Manufacturer of earthenware and china principally at the  St. Louis Works, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, England

• c.1905 Alfred Clough started business as a pottery factor and wholesaler.

• He then began to decorate plain white earthenware blanks produced by other companies.

• c.1913 Clough started earthenware production himself.  

• In 1928 he purchased the St. Louis Works in Edensor Road, Longton and moved the decorating and wholesale business there. 

• Alfred Clough Ltd. was registered in 1935.

• In 1937 Clough purchased the Royal Art Pottery in Waterloo Street - these works backed onto the St. Louis Works - here he established a new business called 'Alfred Clough Ltd, Royal Art Pottery'.  

• January 1954 Alfred Clough Ltd., became a public listed company (PLC) listed on the London Stock Exchange and from this finance was raised for the take over of other established pottery companies - these continued to trade under their own names as members of the 'Alfred Clough Group':

  • 1955 - Cartwright & Edwards

  • 1956 - Barker Bros and its subsidiary Sampson Smith Ltd. 

  • 1960 - W.H. Grindley & Co

• 1961 The name of  'Alfred Colclough Ltd, Royal Art Pottery' was changed to 'Clough's Royal Art Pottery' 

• 1972 - a controlling share in Alfred Clough Ltd was aquired by Major E. H. Marley who was a senior executive of Staffordshire Potteries (Holdings) Ltd. 

• Under Marley's management Alfred Clough Ltd continued the acquisition trail: 

  • 1973 - Hostess Tableware Ltd (from Thomas Poole and Gladstone China Ltd) 

  • 1973 - the acquisition of Hostess Tableware Ltd also brought British Anchor Pottery Co Ltd and Royal Stafford China Ltd into the Alfred Clough Group.

• In 1976 the Clough Group was taken over by Newman Industries. 

• In 1978 the name of the Clough Group was changed to Grindley of Stoke (Ceramics) Ltd. 

Source courtesy: Handbook of British Pottery Manufacturers 1900-2010 -Michael Perry