Johnson Brothers

Some of its designs, such as "Eternal Beau", "Dawn", "Old Britain Castles" and "Historic America", achieved widespread popularity and are still collected today.

In 1883, Alfred and Frederick Johnson began production at a defunct pottery, known as the Charles Street Works, that they had purchased at a bankruptcy sale in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.

Having established a solid reputation producing basic "whiteware", the company developed a product known as "semi-porcelain", a range of pottery that had the characteristics of fine china, but the durability of ironstoneware.

This kind of tableware soon became very popular in the United States due to its durability and low cost.

After 1918, the popular "Dawn" range of coloured bodies was launched, and Johnson Brothers began exporting its tableware throughout the British Empire.

During the 1930s, the original factory in Charles Street closed, and new technology was introduced with the development of modern systems of firing using electricity rather than coal.

Despite this award, the late 1960s saw changing popular taste, rising competition and spiralling production costs which led Johnson Brothers to curtail further expansion.

This was the period during which the popular "Summerfields" range was produced: a white background with pink flowers and buds around the lip, finished with a grey foliage and a black non-complete edging line.

At the same time, a review of many of the traditional Johnson Brothers lines led to a rationalization and a reduction in the number of patterns produced.