Coalport is an English china manufacturer founded by John Rose in the 18th century after Rose had trained as a potter in Caughley, Shropshire, under porcelain maker Thomas Turner.
Creation
Purchased in 1795, the first factory owned by Coalport started in the newly created town of Coalport. A second factory was purchased in Caughley, Shropshire, in 1799.
Award
Coalport created a unique leadless glaze for its tableware, which in 1820 received a gold medal from England's Royal Society of Arts.
Art
John Rose, the founder of Coalport, died in 1841. By this time Coalport had become one of England's top porcelain producers by ensuring each item was hand painted by expert artists such as Jabey Aston and James Rouse.
Figurines
Appointed in 1899, art director Thomas John Bott focused production away from tableware towards hand-painted white parian figurines, which quickly accounted for the majority of Coalport production.
Economics
Following the Great Depression, Coalport was sold for the first time in 1925 to English china manufacturer Cauldon Works, which resulted in the closure of the Coalport factory. The large, English china manufacturer, Wedgwood, purchased Coalport in 1967. As a result Coalport is now produced at the Wedgwood factory in the village of Barlaston, Staffordshire, in the Potteries region of England.
