Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd (China manufacture)






 

Location and period of operation:

Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd (China manufacture)

Longton  

1911

  1971

 

Bone China manufacturer at the Windsor Pottery, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, England.
  • The Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd (CWS) manufactured Bone China at the Windsor Pottery, Edensor Road, Longton. 

  • Previously the Windsor Pottery was operated by Hill & Co

  • There appears to have been some discrepancy in the start date for the CWS, or an overlap in manufacturing, as Hill & Co are recorded as closing in 1920 and the CWS are recorded as starting in 1911.

  • In 1971 the business was sold to Hammersley and Co (Longton) Ltd. who ran the works as a separate business under the name 'Royal Windsor' 

NOTE: The CWS also operated an earthenware factory at the Crown Clarence Pottery. 

 

 


 

Co-operative Society Ltd Gala and Anniversary Ware: 

The Co-operative Society produced commemorative ware for a number of Co-op branches and districts - generally to celebrate Gala and Anniversary events. 

This commemorative ware tends to use a back stamp of the logo of a wheat sheaf and the motto 'Labor and Wait'

The CWS are recorded as starting in 1911 ('Encyclopedia of British Pottery and Porcelain Marks' Geoffrey Godden) - although some CWS ware was made for events at least as early as 1906. It may be that pottery manufacture started before 1911 or that the Co-op had this ware made for them by others. However the use of the town name LONGTON, which is where the Co-op pottery factory was located, perhaps indicates that the ware was made by the Co-op themselves. 

 


C.W.S.
Longton
Labor and Wait

The Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd (CWS) logo of a wheat sheaf and the motto 'Labor and Wait' was used as a makers mark.

Labor is spelt without the 'U' in the American style. 

This was quite intentional. The CWS was progressive in the liberal tradition, they were supporters of the Union in the American Civil War and were anti-slavery, and reflected this by taking their motto from the US poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, 'A Psalm for Life'. 

The last verse of the poem reads: 

'Let us, then, be up and doing/ With a heart for any fate/Still achieving, still pursuing/ Learn to labor and to wait.' 



Blackpool Industrial Co-operative Society Limited 
1885 - 1906

this commemorative plate has the C.W.S. wheat sheaf logo on the back


 


Co-operative Society Ltd
Childrens Clown Gala
1909


C.W.S.
Labor and Wait
Longton



photos courtesy: Chris Twigg


 


Hoddlesdon
Co-operative Progressive Stores and Industrial Society Ltd
1860 - 1910 

plate produced to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 
Hoddlesden Society 


C.W.S.
Longton



photos courtesy: Lynda Brown


 

 


Commemorative mug

Queensferry & District Co-operative Society Ltd
Unity is Strength
Childrens Gala
Opening of New Central Premises Sept 16th 1911

The Co-operative pottery manufacturing business produced
commemorative ware for a number of Co-op branches and
districts


C.W.S.
Longton

 

 

 

photos courtesy: Paul Davies 

 


 

Windsor Fine Bone China:


Windsor Fine Bone China

Pottery Gazette Reference Book - 1960 

"Windsor" and "Clarence" were trade names of the 
Co-operative Wholesale Society

 


 

Windsor bone china plate with  printed mark c1946 +   

typical bone china tea ware 

 




cups & saucers with an identical  chrysanthemum pattern - but different backstamps...


one set has the 'normal' Windsor mark 

 


the other set is marked 'Royal London' - this may be a mark used after 1971 by Hammersley when they took over the business and ran it as 'Royal Windsor'

photos courtesy:  Thea Hawryluk 

 


 

Marks used on ware for identification:

The trade name was "Windsor" Bone China and from mid 1950s also included
"Clarence" bone chine - visually there was nothing to distinguish one from the other.

Generally the initials C.W.S. were only used in earlier marks  

 

 

   
C.W.S.
Windsor China

c.1911+

 


 

c.1946+

c.1950+

c.1960+

Windsor 
Bone China
Made in England


 

mid 1950s+

mid 1950s+

Clarence 
Bone China
Made in England

 


 


C.W.S Ltd. - Windsor Pottery  

 


Windsor and Elektra Potteries, Longton

November 1962 - Bert Bentley Collection

The photograph show the two large updraught hovel ovens in the foreground, which dominated the works. These works were demolished in 1975 and the site now lies beneath the A50 road.

The Windsor and Elektra Potteries were on Edensor Road, just before the junction with Clayton Road. This photograph was taken looking south from in front of the old Alhambra Cinema, with Clayton Road going off to the left of the Windsor Pottery.  

Windsor Pottery was owned and operated by the Co-operative Wholesale Society from 1911. The CWS was part of the Co-op group of shops and suppliers. In Longton, the CWS also operated the Crown Clarence Pottery. The Windsor Pottery produced bone china and was previously operated by Hill & Co. 

Courtesy: Staffordshire Past Track

 


Questions, comments, contributions? email: Steve Birks


 

 


related pages...

Index page for the Co-operative Society in Stoke-on-Trent