Taylor & Kent

Taylor & Kent

Location and period of operation:

Taylor & Kent

Longton

1876

1982

Many sources give the foundation date as 1867 - Jewitt's book 'Ceramic Art of Great Britain 1800-1900' states "Messrs. Taylor & Kent were established at the Florence Works in 1867" - however the date on the frontage of the works is clearly '1876', so there was a typo in Jewitt's book which has been continued by others.
Although the company retained the name 'Taylor & Kent' it was controlled by the Kent family from an early age.
The company closed temporarily from 1941 for the duration of the Second World War.
In 1947 it was purchased by two brothers - Oswald and Derek Shufflebottom, the company name 'Taylor & Kent' was unchanged.
1961 the company used the trade name 'Elizabethan China'
In 1982 the company became 'Elizabethan Fine Bone China Ltd'

Taylor & Kent
Florence Works, Longton

China & Majolica Manufacturers
for Home and Foreign Markets

The Pottery Gazette, January 1885

Taylor & Kent Ltd
Florence Works, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent

Pottery Gazette and Glass Trade Review, April 1953

Taylor & Kent Crested China
Florentine China
mostly made 1900-25

Taylor & Kent trio

1930s style

tea sets in the Harlequin pattern

cup and saucer in the Harlequin pattern

produced under the ELIZABETHAN trade name

1961+

Marks & initials used on ware for identification:

Asiatic Pheasants
T & K L

'Asiatic Pheasants' is the pattern name

T & K
L

'L' stands for LONGTON
the town where the factory was located

c.1876+

FLORENTINE CHINA

This Florentine China mark was used on Crested China
and souvenir ware - mostly made 1900-25

KENT CHINA

T & K L c.1880 - 1906	OLD DRESDEN is the pattern name the registration number 219806 shows the pattern was registered 6th October 1893	T & K L Florentine China Made in England c.1906+ this mark was still in use in the 1950s
Made in England T & K L c.1912+ variations of this style of mark occur	Made in England Taylor & Kent Longton c.1912+ 4939 is the pattern number	Kent Bone China Taylor & Kent Longton England this style of mark was in use in the 1930s
Bone China Taylor & Kent Longton England c.1939+	KENT Bone China Taylor & Kent England c.1950+ variations of this style of mark occur	KENT Bone China Taylor & Kent England c.1950+ variations of this style of mark occur
	ELIZABETHAN the trade name Elizabethan was introduced in 1961 Elizabethan Fine Bone China by Taylor & Kent England c.1961+

Questions/comments/contributions? email: Steve Birks