Wade Porcelain

Founded in 1867 in Burslem, England, Wade Ceramics was originally made up of various companies founded by several different members of the Wade family. It wasn't until 1958 that the companies were united as Wade Potteries Limited. In 1905, Wade took over a rival company, Henry Hallen, which was owned by a distant relative. Since Henry Hallen was founded in 1810, Wade Ceramics has since claimed to have been established in 1810.

Perhaps the most well-known pieces produced by Wade were small figurines that were given away with their Red Rose Tea collection and other promotional items. These tiny porcelain figures are referred to as Wade Whimsies and were originally created as pocket friends for children between 1954 and 1959. After seeing their popularity, Wade began producing Whimsies for individual sale in 1971.

From 1980 to 1987, Wade also produced a village of miniature porcelain buildings named Whimsey on Why. Wade is well known for their other productions including decorative pottery, collectible decanters, and figurines of well-known characters from the Peanuts and Garfield cartoons.

Quick Facts

• Wade manufactured porcelain for insulators when gas first replaced electricity
• During their production of Irish leprechauns for their fairy folk collection, Sir George Wade's daughter felt that no Irish leprechaun should be marked with their standard stamp of Wade, England. For this reason, figurines left the factory unstamped during this time
• After 1984, Whimsies were only produced as specially-commissioned pieces