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

Arts and Crafts movement

Arts and Crafts movement

This design and construction movement began in Britain around 1880 and quickly spread across America and Europe. Taking its name from the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society, it stood for traditiona...

Group, Craft / Design

2 memorials
George Baxter

George Baxter

Artist and craftsman. Born Lewes. 1825 moved to London and married his cousin Mary Harrild. He invented a commercially viable colour printing process, producing prints of religious and topical subj...

Person, Art, Commerce, Craft / Design, Tragedy

3 memorials
Mr Chew

Mr Chew

'The history and antiquities of London, Westminster, Southwark, and other parts adjacent, Volume 5' names a 'Mr Chew' as the caster or sculptor of the Cumberland statue.

Person, Craft / Design

1 memorial
Stephen Bird

Stephen Bird

Artist/designer/craft-person.  Born Stoke-on-Trent.  Initially we could find no information about "S. Bird" but Andrew Behan was more successful so we have him to thank for this page.

Person, Art, Craft / Design

3 memorials
London A - Z

London A - Z

London street guide. First developed by Phyllis Pearsall, it now covers the Greater London area, roughly within the M25. The picture shows the cover of the first edition.

Media, Community / Clubs, Craft / Design

1 memorial

Previously viewed

Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II

Born 17 Bruton Street, to the Duke and Duchess of York. For information on where she was brought up see Byron Statue. When she was 10 her father became King George VI (on the abdication of his brot...

Person, Royalty, Seriously Famous

126 memorials
London Wall

London Wall

This Alan Eisen flickr page will take you on a walk of the Wall, showing many of the blue-bordered plaques. The Museum of London created a 2 mile long London Wall Walk in 1983, marked with 23 love...

Building, London Wall, Romans

7 memorials