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View towards Albion Bridge which carries the Eastwood Road, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent over the canal. The tree to the right of the canal is on the site of Johnson Brothers Imperial Works which was built in 1896; on the same side of the canal on the far side of the Eastwood Road can be seen two Grade II listed Calcining Bottle Kilns on the site of Johnson's Trent Sanitaryware Works and directly opposite on the left side of the Caldon canal Johnson Brothers Hanley factory once stood. In 1968 Johnsons joined the Wedgwood Group and although just before WW2 the company had been the largest manufacturer of earthenware in the world, by 1990's like all Stoke-on-Trent potteries, overseas competition and high energy costs (where have we heard that before?!) had reduced the company to just one factory, Eagle Works located a few yards behind where this photograph was taken. In 2003 Johnson Brothers production was transferred to Indonesia and the Hanley, Imperial and Trent Sanitaryware factories were demolished for housing which can be seen here in the middle distance. Taken with a 1981 Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera Supercolor Autofocus on Polaroid (TIP) film.
The St James Collection by Marflow is a portfolio of the finest traditional bathroom taps, showers, accessories and sanitaryware
Engineered in Britain to the highest standards, The Collection takes its design cues from the Victorian era, whilst at the same time incorporating the latest in bathroom technology
The St James Collection can be found in a number of the luxury bathrooms in Orient Express Hotels around the world...
‘Our Hotels are synonymous with the highest standards of quality, decoration and service and we chose the St James Collection because the attention to detail is second to none’
Roger Collins
Vice President, Technical Services and Design
Johnson Bros
In 1883, Alfred and Frederick Johnson formed a pottery company and began production at the Charles Street Works, Hanley which they purchased at a bankruptcy sale. At first they specialised in the manufacture of earthenware which they called "White Granite" because of the white glazed finish over a hard clay base. Increasing demand lead to expansion of the company and in 1888 third brother The Reverend Henry Johnson joined them, followed ten years later by a fourth brother Robert Johnson. The company developed a product known as "semi-porcelain", a range of pottery that had the characteristics of fine china, but the strength of ironstoneware. This tableware range became very popular in the United States due to its durability and low cost. In 1889 Hanley Pottery Works, the first of three additional factories in the Eastwood ward was opened, followed almost immediately by the Alexander Pottery and in 1891 the Imperial Works. In 1896, the Trent Sanitary Works was opened adjacent to the Imperial Works for the production of non-tableware products (the clue's in the name!). An aerial photo from 1935 shows 25 bottle kilns of varying sizes on the Trent Sanitaryware site besides these two Grade II listed calcining kilns left standing today (calcining was the process by which flint was heated to over 1350° C to make it 'friable' so that it could be crushed into a powder and added to the clay mix to increase the strength of white ware. By the end of the 1930's the original factory in Charles Street was closed and new technology was introduced into the three pottery works either side of the Caldon canal, with the development of modern systems of firing using electricity rather than coal,. This in turn led to a better quality product, lower prices, and improved conditions for the workforce. However for the duration of WW2 shipments to the main market in the USA ceased and production was greatly reduced. After the War business picked up rapidly and new markets opened up but the 1960's saw a change in popular taste, rising competition from the Far East and spiralling production costs. To remain competitive, in 1968 Johnson Brothers amalgamated with the Wedgwood Group but in 1995 the Hanley Pottery works to the north side of the Caldon canal was closed and demolished to make way for a housing estate. In 2003, the manufacturing of Johnson Brothers products in Stoke-on-Trent ceased and was transferred to Indonesia, where production costs were 70% less than in Britain. Over 1400 jobs were lost with the closure of the remaining two Johnson Bros factories, the Imperial Pottery and the Trent Sanitary Works. In 2008 the Waterford Wedgwood Group itself went into Administration but was was acquired by Finnish company Fiskars seven years later. Production of the Waterford and Wedgwood brands continued in Indonesia but the Johnson Bros brand was phased out. The last vestiges of this once mighty enterprise is three Grade II listed buildings, these two bottle kilns beside the Caldon canal and the offices of the Trent Sanitary Works on the Eastwood Road . . . oh, and I've got a cupboard-full of Johnson's London white ware! Taken with a 1976 Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera Alpha 1 on Polaroid (TIP) film
Enson potbank on Short Street, Longton was built by John Proctor in 1843; in 1870 it was bought by Middleton and Hudson and renamed the Alma Works, later becoming the Delphine Works. The factory was then purchased in 1948 by Spencer Stevenson & Co who specialised in domestic bone china and hotelware and renamed it the Enson Pottery Works. Production ceased in 1963 and the Grade II listed bottle kilns and range were largely derelict by 1998 when the site was purchased by Stoke City Council who renovated the historic site and built a modern extension to create the Centre of Refurbishment Excellence (CORE) used for IT development, education and business. The discarded object in the foreground shadows may be of interest. The water closet has been produced in vast numbers in the Potteries since 1849, the nickname for which has an intriguing etymology. The term, and indeed the bodily function associated with it, is said to have come about from the Yorkshire plumber Thomas Crapper (1836-1910) who was the first to display a flushing lavatory, in his London sanitaryware showroom. The popularity of the indoor flushing toilet was greatly increased when Thomas was granted a Royal Warrant in 1888 by Prince Albert (later King Edward VII) for supplying thirty porcelain lavatories with cedarwood seats to Sandringham House. Every cistern and toilet supplied from then on was branded 'The Venerable Thomas Crapper and Company'. The term 'crapper' entered popular use when American Servicemen stationed in England in WW1 saw his name cast into the front of the cistern and it soon became army slang for relieving the bowels, as in "I'm going to the crapper". Taken with a 1976 Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera Alpha 1 on Polaroid (TIP) film
One of the Isle of Bute's more unusual tourist attractions are the restored victorian toilets next to the ferry terminal. They are an impressive example of victorian plumbing!
from the 1954 'Catalogue 282 for the Plumbing, Building, Painting and Decorating Trades' from W. Emery & Co. Ltd., Arundel St., Sheffield.
A brochure {c.1965] by Shanks & Co. Ltd. of Barrhead, Scotland. This Clarendon washbasin remained in production for many years during the Armitage Shanks era - into the '90s, I think.
One of the Isle of Bute's more unusual tourist attractions are the restored victorian toilets next to the ferry terminal. They are an impressive example of victorian plumbing!
Advertisement by The Leeds Fireclay Co. Ltd. and Oates & Green Ltd. appearing in The Contractors', Merchants' and Estate Managers' Compendium 1905. The credit for this very pleasing work goes to one 'J.B.F.'
I do have a liking for this kind of pre-war and post-war bathroom sanitary ware, particularly in these pastel colours. These fine survivors are on display in a shop setting on the 1930s street at Black Country Museum.
Friday 18th April 2025
Seen in a 1963 issue of Architectural Review is this very period piece - bathroom fittings by the long established Shanks who were based at the Tubal Works in Barrhead, then Renfrewshire, in Scotland. The company was formed by John Shanks, a local plumber, who in 1866 set up the works to manufacture taps and fitting and in 1904, with the move to the new and larger Tubal Works, began manufacturing the ceramics such as toilets, baths and basins as seen here. In 1969 they merged with rivals Armitage, to form Armitage Shanks, and the combined company became part of the Blue Circle Industries Group in 1980. The Barrhead plant closed in 1992.
The suite seen here is one of the variations on avacado green that was very popular in the day but it is seen against a rather '50s style decor. During the 1960s interior decor fashion, even in bathrooms, would become a little livlier even if the green colours were still a popular choice.
Illustration from 'Planning Your Bathrooms and Powder Room'. Briggs Manufacturing Co., Detroit IL 1945
Whitehead's Chimney - The chimney is all that remains of Whiteheads fireclay and brickworks near Clayton, Bradford. Whiteheads made sanitaryware and chimney pots. It was decorated in 1911 with the company's tiles and glazed bricks to commemorate Bradford City winning the FA cup.
Bronica ETRSi
Fomapan 100
Champion Promicrol
Catalogue of Sanitary Goods in 'Semi-Porcelain' manufactured by A. J. Wilkinson Ltd., Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. Jan. 1901.
Illustration from the 1961 Catalogue 230 from Gardiner, Sons & Co. Ltd., Bristol. The Armitage Green sanitary ware is by Edward Johns & Co. Ltd. (Armitage Ware).
Advertisement by W. N. Froy & Sons Ltd. of Hammersmith in The Architectural Review, Oct 1929. Froys were one of the first British distributors for the baths and vitreous china sanitaryware of the Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Co. of Pittsburgh. All the ware was imported from America: this was before the mergers in the U.S. and Europe that eventually led to the Ideal Standard brand and before the Hull sanitaryware plant had been thought of. The colour range here is a bit of an enigma. The 'Standard' colours included Claire de Lune Blue rather than Norse Blue, and the colours listed in this 1929 advert don't correspond with the exotic sounding 'Standard' colour chart - "Rose du Barry", "Ming Green", "Ivoire de Medici", "Orchid of Vincennes", "T'ang Red", etc., which is shown in a brochure issued by Froy 6 months later in March 1930.
Page showing the Shanks sanitaryware colours available in 1933. From Shanks & Co. Ltd.'s 1933 "D" catalogue of sanitary earthenware manufactured at Longpark Pottery, Kilmarnock which had recently been acquired by the firm to add to their existing works at Barrhead.
Modernus Closet Suite in Orchid de Vincennes. From the 1939 catalogue of Lumley & Hunt Ltd. of Hove and Worthing, Sussex.
Enjoy the convenience of a lovely bathroom. (Standard plumbing fixtures cost no more than others.) Booklet "Plan Beauty For Your Home with Standard Plumbing Fixtures". Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Co., Pittsburgh, PA. 1937
A bold (!) combination of colours in this bathroom design form Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Co. in their 'Color and Style in Bathroom Furnishing and Decoration' (1929). I wonder how this made it into print...
From Catalogue "F" (List No. 805). Shanks & Co. Ltd., Tubal Works, Barrhead, Scotland. n.d. [c.1936]
One of the marvellous Architectural Review's 'special numbers' and this, from May 1936, looks at brickwork. It covers the history and typology of bricks and brick construction in the UK as well as looking at overseas examples before bringing together examples of contemporary architecture using the products and skills.
A striking advert issued by the Hull based company Ideal Boilers & Radiators for thier wrought copper fittings used to make copper to copper pipe joints. The company'sroots appear to be in the late Victorian formation of the National Radiator Company of Hull that became the Ideal Boiler and Radiator Company at some point in 1934 possibly I wonder under the influence of the American American Radiator and Standard Sanitaryware Corporation who appear to have had full control from the late 1940s and who introduced the "Ideal - Standard" brand. The name still survives after much changes of ownership and structure.
Advertisement in The Engineers' and Surveyors' Compendium & Diary 1902. Joseph Cliff was part of the Leeds Fireclay Co. Ltd.
Bathroom Suite No. 3 from Catalogue of Baths, Lavatories, Sinks, Sanitary Ware and Appliances for the Plumbing & Decorating Trades. Baxendale & Co. Ltd., Miller St., Manchester.. 1923
From the catalogue "Mellowes' Sanitary Fittings No. 6", Aug 1919, by Mellowes & Co. Ltd., London (Works at Sheffield)
Leaflet promoting the Hollywood bathroom range of vitreous china sanitaryware. Front shows the pedestal washbasin in pink with Hollywood vitreous porcelain (not plastic) handles. George Howson & Sons Ltd., Eastwood Sanitary Works, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. 1960.
Pictorial endpapers to the Catalogue of Stoneware Drainage Specialities by The Standard Brick & Terra Cotta Co. Ltd., of Buckley, Flintshire. May 1930.
China Clay is the the lifeblood of Fowey Docks.
Around three quarters of a million tonnes are exported from Fowey annually.
The majority is in bulk form, i.e. loose, however it is also shipped on pallets and in big bags.
The product serves the paper industry in Norway, Sweden and Finland.
It also supplies the ceramics industry (Tableware and Sanitaryware) in Egypt, Italy, Portugal and many other countries.
Its minimalist lines, so defined and dynamic, draw inspiration from the art deco style. Classique's clever design allows for a nostalgic or more contemporary theme.
Visit: goo.gl/rhqTQM
Old Birmingham Road is a recreated 1930s street at the Black Country Living Museum and links St James's School with the Cradley Heath Workers' Institute which is the building at the end of the street. The buildings here have been set in the 1930s to tell the story of the years leading up to the Second World War.
Museum staff in St James's School demonstrate lessons and school life from the turn of the 20th century. The school building opened in Eve Hill, Dudley in 1842 for pupils aged 5–11. It was decided to transfer the building to the museum in 1989 and relocation was completed by October 1990, with the exhibit opening the following year.
Hobbs & Sons fish and chip shop and H Morrall's gentlemen's outfitters have been returned to 1935 condition. The shops come from Hall Street, Dudley and date from the late-18th century and refaced with bright red pressed brickwork in 1889.
Four buildings were rescued from Birmingham Street, Oldbury and date to about 1860. The block is dominated by the green painted fascia of Humphrey Brothers, builders' merchants, who occupied the premises from 1921. It has a replica shop front from about 1932. Humphreys sold fireplaces, sanitaryware and building supplies including Walpamur, a flat paint used for internal walls. The motorcycle shop is based on the business of A. Hartill & Sons which was located in Mount Pleasant, Bilston. The window displays of locally made six Sunbeam motor bikes from 1929–34. Next door is Alfred Preedy & Sons tobacconist shop, established in Dudley in 1868. James Gripton's radio shop is from the 1920s and this reconstruction, set in 1939, contains 'new' and second radios.
The Cradley Heath Workers' Institute was built with surplus funds raised in 1910 during the strike for a minimum wage by women chain makers. The Arts and Crafts style building was designed by architect, Albert Thomas Butler, and opened on 10 June 1912. It became a centre for educational meetings, social gatherings and trade union activities in Cradley Heath. Re-erected at the museum it is a monument to Mary Macarthur and her campaign to establish a national minimum wage in the "sweated trades" where people worked long hours for poverty wages typically in appalling conditions. The building contains reconstructed offices, a news room with a digital interpretation of the background to the strike and a large hall which is used for a wide range of activities including theatre performances and concerts.
The bus in the background is a 1946 Sunbeam W Trolleybus. A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws power from overhead wires (generally suspended from roadside posts) using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit. This differs from a tram or streetcar, which normally uses the track as the return path, needing only one wire and one pole (or pantograph). They are also distinct from other kinds of electric buses, which usually rely on batteries. Power is most commonly supplied as 600-volt direct current, but there have been, and are, exceptions.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Country_Living_Museum#1930s_S...
Shown in Catalogue No. 41. Rowe Bros. & Co. Ltd., Berkley St., Birmingham. The ware is actually 'Armitage Ware' (made by Edward Johns & Co. Ltd. of Armitage, Staffs.) and the colour, 'Armitage Green'. Oddly, Rowe Bros. opted not to use the Armitage brand, favouring their own brand name. It may be 'Armitage' was not as well known by the public at this time [c.1928- 29] as it later became. The basin is the 'Langdale' and the toilet is the 'Empire' syphonic.
From General Catalogue HG: Armitage Ware Quality Plumbing Fixtures by Edward Johns & Co. Ltd., Armitage, Staffordshire. 1958
John Smeaton's Patent "Amphora" Water Closet Apparatus as shown in the 1889 catalogue of Llewellins & James, Castle Green, Bristol.
Ideal Boilers and Radiators Ltd. (Ideal-Standard): From Clay to Vitreous China. 1939. [Neo-Classic Bath, Sussex Basin, Modernus W.C.]
"This Three-Piece Tiled Bedroom Suite, constructed on modern straight lines, comprises: lavatory basin, toilet table and fireplace." Kennedy's (Bournemouth) Ltd., Builders' & Plumbers' Merchants, Wholesale Ironmongers, etc., Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth, and Commercial Road, Southampton. Illustration from the firm's 1931 catalogue.
Frm the catalogue of W. A. Baker & Co. Ltd., Newport, Mon. [c.1902]. The maker of the Victrion closet is nowhere stated, though there is some evidence suggesting Johnson Bros. of Hanley, Stoke on Trent.
From: 'Alfred Johnson & Son. The Largest Sanitary Earthenware Pottery in Europe'. Decorative endpaper for this promotional book describing the Queenborough, Kent, works of Alfred Johnson & Son Ltd. The book, which includes many photos, was "produced entirely by F. A. Corbett at the Press of Herbert Fitch & Co. Ltd., 31-35 Mansell Street, London E.1." (not dated [c.1928])
From 'Twyford's 1899 Catalogue of Sanitary Specialities in Complete Combinations'. Twyfords Ltd., Cliffe Vale Potteries, Hanley, Staffs. 1899.
Catalogue d'Articles Sanitaires 1910-1911. Unfortunately the first page, which might have revealed the name of the issuing company, has been torn out of my copy and I cannot identify the French trade mark. So the catalogue remains a bit of a mystery to me. Some of the 'articles sanitaires' identified by name (mostly W.C. Pans) are made by Johnson Bros. of Hanley, Staffordshire, England.