Royal Winton

Grimwades Ltd (trading as Royal Winton)




 

Location and period of operation:

Royal Winton

various locations and various owners

1964

  1995

Grimwades Ltd (trading as Royal Winton)

various locations

1995

c.2018

 

China manufacturer (originally earthenware) at various factories, and under varied ownership, in Stoke-on-Trent, England.

  • The business has its origins as Grimwade Bros founded in 1885 at the Winton Pottery, Stoke. 

  • The name "Royal Winton Ware" was in use from as early as 1897 it was around 1929 that 'Royal Winton' was introduced as a recognisable trade name by Grimwades Ltd. 

  • In January 1964 Grimwades Ltd was acquired by the Howard Pottery Group and moved the manufacturing of Grimwades ornamental ware to the Howard Pottery Norfolk Street Works.

  • Ware produced at Norfolk Street was marketed as 'Royal Winton' 

  • In 1974 the Howard Pottery Group was acquired by Taunton Vale Industries (who were a manufacturer of homewares and table accessories) and in February of 1978 Taunton Vale Industries (Potteries) Ltd, the holding company for the acquisition, changed its name to 'Royal Winton Pottery'.

  • The Royal Winton business and name were subsequently owned by Staffordshire Potteries (Holdings) Ltd (from October 1979 to July 1986) and then in 1986 the Staffordshire Potteries business was taken over by the Coloroll Group. Royal Winton continued to trade under its own name. 

  • The Coloroll Group collapsed and entered receivership in mid-1990 and there was a management buy-out of Royal Winton. 

  • In October 1995 the ownership of the business once again changed and the new owners reverted back to the original name of Grimwades Ltd although continued to trade as 'Royal Winton'. Manufacturing was at the Albion Works in Uttoxeter Road, Longton.   

  • In December 1998 the Royal Winton web site stated: "Having talked to collectors around the world we became aware of a demand for the re-introduction of Royal Winton Chintz products. Alas, over the intervening decades most of the old catalogues and pattern books had been destroyed. We have therefore commissioned leading U.K. lithograph houses to authentically reproduce some of the most popular designs, and have now manufactured a range of spectacular ‘Limited Editions’."

  • Around early 2013 production of ware bearing the Royal Winton name had been moved to the nearby factory of Duchess China Ltd (also owned by Grimwades Ltd). With the statement "The Royal Winton brand and patterns have been reintroduced by Duchess China Ltd on "Fine Bone China""

  • Towards the end of 2018 the Royal Winton internet site was closed and it appears that the use of the Royal Winton name ceased and production was concentrated on the Duchess China Brand.  

 

 

Previously: Grimwades Ltd

  



Royal Winton Pottery
(Pentagon Holdings Limited)
Norfolk Street, Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 4PA 

Directors: C. W.Bowers (Chairman) A.P. Winspear, M.Inst.M (Managing) E.C.Bowers, C.A.Cox, D.B.Shaw,
B.Davies, G.H.Cashmore (Company Secretary)
Registered Office: Meir Park, Stoke-on-Trent. Reg.No. 356959 London

from a letterhead dated April 1980

 

 


Royal Winton
Staffordshire
England
A division of Coloroll 
Coloroll
Royal Winton
Made in England
 
Royal Winton
Made in Germany
A division of Coloroll 

      c.1986 - 1995 

In 1986 the Staffordshire Potteries business was taken over by the Coloroll Group. Royal Winton continued to trade under its own name, as a division of Coloroll. 

Evidently Coloroll produced ware in Germany under the Royal Winton name. 

The Coloroll Group collapsed and entered receivership in mid-1990 and there was a management buy-out of Royal Winton. 

 

 

 

 

"The Royal Winton brand and patterns have been reintroduced by Duchess China Ltd on "Fine Bone China", Duchess have been manufacturing fine bone china in Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire (The Potteries) since 1888, and is one of the few fine bone china tableware companies still manufacturing in England.

Royal Winton Chintz was traditionally manufactured on Earthenware under which the Grimwades name which also dates back to 1885. Some of the more traditional shapes are available on our factory seconds page.

Royal Winton Chintz is still considered by many collectors as the "premier" chintz with its vibrant multicolour all over design. Duchess China has now introduced this "iconic look" with original patterns onto its top quality fine bone china, a perfect match."

Royal Winton internet site - July 2013

 

 


Home of Chintz Royal Winton Est 1885

from the Royal Winton internet site March 2002

Royal Winton Web site: 'About us' Version dated 7 February 2002 retrieved via archive.org

"The Royal Winton brand has always been synonymous with quality and design and has roots in Stoke-on-Trent, England that go back over one hundred years. Originally known as Grimwade Brothers it was founded by Leonard Lumsden Grimwade. Leonard had shown a natural talent for modelling pottery and it was in this field that his infant business began, in 1885. He was soon joined in the business by his older brother, Sidney Richard, another potter.

By 1890 new showrooms had been purchased in Stoke-on-Trent and London. It is a measure of the company's success that by 1906 Grimwades Limited was operating from four factories in the potteries.

Leonard experimented with new methods of manufacture and he developed the enamel climax Rotary Kiln, Duplex Lithographic transfers and other ground breaking techniques.

In 1913 King George V and Queen Mary visited the potteries and the brothers issued a catalogue to commemorate the event. The Queen purchased a Winton Teaset and was delighted to be presented with a gift of a Mecca Foot Warmer (an oval ceramic hot water bottle).

In 1928 'Marguerite' the first Royal Winton Chintz pattern was launched and was an immediate success. These tightly grouped, highly detailed and vibrant all over floral patterns were to become a milestone in the company's reputation for versatility and beauty. Following an advertisement in the 'Potteries gazette' in 1929, Royal Winton became the established trade name for Grimwades Limited and has remained so through to the present day.

Leonard Grimwade died in 1931, but his legacy survived and the company went from strength to strength under the leadership of James Plant.

Over succeeding decades Royal Winton introduced more than 60 Chintz patterns and became the leading producer of this style of decoration, exporting to most commonwealth countries and the USA.

Discontinued in the early 1960's due to the high production costs associated with this style of decoration, Royal Winton Chintz has become highly desirable in the antique market today. Collectors Clubs have been established world-wide and many reference books have been published, with Christie's of London running auctions dedicated to Chintz pottery.

In 1995 the company was purchased by its current owners who reverted back to the original company name of Grimwades Limited trading as Royal Winton. Chairman Ian Davis commented "It soon became apparent that we had acquired a company with a unique heritage."

Since acquisition some of the more popular Chintz patterns have been reintroduced on a range of giftware, tableware and limited Edition pieces. Hand crafted in the 'Potteries', Staffordshire England; Royal Winton Chintz undergoes eighteen separate production processes and is fired four time. Old lithographing techniques have been resurrected to achieve the all over floral effect demanded by Chintz lovers.

The year 1995 has been incorporated into the backstamp of the new Chintz to avoid confusion with antique pieces.

In March 1997 the first new piece of Royal Winton Chintz for nearly forty years was introduced and unveiled at the chintz convention in Pasadena, California. A spectacular piece, an 11" octagonal vase in the Florence pattern, it received resounding approval.

The company has witnessed many changes over the past century but one thing has never altered, its dedication to quality, design and beauty which excites many buyers from around the world."

 

 

Questions, comments, contributions? email: Steve Birks