Royal Doulton Happy Birthday 2013 Figurine

Royal Doulton's Rich Heritage

Royal Doulton is the quintessential English name in tableware and fine collectibles, with a storied history that dates back to 1815. Headquartered in Stoke-on-Trent, in Staffordshire, England (a place renowned for fine English china and ceramics,) it is now part of the Waterford Wedgwood group.

Royal Doulton began when John Doulton made a £100 investment in 1815, launching a partnership with Martha Jones and John Watts at a stoneware factory in Lambeth, London. They established the world's first stoneware pipe factory, and went on to become Britain's top Victorian manufacturer of sewer pipes.

From there, John worked with his son, Henry, to develop the business, and they soon took on artistic pottery, including ornamental, commemorative, and tableware products. They launched the Lambeth Studio with local designers and artists, who experimented with materials and glazes in pioneering work. In 1877. the company purchased a major factory in Staffordshire.

The company moved to Nile Street, Burslem in 'The Potteries' in 1882, attaining a Royal Warrant from King Edward in 1901 to effectively put the royal into Royal Doulton. A Royal Warrant is a mark of distinction bestowed upon people or companies who have regularly supplied members of the Royal Family with goods or services. These are regarded as a mark of supreme excellence and quality, and cannot be bought or sold. Presently, the Royal Doulton brand holds two Royal Warrants.

Today, Royal Doulton is no longer a family run business, but it remains a "family" of English brands, merging with Minton in 1968 and gaining Royal Albert in 1971. They became part of the Waterford family in 1980, and remain true to the founder's ideals of quality workmanship and excellence in design, with a Design Studio in Stoke-on-Trent, and state of the art production facility in Indonesia. A family link remains in Michael Doulton, the Honorary President of the Royal Doulton International Collector's Club (RDICC).

Royal Doulton terracotta tiles and ornamental architectural details have been used on the facades of many buildings around the world, including several buildings in Canada - among them the Hotel Vancouver and the Southam Building in Montreal, the Bloor-Gladstone Library in Toronto and St. John's Church in Saskatoon.

As a company, Royal Doulton very early on developed a culture of innovation - married to a quality heritage - which lives today in its tableware and collectibles.