Bullers
of 6 Laurence Pountney Hill, London EC, with ironworks at Tipton, and porcelain works at Milton and Hanley, Staffs.
1840 A member of the Buller family (might this have been John Divett, a Buller by marriage?) founded a pottery in Bovey Tracey
1843 Company established.
1865 The pottery (presumably W. W. Buller and Co) was moved from Bovey Tracey to Hanley, Staffs
1866 Dissolution of the Partnership between Wentworth William Buller and John Divett, carrying on business at Joiner's-square, Hanley, in the county of Stafford, as Manufacturers of Patent Cockspurs, Stilts, and Pins used in the Manufacture of Earthenware, under the firm of Wentworth William Buller and Co. Wentworth William Buller carried on the said business under the same firm, and at the place[1]
1868 Began to make telegraph insulators and went onto specialise in metal components for insulators, including power lines.
1868 Dissolution of the Partnership between Wentworth William Buller, William Templer Hughes, and Ernest Wentworth Buller, carrying on business at Joiner's-square, Hanley, in the county of Stafford, as Manufacturers of Patent Cockspurs Stilts and Pins used in the manufacture of Earthenware, under the firm of W. W. Buller and Co. All debts due to and from the said firm will be received and paid respectively by the said William Templer Hughes and Ernest Wentworth Buller, by whom the said business will in future be carried on at Joiner's-square, Hanley aforesaid, under the firm of Buller and Co.[2]
1874 William Temple Hughes left the Partnership with Ernest Wentworth Buller and John Thomas Harris, carrying on the business of Manufacturers of Earthenware and Brassfoundery, and articles connected therewith, at Joiner's square, Hanley, in the county of Stafford, aud also at Birmingham, and at their Agencies in London and Glasgow, and elsewhere, under the style or firm of Buller and Co., as and from the 30th day of September, 1874, from which time the business has been, and will be carried on by the said Ernest Wentworth Buller and John Thomas Harris, on their own account, under the same style or firm; and notice is further given, that the said Ernest Wentworth Bulier and John Thomas Harris will discharge all,the debts and are entitled to all the credits of the said partnership.[3]
1883 Ernest Wentworth Buller and John Thomas Harris formed a partnership as potters, metal works and contractors at Hanley, Birmingham and London[4]
1885 Agreed with Howard Cochrane Jobson to form a new company, Buller, Jobson and Co to acquire the existing one and Jobson Bros which was carrying on a similar line of business.
1890 The company was incorporated at Bullers Ltd
1899 The company was registered as a public company on 10 May, to take over the business of telegraphic engineers, ironfounders etc of a private company of the same name. [5]
1911 Electrical Exhibition. Insulators and lattice steel work masts. [6]
1914 Telegraph engineers, manufacturers of insulators, telegraph fittings, china door furniture, mortars, pestles etc., ironfoundry, metalwork, pottery. [7]
1931 Outline history of the business in [8]
Gordon Forsyth, who was one of Britain's most important ceramic designers of the 20th century and Principal of Burslem School of Art, began obtaining hard paste porcelain from Bullers for the students to use.
1934 Forsyth persuaded Bullers to start their own studio to enable his students to gain practical industrial experience. Initially this was under the nominal control of Anne Potts, a 16 year old modeller, who was a protege of Forsyth. There she and other students used the standard Bullers porcelain, aided by the company’s technicians, and used their kilns that were at the cutting edge of technology. The main technical input from Bullers was provided by Guy Harris, the company chemist, who was instrumental in the studio's success throughout its life.
1937 Electro-technical potters and general engineers. [9]
1938-68 Lock furniture manufacturers[10].
1939 Anne Potts married and shortly afterwards left the company.
WWII the studio was closed until Forsyth intervened again - Agnete Hoy from Denmark, studying under Forsyth, had experience of continental hard paste porcelain and, after a period of experimentation was appointed designer.
1940 the Bullers studio reopened. This was followed by significant expansion; many students passed through the studio, including the potters Michael Leach and Rosemary Wren. However the operation never made money and, although Bullers had been very generous over the years, they finally decided that it could no longer continue and the studio finally closed its doors on 11th April 1952.
1960s Products included enamelled cast iron door knobs and insulator sheds for electrical power lines[11].
1985 Bullers Ltd became Bullers (Staffordshire) Ltd and then John Giles and Sons Ltd
1986 Acquired the earthenware manufacturer, S. Fielding and Co; then auctioned off the historic moulds from both the Fielding and Shorter businesses in 1987.
NB - this seems to be relevant but not quite sure how it fits in:
Charles Herbert Thompson was trained as a chemist and had many commercial interests in England and France. He formed the Crystaline Company as well as operating the firms of Bullers in Tipton and Thompson L'Hospied and Co near Stourbridge. He also owned an art pottery near to that of Clement Massier at Golfe Juan in the South of France. [12].
A correspondent writes - 'Arthur Tuffley attended Waldron Road School in London up until 1909 and migrated to Australia in 1912. Before leaving England, Arthur worked at Buller & Co Ltd as a goldsmith, manufacturing pearls and precious stone into fine jewellery.'
See Also
- Outline of company history in The Engineer 1931/06/12
- Studio pottery [4]
Sources of Information
- ↑ London Gazette 27 Nov 1866
- ↑ The London Gazette 9 February 1869
- ↑ The London Gazette 23 March 1875
- ↑ The Engineer 1931/06/12
- ↑ The Stock Exchange Year Book 1908
- ↑ The Engineer of 13th October 1911 p388
- ↑ 1914 Whitakers Red Book
- ↑ The Engineer 1931/06/12
- ↑ 1937 The Aeroplane Directory of the Aviation and Allied Industries
- ↑ References to plans of Tipton Works in National Archives [1]
- ↑ Rootsweb [2]
- ↑ Invaluable: auction site [3]