10 Facts About Royal Doulton

Royal Doulton is an English ceramic and home accessories manufacturer that was founded in 1815.

Today Royal Doulton mainly produces tableware and figurines, but cookware, glassware, and other home accessories such as linens, curtains and lighting.

Royal Doulton company began as a partnership between John Doulton, Martha Jones, and John Watts, as Doulton bought an interest in an existing factory at Vauxhall Walk, Lambeth, London, where Watts was the foreman.

Manufacturing of circular ceramic sewage pipes began in 1846, and was highly successful; Henry Royal Doulton set up his own company specializing in this, Henry Royal Doulton and Co.

The Royal Doulton wares went further back to earlier salt-glazed styles, with a varied glaze finish.

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Royal Doulton was rather unusual in that most of the Lambeth studio pieces were signed by the artist or artists, usually with initials or a monogram incised on the base.

Royal Doulton manufactured architectural terracotta, mainly at Lambeth, and would execute commissions for monumental sculpture in terracotta.

Royal Doulton added products during the first half of the 20th century, and the tableware and decorative wares tended to shift from stonewares to high-quality bone china.

Royal Doulton created the design, but specified that the factory painters actually decorating the pieces be allowed some freedom in interpreting his designs.

In 1969 Royal Doulton bought Beswick Pottery, long a specialist in figurines, mostly of animals, including some Beatrix Potter characters.