Portmeirion Potteries
1960 Pottery designer Susan Williams-Ellis (daughter of Sir Clough Williams-Ellis) and her husband, Euan Cooper-Willis took over a small pottery decorating company in Stoke-on-Trent called A. E. Gray and Co Ltd. Susan Williams-Ellis had been working with A.E. Gray for some years, commissioning designs to sell at the gift shop in Portmeirion Village, the items bearing the backstamp "Gray's Pottery Portmeirionware".
1961 the couple purchased a second pottery company, Kirkhams Ltd, that had the capacity to manufacture pottery, not only decorate it. These two businesses were combined and Portmeirion Potteries was born.
1961 A. E. Gray and Co was renamed Portmeirion Potteries Ltd from 31 December, 1961.
2009 Portmeirion Potteries Ltd purchased Royal Worcester and Spode brands, after they had been placed into administration the previous November. The purchase did not include Royal Worcester and Spode's manufacturing facilities. The manufacture of much of Spode's ware was returned to Britain, to Portmeirion's factory in Stoke-on-Trent.
Portmeirion Potteries changed its company name to Portmeirion Group to reflect the Royal Worcester and Spode acquisition.
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] The Potteries Website
- Wikipedia