Wedgwood Ceramics History

The two companies which are among the world s leading brands of fine crystal and china merged in 1986.

Wedgwood ceramics history.

Josiah wedgwood began pottery manufacture in his own right in 1759 renting the ivy house works burslem from his cousins john and thomas wedgwood. After 1790 it is often combined with black basalt in decorative items or covered with enamel decoration. The brick house subsequently named the bell works was leased in 1764 and in 1766 wedgwood acquired the ridge house estate of 350 acres where he constructed the etruria works opened in 1769. The wedgwood story our story began in 1759 when our founder josiah wedgwood i aged just twenty nine started as an independent potter in burslem england.

Fast forward over 260 years and we re still producing many of the materials he invented such as jasper queen s ware and black basalt. 1950 1885 wedgwood is a fine china porcelain and luxury accessories manufacturer that was founded on 1 may 1759 by the english potter and entrepreneur josiah wedgwood and was first incorporated in 1895 as josiah wedgwood and sons ltd. It took wedgwood years of experimentation to perfect his design for this unglazed stoneware with the uncanny ability to be both durable and delicate and to take colours so evenly throughout its surface. Rosso antico production continued until about 1900.

We meet the key characters responsible for putting british ceramic art on the map. The third major innovation for which wedgwood is remembered is jasper ware which has been described as the most important invention in the history of ceramics since the discovery of porcelain. He elevated pottery from the everyday to ornamental art form. From josiah wedgwood innovator artist and marketing genius and josiah spode who made it his life s work to invent a british version of chinese porcelain and came up aged 60 with bone china which revolutionised the industry of ceramics to the great 20th century ceramicists clarice cliff and susie cooper.

At the request of his partner thomas bentley production resumed in 1776.