Founded in Montreal, Canada in 1879 by Henry Birks, Henry Birks & Sons Ltd became one of Canada's most prestigious luxury retailers, renowned for fine jewellery, silverware, watches and giftware. Through an expanding network of stores across Canada, the company supplied quality goods to a growing middle and upper-class clientele during the late Victorian, Edwardian and twentieth-century periods.

• Alongside jewellery and silver, Birks retailed a wide range of decorative and souvenir ceramics sourced from leading English pottery manufacturers. 

• Most of these wares were 'standard' patterns produced by the various manufacturers and over stamped with the Henry Birks name. 

• Some were specially produced for the Canadian market and carried the Birks name, mark or retail backstamp.

• As a result, they provide an interesting record of the close commercial links that existed between the British pottery industry and Canada.

The examples illustrated on this page show some of the pottery sold through Henry Birks & Sons. They were manufactured by a variety of English potteries, particularly those of Stoke-on-Trent, North Staffordshire, and range from decorative giftware to souvenir pieces. 

Today these items are valued not only for their quality and craftsmanship but also for the insight they provide into the export trade that helped sustain many British pottery manufacturers during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Wikipedia articles: Henry Birks | Birks Group 

Crown Staffordshire 

Royal Doulton 

Mintons 

Regal Pottery Co 

Wedgwood 

Made specially for
Henry Birks & Sons Ltd

Wedgwood of Etruria and Barlaston
Made in England