Copeland Spode

1833 - 1966

Following the deaths of William Copeland in 1826 and Josiah Spode II in 1828, the famous Stoke-on-Trent pottery business continued under the management of family members and senior staff until 1833, when William Taylor Copeland, son of William Copeland, acquired the company in partnership with Thomas Garrett. Ceramics produced during this period were marked "Copeland & Garrett" and reflected the fashionable Rococo taste of the day, with increasingly elaborate forms and decoration.
By 1847, William Taylor Copeland had assumed sole ownership of the company, beginning a remarkable period during which four generations of the Copeland family would control the business until 1966. A prominent Victorian industrialist, Member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of London, William Taylor Copeland helped establish the firm as one of Britain's most respected ceramic manufacturers.
Throughout the Victorian era, Copeland competed with leading rivals such as Minton in producing some of the finest ceramics in Europe. The company employed talented artists and modellers from across the continent and exhibited extensively at major international exhibitions, including the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London and the Paris Exhibition of 1878.
The factory became renowned for its willingness to undertake ambitious commissions. One of its most remarkable achievements was the production of ceramic tiles used to line the nine domes of the Reading Room at the National Library in Paris, completed in 1868, a project no other pottery manufacturer was prepared to undertake.
Copeland's output during the nineteenth century was extraordinarily diverse. The factory produced Parian ware, majolica, fine porcelain, architectural ceramics, statues, ... show more

Following the deaths of William Copeland in 1826 and Josiah Spode II in 1828, the famous Stoke-on-Trent pottery business continued under the management of family members and senior staff until 1833, when William Taylor Copeland, son of William Copeland, acquired the company in partnership with Thomas Garrett. Ceramics produced during this period were marked "Copeland & Garrett" and reflected the fashionable Rococo taste of the day, with increasingly elaborate forms and decoration.
By 1847, William Taylor Copeland had assumed sole ownership of the company, beginning a remarkable period during which four generations of the Copeland family would control the business until 1966. A prominent Victorian industrialist, Member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of London, William Taylor Copeland helped establish the firm as one of Britain's most respected ceramic manufacturers.
Throughout the Victorian era, Copeland competed with leading rivals such as Minton in producing some of the finest ceramics in Europe. The company employed talented artists and modellers from across the continent and exhibited extensively at major international exhibitions, including the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London and the Paris Exhibition of 1878.
The factory became renowned for its willingness to undertake ambitious commissions. One of its most remarkable achievements was the production of ceramic tiles used to line the nine domes of the Reading Room at the National Library in Paris, completed in 1868, a project no other pottery manufacturer was prepared to undertake.
Copeland's output during the nineteenth century was extraordinarily diverse. The factory produced Parian ware, majolica, fine porcelain, architectural ceramics, statues,

busts, decorative vases, tiles, hotel wares, souvenir wares and table services. Special commissions were created for aristocratic households, military messes and even Indian princes. Much of this production was exported worldwide, particularly to the United States.
Innovation was a hallmark of the company. Between 1833 and 1900, an astonishing 35,000 new patterns were introduced, averaging nearly ten new designs every week. The nineteenth century also witnessed a huge expansion in transfer-printed wares, with patterns produced in a variety of colours and sold to an increasingly broad market.
Following the First World War, demand for quality dinner and tea services grew rapidly. Copeland responded by producing durable, high-quality earthenware and bone china decorated with patterns that became household favourites. Designs such as Italian, India Tree, Chinese Rose, and the immensely successful Christmas Tree pattern achieved worldwide popularity and remain highly sought after by collectors today.
During the twentieth century, the company embraced changing tastes, producing Art Deco and modernist designs while continuing its tradition of fine hand-painted bone china. New ceramic bodies such as Onyx and Velamour were developed, and the factory employed notable sculptors and designers to create wares suited to contemporary fashions.
Throughout its history, Copeland maintained a reputation for exceptional craftsmanship. Its transfer prints were engraved by hand on copper plates, a highly skilled process that could require six weeks of work for a single plate. Combined with continuous investment in new manufacturing techniques, this commitment to quality ensured that Copeland Spode remained one of the world's most respected ceramic manufacturers.
The company remained in the hands of the Copeland family until 1966, bringing to a close more than a century of family ownership and marking the end of one of the most significant chapters in British ceramic history.
Source: Adapted from historical information published by the Spode Museum Trust.