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

Duncan Grant

Duncan Grant

Painter and designer. Born Scotland but brought up in India, Burma and Rugby School. Cousin and for a time lover of Lyton Strachey, through whom he met and joined the Bloomsbury Group. He also had ...

Person, Art, Craft / Design, Scotland

1 memorial
Roger Payne
1 memorial
Elisa Camfield

Elisa Camfield

Mosaic/ceramic artist, active c. 2005.

Person, Craft / Design

1 memorial
Anthony Standerwick Heal

Anthony Standerwick Heal

Son of Sir Ambrose Heal of the Heals furniture shop which was established in 1810.  It moved from Rathbone Place to Tottenham Court Road in 1818.  Anthony became a director in 1936 and the Chairman...

Person, Commerce, Craft / Design, Politics & Administration

2 memorials
Zaehnsdorf bookbinders

Zaehnsdorf bookbinders

From the research published by the Seven Dials Trust: "Zaehnsdorfs was founded in London in 1841 by Joseh Zaehnsdorf. In 1862 he received an honourable mention at the London International Exhibitio...

Group, Commerce, Craft / Design

1 memorial