Crown Staffordshire China

In 1833, after having worked for Mintons, Copeland, and Wedgwood, Thomas Green began production of bone china with his four sons in Staffordshire, England. The company went by several different names until 1897, well after Thomas Green's death, when the name Crown Staffordshire appeared. By the early 1900s, the company produced a wide array of porcelain wares including dinner, tea and coffee wares, vases, and floral china baskets.

The company worked closely with several in-house designers. Its art director during the early 20th century was JT Jones and was known as one of the leading designers of bone china table ware. Today, he is perhaps best known for the range of bird groups he designed for Crown Staffordshire, which included large cockatoos and small wrens. In the '30s, the designer T.M. Bayley worked with Crown Staffordshire to create a line of figures featuring children on extravagant floral bases. Crown Staffordshire is also well known for their range of table and gift wares. In the '30s, they introduced the Pan line, which consisted of yellow-glazed tablewares with stylized flowers. Other popular lines produced by Crown Staffordshire include a range of china miniatures, woven china baskets, and tablewares with floral or bird subjects.

In 1948, Crown Staffordshire established two secondary companies in Canada and the United States in order to control overseas distribution. The company continued to grow, and by the '50s, three-quarters of their production was exported to other countries. Crown Staffordshire became part of the Wedgwood group in 1973 and by 1985, the name Coalport Ltd. was being used in place of Crown Staffordshire.

Quick facts

• Most Crown Staffordshire figures do not bear the name of designers
• Before and during World War II, Crown Staffordshire produced badged ware for the armed services
• In 1952, the Pottery Gazette and Glass Trades Review announced Crown Staffordshire as the largest producer of china flowers in the potteries market