Gold Street Works, near Stafford Street (Barker Brothers).—This is one of the oldest manufactories in Longton, and it is historically interesting from the fact of gold lustre having been here first discovered and applied to decorative purposes. The earthenware here made is of the ordinary medium quality, both for home and for foreign markets, including the Cape of Good Hope, Western Africa, Australia, South America, Turkey, &c. It consists of cream-coloured, white, fancy-sponged, painted and printed, enamelled and other descriptions, in toilet, dinner, breakfast and tea services, and other articles.
Wellington Works.—These works, in Stafford Street, were established in 1862 by Messrs. G. L. Robinson & W. Cooper, the latter retiring after a few years in favour of Mr. G. L. Robinson, when the firm became Robinson & Son. In 1871 Mr. G. L. Robinson retired in favour of his son Mr. G. A. Robinson, who became a partner, and the firm now is “Robinson, Repton, & Robinson.” The class of china manufactured is of the best finished kind, and is suited, in style and decoration, both for the principal home and foreign markets. The goods principally produced are tea, breakfast, dessert, and other services; toilet trinket-ware, vases, centre-pieces, &c., and a large variety of ornamental china goblets, fruit and other baskets, open-work (or pierced) comports, moustache cups of the same construction as those already spoken of, and the general varieties of articles which are made in this material. The body of Messrs. Robinson’s china is of good pure quality, and the decoration artistic and clever. Some of the tea services are peculiarly chaste in design and rich in colouring; and the gilding, enamelling, and painting are good. The jewelling and embossing of some of the services, and the happy combinations of colours in others, combined with careful artistic treatment, show how thoroughly the designing as well as the manufacturing departments are “managed” by this enterprising firm.
Messrs. Robinson & Co. at The Foley, also produce china of the usual classes, both for home and export trades.
St. Martin’s Lane. (Taylor, Hudson, & Middleton.)—At these works, which have been established about forty years, a general assortment of plain and decorated china, in all the various services, is made both for home and foreign markets.
Heathcote Works.—Established in 1854 by Messrs. William Brammall and John Dent, from whom it passed to William Brammall, then to Messrs. Edwin Brammall and T. S. Repton, and is now carried on by W. H. Derbyshire & Co. The works are in Heathcote Road. The manufactures consist of china tea, breakfast, and other services, and all the usual useful articles in that material suitable for the home trade.
Green Dock Works.—Messrs. Cooper, Till, & Co. (formerly Hampson Brothers) manufacture improved stoneware, ordinary earthenwares, and lustres, for the home, American, Australian, and other markets. Established in 1846.