Group    From 1815  To 2009

Royal Doulton / Doulton Potteries

Categories: Craft / Design, Industry

Ceramic manufacturing company. Began with a factory at Vauxhall Walk, Lambeth. Initially a partnership of John Doulton, Martha Jones, and John Watts, Jones left in 1820 leaving the company name as Doulton & Watts. John Watts retired and in 1853 the company became Doulton & Co. It was Henry Doulton who introduced art ceramics into the business.

Doultons also manufactured some metal items, such as taps and cast iron baths and notably, the cast iron ‘swan’ benches on the Albert Embankment as can be seen by the stamp near their feet (brought to our attention by Memoirs of a Metro Girl).

In 1907/8 Mary Watts asked Royal Doulton to make tiles for the Postman's Park memorial. We wondered if this indicated that John Watts was related to G. F. Watts and that explained the commission but we think not. By this time G. F. Watts was dead and Mary Watts was forced to find another maker because De Morgan had ceased making tiles. She never liked Doulton's tiles nor, apparently, her husband's family so it seems unlikely that she chose Doultons for any familial reason.

The brand still exists, owned by a conglomerate, but the company folded in 2009.

We cannot discover whether the John Watts of Doulton & Watts was related in any way to G. F. Watts.

Other work in London includes: A corridor in St Thomas's Hospital is decorated with a number of lovely large Doulton panels depicting nursery rhymes, presumably saved when a children's ward was demolished. Some of the decorative elements on the nearby Beaufoy Institute are probably by Doulton.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Royal Doulton / Doulton Potteries

Commemorated ati

This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
Royal Doulton / Doulton Potteries

Creations i

Apollo Inn

An information board near an entrance to the gardens informs: "Euterpe the M...

Read More

Doulton drinking fountain - Henry Fawcett

{It's highly probable that the fountain had a plaque commemorating Henry Fawc...

Read More

Henry Doulton's pottery

Vauxhall History gives: "Doulton worked closely with the renowned Lambeth Sch...

Read More

PP - 2A - Smith

This is a lovely plaque but the fireman's helmet on a plaque for a police con...

Read More

PP - 2E - Ricketts

PC Harold Frank Ricketts, Metropolitan Police, drowned at Teignmouth whilst t...

Read More

Other Subjects

Janet James

Janet James

Mosaic/ceramic artist, active c. 2005.

Person, Craft / Design

1 memorial
David Kuhrt

David Kuhrt

Artist and poet active in 1990. His lettering business was named Novalis and his assistant on the Bentley plaques was Yolande.

Person, Craft / Design

2 memorials
Peace symbol

Peace symbol

Designed by Gerald Holtom as a nuclear disarmament logo for the first Aldermaston March, which took place Easter, 4–7 April 1958. From the Hackney Gazette: "Gerald had first presented the symbol t...

Media, Craft / Design, Peace

1 memorial
John Cranfield
1 memorial
Paul Bommer

Paul Bommer

Professional freelance illustrator & graphic designer based in London’s East End. His website.

Person, Art, Craft / Design

1 memorial

Previously viewed

Hatton Garden - charity girl

Hatton Garden - charity girl

EC1, Hatton Garden

Ornamental Passions tells us "A pair of schoolchildren flanked each entrance, as was customary, but one pair was later transferred to St ...

2 subjects commemorated
Neville House

Neville House

Sir Hugh Neville owned the Manor of Leadenhall including his mansion Neville House. He set up a small food fair on the grounds in 1309 and this grew into Leadenhall Market. Which suggests it is jus...

Building, Property

1 memorial
Westminster City Council

Westminster City Council

The ancient parish of St Margaret's was divided into St Margaret's and St John's in 1727 but it was still run as a single vestry. In 1855 the two parishes were reformed into the Westminster Distric...

Group, Politics & Administration

183 memorials
Royal Northern Hospital

Royal Northern Hospital

Founded in 1856 by Dr. Sherard Freeman Statham (dismissed from University College Hospital for smacking a patient's bottom) at 11 York Road (later York Way), and expanded into numbers 9 and 10.  18...

Building, Medicine

10 memorials