DOULTON TIMELINE

1854

Foundation of Doulton & Co.

1863

Henry Doulton joins the Board of the Lambeth School of Art

1877

Purchase of an interest in Pinder, Bourne & Co. of Nile St, Burslem

1882

Dissolution of the partnership with Henry Pinder

Henry Doulton's son, Henry Lewis Doulton, joins the partnership

1884

Bone china manufacture commences at Nile St, Burlsem

1889

Charles Noke joins Doulton from Royal Worcester as a modeller and ceramic technologist

1890

Approximately 350 modellers and designers employed on production of Lambeth stoneware

1893

Doulton products win acclaim at the Chicago World Fair

1897

Death of Sir Henry Doulton (November)

1899

Incorporation as a limited liability company Doulton & Co. Ltd.

1901

Grant of a Royal Warrant by King Edward VII

1904

Noke introduces the Doulton 'Flambe' glaze developed with Bernard Moore

1913

Release of the first bone china Doulton Figurines (HN1 'Darling')

1919

Lewis John Eric Hooper succeeds Henry Lewis Doulton as the Managing Director

1920

Release of the first Lesley Harradine figure HN 395 'Contentment'

1925

Lewis Hooper succeeds Henry Lewis Doulton as Chairman

1934

Release of the first Character Jugs and Toby Jugs

1955

E. Basil Green succeeds Lewis Hooper as the Chairman after 30 years.

1956

Closure of the Lambeth stoneware factory. Lambeth remains the headquarters of the company

Company restructure (from 1st January) Doulton & Co. Ltd becomes a holding company with four subsidiaries.  Tableware manufacture by Doulton Fine China Ltd

1968

Takeover of Mintons Ltd and Dunn Bennett & Co. Ltd

1969

Takeover of Webb Corbett Ltd and John Beswick Ltd

1971

Pearson Group acquire Doulton & Co. Ltd and merge Allied English Potteries into Doulton

1974

Lambeth Stoneware' introduced

1993

Pearson plc's tableware manufacturing interests floated on the London Stock Exchange as Royal Doulton plc (December)

1996

Royal Doulton acquire Holland Studio Craft and Caithness Glass.

1999

Waterford Wedgwood purchase 15% of Royal Doulton plc shares

2000

Sale of Royal Crown Derby Ltd (to a management group) and Caithness Glass (to Royal Worcester Spode)

2001

Holland Studio Craft closed (February) with the loss of 45 jobs.

Royal Doulton seek 570 voluntary redundancies from its West Midlands workforce as part of a review of the business (June).

2002

Shareholders vote for a rescue package including loss of 1,000 jobs, closure of Baddesley Green factory and increased production in Indonesia (March)

Announcement of closure of the Beswick factory in Gold St, Longton (September)

Baddesley Green and Beswick factories close at the end of December. 550 staff made redundant.

Waterford Wedgwood increase their shareholding to 21%

2003

Royal Albert production moved to Indonesia, 78 workers made redundant at Nile Street, Burslem. (February).

A further 200 workers at Nile Street to be made reduntant (November)

2004

Doulton announce the closure of its last remaining UK factory at Nile Street from mid-2005, with the loss of approximately 500 jobs.

2005

Waterford Wedgwood completes a £39.9 million takeover of Royal Doulton (February).

Nile Street closes on 15th April 2005 with 130 workers leaving the historic plant for the last time and production of the Royal Doulton, Minton and Royal Albert brands is transferred to factories of the Waterford Wedgwood group.