Josiah Wedgwood & Sons

Burslem, Etruria, Barlaston

1759

present

From its early years at the Ivy House and Bell Works in Burslem, through the pioneering Etruria Works and later the modern factory at Barlaston, Wedgwood expanded from a family business into an international company whose name became synonymous with quality British ceramics. Its products have ranged from everyday domestic tableware to luxury bone china, commemorative pieces and the famous Queen's Ware, Black Basalt and Jasperware.

Although the company has undergone significant changes in ownership and organisation since the 1980s, the Wedgwood name remains one of the most recognised and respected in the ceramic industry, reflecting a heritage that continues to be closely associated with Stoke-on-Trent and the Potteries.

Portrait of Josiah Wedgwood 

Painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1782. The original oil painting is now part of the V&A Wedgwood Collection in Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent.

Josiah Wedgwood – Innovator

Josiah Wedgwood (1730–1795) is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of British ceramics and one of the pioneers of the Industrial Revolution. More than a master potter, he was a scientist, experimenter and entrepreneur whose relentless pursuit of quality transformed pottery manufacture from a traditional craft into a modern industry.

Through thousands of carefully recorded experiments he developed new ceramic bodies, perfected manufacturing techniques and introduced rigorous standards of quality control. His inventions included the pyrometer, used to measure the high temperatures within pottery kilns, while his systematic approach to production, together with the division of labour at his Etruria Works, became a model for factories throughout Britain.

Wedgwood's interests extended far beyond the pottery industry. 

• As a leading member of the Lunar Society of Birmingham, he associated with some of the greatest scientific and industrial minds of the age, including Erasmus Darwin, Matthew Boulton and James Watt. 

• He also championed the construction of the Trent and Mersey Canal, recognising the importance of efficient transport to the growing pottery industry, 

• and became a prominent supporter of the campaign to abolish the slave trade through the production of his celebrated 'Am I Not a Man and a Brother?' medallion.

The innovations introduced by Josiah Wedgwood helped establish the Staffordshire Potteries as the world's leading centre for ceramic manufacture, and his influence continues to shape the industry more than two centuries after his death.

Few pottery manufacturers have had as great an influence on the ceramics industry as Josiah Wedgwood. During the second half of the eighteenth century he transformed pottery from a traditional craft into a scientifically managed manufacturing industry, combining artistic design with technical innovation and rigorous quality control. His experiments led to the development of internationally acclaimed ceramic bodies many of which remain in production today.

Wedgwood was equally innovative in the way he conducted business. 

• He introduced modern marketing techniques, 

• established prestigious London showrooms, 

• published illustrated catalogues, 

• developed an extensive export trade and built a worldwide reputation for quality. 

• He was also an active supporter of the Trent and Mersey Canal, recognising the importance of improved transport for the growing pottery industry.

The influence of Josiah Wedgwood extended far beyond his own company. His methods of manufacturing, product development and marketing were widely adopted throughout the Staffordshire Potteries, helping to establish Stoke-on-Trent as the world's leading centre for ceramic production. More than 250 years after the company was founded, the Wedgwood name remains synonymous with innovation, craftsmanship and British ceramic excellence.

1759–1795 – Josiah Wedgwood and the Foundation of the Business

• 1759 – Josiah Wedgwood established his own pottery business, leasing the Ivy House Works, Burslem, from his cousins John and Thomas Wedgwood.

• 1762 – Wedgwood met the Liverpool merchant Thomas Bentley, beginning a business relationship that would become one of the most successful partnerships in the history of the British pottery industry.

• 1764 – He leased the Brick House Works (later known as the Bell Works) at Burslem, enabling the business to expand production.

• 1766 – Wedgwood purchased the 350-acre Ridge House Estate, where he planned a new purpose-built manufacturing centre to combine production with improved transport links provided by the Trent and Mersey Canal.

• 1769 – The new Etruria Works opened. The development included a modern factory for the manufacture of ornamental wares, residences for Josiah Wedgwood and Thomas Bentley, and housing for employees. Bentley became a full partner in the Etruria venture and managed the company's London showrooms until his death in 1780.

• 1790 – Josiah Wedgwood admitted his sons John, Thomas and Josiah II, together with his nephew Thomas Byerley, into the partnership.

• 1793 – John and Thomas Wedgwood retired from the partnership.

• 1795 - Josiah Wedgwood dies. 

 1795–1937 – Expansion of Josiah Wedgwood & Sons

• 1795 – Following the death of Josiah Wedgwood, the business continued under Josiah Wedgwood II and Thomas Byerley, ensuring continuity of the family enterprise.

• Early 1800s – Under the second and third generations of the Wedgwood family, the company expanded its reputation for high-quality tableware and ornamental ceramics, with exports continuing to Europe, North America and other overseas markets.

• Mid to Late 1800s – Advances in manufacturing techniques, together with the introduction of new decorative styles and bone china, enabled Wedgwood to remain one of the leading pottery manufacturers in Staffordshire throughout the Victorian period.

• 1895 – The firm was incorporated as Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Ltd, marking its transition from a family partnership to a private limited company.

• Early 1900s – Wedgwood continued to modernise its production while maintaining many of the traditional ceramic bodies and decorative wares for which it had become internationally renowned.

• 1930s – The Etruria Works, although continually extended and modernised, had become increasingly unsuitable for modern pottery manufacture. Mining subsidence, together with smoke and atmospheric pollution from the neighbouring Shelton Iron & Steel Works, encouraged the company to develop a new purpose-built factory at Barlaston, where production could continue in cleaner surroundings.

• 1937 – The company purchased the Barlaston Hall Estate, selecting a greenfield site for a new purpose-built factory to replace the increasingly unsuitable Etruria Works. The choice reflected Josiah Wedgwood's original decision in the 1760s to build at Etruria, combining a spacious rural location with excellent transport links. Like Etruria before it, the Barlaston site benefited from both the Trent and Mersey Canal and the North Staffordshire Railway, providing efficient access to raw materials and markets while offering a cleaner environment for the manufacture of fine ceramics.   

Note: Although 1759 is generally accepted as the year in which Josiah Wedgwood established his independent pottery business at the Ivy House Works, some company advertisements published during the early twentieth century state "Established 1760". 

• Later official company publications, including the Pottery Gazette list of British Pottery Manufacturers (1951), reverted to "Established 1759", the date now universally accepted.

• The company celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2009, which also confirms 1759 as the official founding year.

Wedgwood - a Living Tradition
Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Ltd
Barlaston - Stoke-on-Trent - England 

The Pottery Gazette Reference Book 1947

1937–1966 – The Move to Barlaston Era

• 1938 – Construction began on the modern Barlaston Factory and the associated workers' village.

• 1940 – Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Ltd became a public company as part of a restructuring of its share capital. Around £350,000 was raised through the issue of new £1 shares to approximately 150 existing family shareholders, allowing the Wedgwood family to retain control while providing funds for completion of the Barlaston factory.

• 1939–1945 – Construction at Barlaston was interrupted by the Second World War before resuming after the conflict.

• 1950 – The Barlaston Factory entered full production and became the company's principal manufacturing base in the United Kingdom. The Etruria Works were closed on 13th June 1950 and subsequently demolished. 

« Published in 1947, this advertisement reflects Wedgwood's transition from its historic Etruria Works to the new factory at Barlaston. 

Although production at Etruria continued until 1950, the company was already presenting Barlaston as its new home. 

The slogan "A Living Tradition" neatly captured Wedgwood's ambition to combine nearly two centuries of ceramic heritage with modern manufacturing, design and innovation.

1960s to 1980's  - Expansion and Corporate Development

In 1966 the Wedgwood business underwent a major reorganisation. Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Ltd was renamed Josiah Wedgwood Ltd, becoming the holding company for the expanding Wedgwood Group. 

At the same time, a new subsidiary, Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Ltd, was incorporated to continue the manufacturing and trading activities of the pottery business.

The following year, in 1967 Josiah Wedgwood Ltd was listed on the London Stock Exchange, enabling the public to purchase shares in the company for the first time. 

Despite becoming a public company, control remained with the Wedgwood family. The Chairman was Josiah Wedgwood, the great-great-great-grandson of the founder.

• Late 1960s – As consolidation transformed the British pottery industry, the Wedgwood Group expanded rapidly through acquisitions. Its principal subsidiaries included Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Ltd, William Adams & Sons (Potters) Ltd, Tuscan China Holdings Ltd, R. H. & S. L. Plant Ltd, Susie Cooper Ltd, and New Chelsea China Co. Ltd.

• 1967 – Acquisition of Coalport China Ltd, adding one of England's leading manufacturers of fine bone china.

• 1968 – Acquisition of Johnson Bros, including its five Staffordshire earthenware factories. This purchase effectively doubled the size of the Wedgwood Group and established it as one of the largest ceramic manufacturers in the world.

• 1970 – Acquisition of J. & G. Meakin Ltd and W. R. Midwinter Ltd, bringing two of the Potteries' best-known tableware manufacturers into the group.

• 1973 – Acquisition of Mason's Ironstone China Ltd, adding another historic Staffordshire pottery name to the Wedgwood portfolio.

• 1980 – Acquisition of Enoch Wedgwood (Tunstall) Ltd, together with the Enoch Wedgwood, Crown Ducal and Furnivals brands.

Through these acquisitions the Wedgwood Group acquired the rights to many of the Potteries' best-known trade names, including Adams, Tuscan, Royal Tuscan, Susie Cooper, Coalport, Foley, Johnson Bros, J. & G. Meakin, Midwinter, Shorter, Clarice Cliff, Mason's, Enoch Wedgwood, Crown Ducal and Furnivals. 

Many of these historic brands continued in production under subsequent owners, while Wedgwood, Adams, Coalport and Johnson Bros remained important brands within the Waterford Wedgwood Group.

1986–Present - Corporate Change and Global Growth 

From the mid-1980s onwards, Wedgwood underwent a series of significant changes in ownership and corporate structure. Although the company became part of several international groups, the Wedgwood name remained one of the world's leading brands for fine ceramics, while manufacturing in Staffordshire increasingly focused on its highest-quality and most prestigious products.

• 1986 – Following a hostile takeover bid from London International Group, Wedgwood accepted a friendly takeover by Waterford Crystal Ltd, securing the company's future while retaining the Wedgwood name.

• 1989 – The merged business became Waterford Wedgwood plc, combining two of the world's leading luxury tableware and crystal manufacturers.

• 1995–2005 – Waterford Wedgwood expanded through the acquisition of a number of internationally recognised ceramic and crystal businesses, including Stuart Crystal, Rosenthal, Hutschenreuther, All-Clad and Royal Doulton plc. These acquisitions added brands such as Royal Doulton, Royal Albert, Minton, Franciscan and Thomas to the group's portfolio.

• 2003–2008 – Manufacturing was progressively reorganised, with increasing production transferred overseas while Barlaston concentrated on higher-value Wedgwood products.

• 2009 – Following the collapse of Waterford Wedgwood plc, the principal brands and trading assets were acquired by KPS Capital Partners, which formed WWRD Holdings Ltd.

• 2015 – WWRD Holdings Ltd was acquired by the Finnish consumer goods company Fiskars Corporation, bringing together Wedgwood, Waterford, Royal Doulton, Royal Albert and other heritage brands within the Fiskars portfolio.

Today, Wedgwood continues as one of the world's best-known ceramic brands, with luxury production remaining at Barlaston, while the majority of volume tableware is manufactured overseas.

Current Production

Today, Wedgwood manufactures only a small proportion of its products at the historic Barlaston factory in Staffordshire. Production in England is concentrated on the company's premium and artisan ranges, while the majority of everyday tableware is manufactured overseas. Although Fiskars Group does not publish detailed production figures, most large-scale bone china manufacture is carried out at its facility in Tangerang, Indonesia.

Manufacturing at Barlaston

The Barlaston factory remains the home of Wedgwood's most prestigious products. Production includes the company's famous Jasperware, first developed by Josiah Wedgwood in the 1770s, together with selected luxury bone china, hand-decorated pieces and special commissions. The factory also houses the World of Wedgwood visitor attraction, museum, archive and design studios.

Overseas Production

Overseas manufacture began after the acquisition of Royal Doulton by Waterford Wedgwood. Royal Doulton had established a modern production facility at Tangerang, Indonesia, in 1995, and from 2006 onwards increasing volumes of Wedgwood tableware were transferred there. By the time Waterford Wedgwood entered administration in 2009, the Indonesian factory had become the company's principal manufacturing centre for volume production.

Country of Manufacture

Wedgwood products have carried country-of-origin marks reflecting where they were manufactured. Collectors may therefore encounter pieces marked:

• Made in England – produced at Barlaston, Staffordshire.

• Made in Indonesia – manufactured at the Tangerang factory.

• (Occasionally other countries on specialist product lines.)

Note that ware made in Indonesia often has no country of origin in the printed mark but carries a removable label which states "Made in Indonesia"

Manufacturing Sites - where it was made

Ornamental wares transferred in 1769; all production moved from Burslem by 1773.

Earthenware production was transferred from Etruria to Barlaston in 1940. 

Construction was interrupted by the Second World War and completed after 1945. 

Barlaston became the company's manufacturing site in 1950 when the Etruria Works closed on 13th June 1950. 

Summary of Ownership Changes