Midwinter Pottery

English ceramics manufacturer

Midwinter PotteryIndustry| Pottery

|

Predecessor| W. R. Midwinter (1910-1932), W. R. Midwinter Ltd (1932-1987)
Founded| 1910
Founder| William Robinson Midwinter
Defunct| 1987
Fate| Acquired by Wedgwood
Successor| Meakin & Midwinter Holdings Ltd 1968-1970, J. & G. Meakin Ltd.
Headquarters|

Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent

England

Key people

| Roy Midwinter (Director)
Products| Ceramics

Number of employees

| 700+ (1930s)

The Midwinter Pottery was founded as W. R. Midwinter by William Robinson Midwinter in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent in 1910 and had become one of England's largest potteries by the late 1930s with more than 700 employees.[1][2] Production of Midwinter pottery ceased in 1987.

Close up of a jug and side plates in the popular Zambesi design, 1950s Galaxy, a hand painted design by Jessie Tait, 1950s Midwinter ware from the Mexicana range English Garden, transfer printed on the 'Fine' shape, late 1960s

## History

[edit]

In the 1950s, under the leadership of the director Roy Midwinter, the company became one of the leading innovators in British tableware production. A large part of this was due to the noted ceramicists and designers who worked for the pottery, including Jessie Tait, Terence Conran, Hugh Casson, David Douglas, John Russell and Peter Scott.[3][4] The Midwinter Pottery was also an innovator in producing 'accessories' to their basic dinner services and tea sets. The Clayburn Pottery, a sister company to Midwinter, made pieces such as lamp bases that could be added to a Midwinter dinner service. In the 1960s, the Spanish Garden design, which was very successful on dinner ware and tea sets, adorned articles such as a bread bin and chopping board.

The costs involved in developing two unsuccessful new ranges weakened the company, and there was a takeover by J. & G. Meakin in 1968. In 1970 Meakin was itself bought out by Wedgwood. Pottery was produced under the Midwinter name from their factory until 1987.

Many of the pieces produced by Midwinter in the 1950s and 1960s have become highly collectible, being typical of the styles of those eras.

## References

[edit]

### Citations

[edit]

1. ^ "W. R. Midwinter Ltd". A-Z Stoke-on-Trent Potters. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
2. ^ "History of the W. R. Midwinter". Pottery Histories. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
3. ^ "Wild Geese". V&A Museum. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
4. ^ "Vintage 1950s Midwinter Pottery Wild Geese Tea Service Pieces designed by Peter Scott". Clutterfingers Vintage & Retro. Retrieved 21 June 2023.

### General references

[edit]

* MIDWINTER A Collector's guide \- Alan Peat, Cameron and Hollis, 1992, ISBN 0-906506-06-9
* Midwinter Pottery \- Steven Jenkins, Richard Dennis, 2003, ISBN 0-903685-90-6

* v
* t
* e

City and unitary authority of Stoke-on-Trent

Areas,
towns and wards|

* Abbey Green ward
* Abbey Hulton
* Baddeley Green
* Basford
* Bentilee
* Birches Head
* Blurton
* Blythe Bridge
* Bradeley
* Bucknall
* Burslem
* Chell
* Cliffe Vale
* Cobridge
* Dresden
* Etruria
* Fenton
* Florence
* Ford Green Brook
* Fowlea Brook
* Goldenhill
* Hanford
* Hanley
* Hartshill
* Hem Heath
* Heron Cross
* Lightwood
* Longport
* Longton
* Lyme Brook
* Meir
* Middleport
* Milton
* Normacot
* Northwood
* Norton le Moors
* Penkhull
* Sandyford
* Shelton
* Sideway
* Smallthorne
* Sneyd Green
* Stoke-upon-Trent
* Trentham
* Trent Vale
* Tunstall
* Weston Coyney

History|

* Ceramic and Allied Trades Union
* Darwin–Wedgwood family
* Federation of Stoke-on-Trent
* History of Port Vale F.C.
* History of Stoke City F.C.
* Staffordshire Potteries
* Wedgwood Pottery in Stoke-on-Trent
* 1842 Pottery Riots

Parliamentary
constituencies|

| Current|

* Stoke-on-Trent North
* Stoke-on-Trent Central
* Stoke-on-Trent South

|

Historic|

* Burslem
* Hanley
* Stoke-on-Trent
* Stoke-upon-Trent

Religion|

* Stoke Minster
* Bethesda Methodist Chapel
* Bethel Chapel, Burslem
* St John's Church, Burslem
* St Joseph's Church, Burslem
* St Paul's Church, Burslem
* Burslem Sunday School
* Swan Bank Methodist Church, Burslem
* Burslem United Reformed Church
* Christ Church, Fenton
* Hulton Abbey
* St James' Church, Longton
* Longton Methodist Central Hall
* St Mark's Church, Shelton
* Our Lady of the Angels and St Peter in Chains Church
* Christ Church, Tunstall
* Sacred Heart Church, Tunstall

Tourism|

| Buildings|

* Listed buildings (Grade II*)
* Bottle ovens
* Burslem Market Hall
* Etruria Hall
* Ford Green Hall
* Old Town Hall, Burslem
* Trentham Mausoleum
* The Villas
* Wedgwood Institute
* Water World
* Winton Square (North Stafford Hotel)

|

Theatres|

* Mitchell Arts Centre
* Queen's Theatre
* Regent Theatre
* Stoke Rep
* Theatre Royal
* Victoria Hall

Museums
and libraries|

* Burslem School of Art
* Chatterley Whitfield
* Etruria Industrial Museum
* Gladstone Pottery Museum
* Montagu C. Butler Library
* Potteries Museum & Art Gallery
* Spode Museum

Shopping|

* City Sentral
* Potteries Shopping Centre

Parks and
countryside|

* Bagnall Road Wood
* Berryhill Fields
* Burslem Park
* Hanley Park
* Hartshill Park
* Hem Heath Woods
* Stoke-on-Trent Garden Festival
* Trentham Estate
* Victoria Park, Tunstall
* Westport Lake
* Whitfield Valley

Sport and
music venues|

* Bet365 Stadium
* Golden Torch
* Jollees
* Longton Cricket Club Ground
* Meir Heath Cricket Club
* Shelley's Laserdome
* The Sugarmill
* The Underground
* Vale Park

Mass media|

| Publishing|

* Cross Rhythms
* Pits n Pots
* The Oatcake
* The Sentinel

|

Radio|

* BBC Radio Stoke
* Cross Rhythms City Radio
* Greatest Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire
* Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire
* UCB UK

Education|

* List of schools
* Stoke-on-Trent College
* City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College
* Staffordshire University
* Royal Stoke University Hospital

Companies|

| Pottery|

* Aynsley China
* Beswick Pottery
* Burleigh Pottery
* Carlton Ware
* Churchill China
* Clayburn Pottery
* Dudson
* Emma Bridgewater
* Etruria Works
* Gray's Pottery
* James Sadler and Sons Ltd
* Lucideon
* J. & G. Meakin
* Midwinter Pottery
* Mintons
* Moorcroft
* Palissy
* Paragon China
* Portmeirion Pottery
* Royal Doulton
* Royal Winton
* Shelley Potteries
* Spode
* Steelite
* Wedgwood
* W H Grindley

|

Other|

* Armitage Shanks
* Bet365
* Clay Records
* Goodwin
* Hanley Economic Building Society
* Shelton Bar
* SONS Records
* Titanic Brewery
* Twyford Bathrooms
* Wrights Pies

Sport|

| Association football teams|

* Abbey Hulton United
* Dresden United
* Eastwood Hanley
* Hanley Town
* Meir K.A.
* Norton United
* Port Vale
* Stoke City

|

Rugby union teams|

* Longton
* Stoke-on-Trent

Speedway teams|

* Stoke Potters
* Stoke Spitfires

Transport|

| Canals|

* Caldon Canal
* Trent and Mersey Canal

|

Public transport|

* D&G Bus
* First Potteries
* Stoke Streetcar

Rail|

* Longport railway station
* Longton railway station
* North Staffordshire Railway
* Stafford–Manchester line
* Stoke-on-Trent railway station
* Stoke railway works

Major roads|

* A34
* A50
* A52
* A53
* A500
* Longton Interchange

Miscellaneous|

* List of people
* Lobby
* May un Mar Lady
* Oatcake
* Owd Grandad Piggott
* Potteries derby
* Potteries dialect
* Queen Street, Burslem
* River Trent
* Start Up Citywide
* ST postcode area

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template