.
In 1948 Royal Worcester opened a showroom at 30 Curzon Street, Mayfair and many successful series of small decorative figures were introduced, including British Birds by Eva Soper; Oriental Figures by Agnes Pinder Davis and Animal Studies by Doris Lindner.
In the 1960's Managing Director Joseph Gimson, revolutionised design at Royal Worcester by the appointment of Robert Baker (1909-1992), Professor of Ceramics at the Royal College of Art. Under his direction, shapes and patterns were co-ordinated to produce modern ranges as well as traditional style designs.
Full colour floral patterns were popular until around 1980 when plainer coloured borders became more fashionable, with the introduction of Nouvelle Cuisine.
The current resident team of shape and pattern designers use computer-aided design alongside traditional skills.
In 1962 Royal Worcester's most popular porcelain pattern, Evesham, was designed by Professor Baker and two of his pupils from the Royal College of Art, Ronald van Ruyckevelt (b.1928) and Peter Ewence.
Figurine production continued into the 1980's with a series of elegantly gowned ladies by Donald Brindley, and Dogs and Impressionist figures by Ken Potts.
In the mid 80's the independent designer David Fryer produced a number of models combining bone china and bronze for Royal Worcester including birds, woodland animals, flower fairies and roses. He also designed the Golden Eagle, the largest model ever made by Royal Worcester with a wingspan of 40 inches.
Over the past 250 years, traditional skills have been maintained and developed at Royal Worcester retaining the ability to manufacture bone china of the highest quality. Individual customers still order one-off bespoke dinner and tea services and ornamental items. 20th century customers include, H.M.Queen Elizabeth II, King Farouk, The King of Siam, Queen Wilhelmina, Ranjitsinji, and The Bayan Palace, Kuwait.
Royal Worcester also continues to produce porcelain and bone china for hotels and institutions such as Claridges, The Dorchester, The Savoy, The Ritz, Raffles (Singapore), The Ford Motor Company, The Houses of Parliament, The B.B.C, Aspreys, Garrards and Tiffany's (New York).