Henry M Williamson & Sons






 

Location and period of operation:

H M Williamson & Sons

Longton

1879

c.1947

 

Bone china manufacturers at the Bridge Pottery Works,  Longton,  Stoke-on-Trent, England

  • The Bridge Pottery was at the junction of Cooke Street and Heathcote Road in the pottery town of Longton. 
    H M Williamson used a trade name "Heathcote China" - Heathcote Road took its name from Sir John Edensor Heathcote who was a local industrialist, owner of Longton Hall and in 1784 was High Sheriff of Staffordshire. 

  • In 1941, under the wartime concentration scheme, the company was concentrated with E. Brian & Co. Ltd but Williamson & Sons did not reopen at the end of the war. 

  • In 1945 the Williamson premises were acquired by J. W. Beswick. 


NOTE: There was an earlier pottery company 'Heathcote & Co' 
- there was no connection with Williamson & Sons

 

 

 

 


Williamson, H. M. and Sons,
china manufacturers
from..... 1907 Staffordshire Sentinel 
'Business Reference Guide to The Potteries, Newcastle & District'

 

 

1907 advert for Williamson & Sons, Bridge Pottery, Longton
1907 advert for Williamson & Sons, Bridge Pottery, Longton

 

from..... 1907 Staffordshire Sentinel 
'Business Reference Guide to The Potteries, Newcastle & District'

 

 

 

 


a teapot and milk jug in the griffin pattern
the design incorporates bands of fluting at the base with angular ear shaped handles, the hollow ware has a slightly tapering cylindrical form
GRIFFIN is the pattern/design name - there is no manufacturers name but the registration number 79519 shows that the design was registered on the 25th August 1887 by H. M. Williamson & Sons of the Bridge Pottery, Longton

 

 

 


blue transferware print with gilded twist handle 

the name "Anglo Delft" has no specialised meaning - it was a made-up name giving a supposed connection to Delft Ware 

Keeling & Co produced a different pattern which they also called Anglo Delft - there was no connection between the two companies


Anglo Delft
W & Sons 

c. 1879-1903

 

photos courtesy: Geraldine Tapping 

 



trio of cup, saucer and plate by H M Williamson & Sons,
in the Woodside pattern

 

 

 


cup & saucer with hand coloured cottages around
a village pond 
English
Best Bone China 

mark of a globe with an angel holding a pennant with the St. George's Cross

the mark is almost certainly that of H. M. Williamson & Sons 
a similar mark is listed in a trade directory entry for them 

 

photos courtesy: Janet Carlo

 

 


trio in the Granville pattern

 

 


England
W & Sons
Longton 
RHYMES
A.D. 1858


Hipperty Hopperty visits his Property  

photo courtesy: Mary Lee Lockhart
Twas Bad When Flies Got in His Clutch 
But Now He's Got A Fly Too Much

In common with a number of pottery manufacturers H M Williamson produced a wide 
range of children's ware, often with well know nursery-rhymes and characters 

these two plates from the RHYMES series feature generally unknown characters 

 


 

 

examples of H M Williamson & Sons 'NOVEM ARTEM CHINA"
examples of H M Williamson & Sons 'NOVEM ARTEM CHINA" 
Art Deco style - in manufacture c.1907

 

       

 

 

 

 


H M Williamson & Sons tea set

bearing the Heathcote China mark from c.1928+


 


printed with hand colouring and gilt accents 

this pattern uses the same body shape as those shown above  


Made in England
Best Bone China
Heathcote Birds
Rd No 733917

the registration numbers shows that this pattern was registered in 1928 

photos courtesy:  Noreen Bentley

 

 

Initials & Marks used on ware for identification:

W
&
SONS

HM
W
& SONS

WILLIAMSONS
 LONGTON

Trade names:

HEATHCOTE CHINA

NOVEM ARTEM CHINA

 

 


W & SONS
mark used c.1903+
 mark also shown in a 1947 trade directory

 


W M & SONS
LONGTON
ENGLAND

mark was in use by 1907
 mark also shown in a 1947 trade directory

 

 

 


Copyright
H M W & Sons
est 1858
Longton  England

Wisteria is the pattern name

the registration number 496111 shows that the pattern was registered in 1907

 

 

 


C BONE
HEATHCOTE CHINA
WILLIAMSONS
MADE IN ENGLAND
mark used c.1909+

the registration number 557909 dates from 1909

 

 


ENGLAND
W & SONS
A.D. 1858
mark used c.1912+

ASCOT is the pattern name

 


HEATHCOTE CHINA
AD 1858
W & SONS
ENGLAND
mark used c.1912+

HEATHCOTE CHINA is a trade name
it gets its name from Heathcote Road which ran alongside the factory
Sir John Edensor Heathcote was a local industrialist and owner of Longton Hall. 
He was High Sheriff of Staffordshire in 1784.

 


WILLIAMSONS
ENGLAND
mark used c.1928+

GRECIAN is a trade name

 


BEST BONE
HEATHCOTE CHINA
MADE IN ENGLAND 
mark used c.1928+

 


MADE IN ENGLAND
HEATHCOTE CHINA
BEST BONE
mark used c.1928+

 

 


WILLIAMSONS
LONGTON 
ENGLAND

 mark introduced c.1903 and shown in a 1947 trade directory
English
Best Bone China 

the mark on the left is certainly that of H. M Williamson & Sons - this mark above is likely to be an earlier version

both of these marks show a globe with an angel (or winged man) holding a pennant with the St. George's Cross

 

 

 

1898 map showing the top of Heathcote Road where it joins Gold Street and Cooke Street
1898 map showing the top of Heathcote Road where it joins Gold Street and Cooke Street
 Williamson's works is marked in blue and the adjacent Falcon Pottery works is marked in red

 

 

1907 trade map showing the Williamson's works and the adjacent Falcon Pottery works
1907 trade map showing the Williamson's works (marked in blue)
and the adjacent Falcon Pottery works (marked in red)
 

Questions, comments, contributions? email: Steve Birks