A Brief History of Carlton Ware

Carlton Ware began life in 1890, with a partnership by J. F. Wiltshaw and J. A. Robinson. This gave birth to a company that lasted for more than a century albeit with many changes of ownership. Carlton Ware is well known today all over the world.

The early Carlton Ware products were Victorian Blush Ware which were very popular at the time. At the turn of the century, the Crested Ware line was introduced followed by matte black ware with floral decorations and a range of 'cloisonne'.

The 'Oriental' designs were introduced between the two World Wars. This, combined with a series of Lustre finishes, put Carlton Ware at the forefront of the market. Sought after designs include Babylon, Persian Garden, Devil's Copse, Red Devil, Fantasia etc.

By the late 1920's, the range of Carlton Ware had expanded to include more modestly priced tableware, and Carlton was the first manufacturer to offer 'Oven to Table' wares in 1929.

By the mid 1930's, Carlton Ware’s success led to other firms, especially those overseas, copying their designs. In order to protect the overseas markets, in particular Australia and New Zealand, Carlton Ware applied for patents and registered a large number of designs in Australia. This explains the Registered Australian Design back stamp on many of these wares. The early Australian Design back stamp read “Registration Applied For”, which was removed at a later date.

World War 2 effectively stopped the production of anything except utility wares. However, during this period, new production methods were introduced and the lustre ranges were produced in the Royale range of colours. The Royale colours were called Bleu, Rouge, Vert and Noire (Blue, Red, Green and Black respectively). Apart from black, these new colours were much more uniform and were easily distinguishable from the pre-war versions which tended to be mottled and have some visual texture. New hand-painted decorations were also added to include Spider's Web, New Mikado, and New Stork. In parallel with these finer wares, fruit and floral designs also continued to made and were increased to include Hydrangea, Vine and Grape, Poppy, and Daisy.

The 1950's was probably the most productive period in the Carlton Ware history. Most of the Carlton Ware being produced now contained the word 'Handpainted' on the back stamp, regardless of whether it was or wasn't. Windswept, Leaf and Pinstripe were added to the range and a steady production of lustre wares was maintained. In 1958, the company officially changed its name to Carlton Ware Ltd.

The 1970's led to the introduction of the 'Walking Ware' range. This gained immediate popularity.

With the recession in the early 1980's the Receivers were called into the Copeland Street works in 1989. Although there was a short period of production of Carlton Ware between 1990 and 1992, the name then remained dormant until 1997 when Francis Joseph acquired it together with a small number of moulds and a few pre-production models.

One sad aspect about Carlton Ware is the amount of material which has been lost or is not available. Patterns and shapes appear regularly which do not exist in any of the known records. Given time we may reconstruct the entire history of Carlton Ware and its pieces.

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