A guide to vintage and antique Colclough bone china
Colclough china was manufactured for around 100 years so there is lots of it about and lots of different Colclough china marks and patterns. Colclough china was also manufactured under lots of different factory marks. We hope you will find this quick guide to the Colclough china factories and dates helpful and interesting.
- Herbert Joseph Colclough (H J Colclough) started the Colclough china business in 1897 and around 1907 moved to the Vale Works in Goddard Street, Longton.
- In 1913 King George IV and Queen Mary visited the Colclough china Vale Works and the company received a royal licence and 'Royal Vale' was adopted as a trade name.
- In 1937 the businesses of H J Colclough, Thomas Morris and Osborne China Co. were combined and became Colclough China Ltd.
- Colclough China Ltd operated until 1948 during this time, Colclough's advertised themselves as "Britain's largest manufacturer of bone china tea ware.
- In 1948 the company merged with Booths to form Booths and Colcloughs Ltd which operated until 1954, when on the 1st Jan 1955 a further merger took place to form Ridgway & Adderly, Booths & Colclough Ltd
- On Feb 28th 1955 the company was renamed Ridgway Potteries Ltd. which continued to produce Colclough china and traded up until 1964 when Royal Doulton acquired the group. Colclough bone china continued to be produced and it was during this period much of the well known and most popular Colclough china patterns were produced including Wayside, Ivy Leaf, Hedgerow and Braganza.
- The Colclough china brand ceased production in 1997 due partly to falling demand for tea wares around the world. Royal Doulton was also responding to increased UK production costs and needed to concentrate on its core brand.