ALB (Alcock Lindley & Bloor)

Designer
Maker	ALB Alcock, Lindley & Bloor
Marks	Large black stamp to base Large “A” with L & B to inside
Description	Two handled bowl with dark brown exterior and harlequin interior.
Condition	Good. Some minor age related crazing to interior and small chip to edge
Number
Production Date	1950s
Width	110mm
Depth	50mm
Length (with handle)	145mm
Weight	195gm
Volume	250ml
Acquisition	Waverley Antiques 8th Jan 2012.
Rameking Reference Number	ALB 001-003

Not Australian and by my definition, not Ramekins, but too cheap to ignore.  I have included them because there was an Australian maker who copied, sorry, paid homage to the original design by recreating it.  Design copyright was viewed somewhat more flexibly back then.   I will trawl through the vast archives at Rameking Central because I have some of them stashed away somewhere.

ALB or Alcock, Lindley and Bloor were Victor George Harris Alcock, Walter S Lindley and William and Robert Bloor.  The business was started by B.J. Swinnerton in Burton Place, Hanley, Stoke on Trent.  The factory was called the “Vulcan Works”; originally built in 1864 in Broad Street, Hanley by John Adams and Co.  Later the factory was bought by Elijah Cotton.  ALB became a limited company in 1911 and merged with W Lindley to take over the old “Chelsea” Works.  (A previous generation of Bloor brothers had operated “Chelsea” back in the 1840s.)

ALB started their factory in 1906 at Hanley, Stoke on Trent.  They operated from their works “Vulcan Pottery” in Clough street in the town of Hanley, Stoke on Trent   Originally “Smith & Co” from 1882, they commenced in 1919 and closed in 1975 after being taken over by Royal Doulton in 1975.  Best known for their “Brown Betty” teapots, they were one of the smaller works in Staffordshire, having around 100 people coming from the same five families.

Following the death of B.J Swinnerton, prior to World War One, V.G.H Alcock became Chairman of the Company.  During WW1, William Bloor joined the company and the “Washington Pottery” was acquired.  In 1925, they bought the “Victoria Pottery, and began making teapots.  This was followed by the acquisition of the “Scotia Pottery” in Burslem that also later made teapots.  Around this time, a new works for production of Samian and Rockingham teapots was constructed.

In 1929, ALB invented a new nozzle for depositing slip on teapots and other items to form a decoration.  A redevelopment of the Vulcan works commenced in 1938 and was completed in 1952.  This lengthy process was due to the inconvenient interruption of World War 2.  In 1952, acquisitions continued with Davidson & Son Ltd, Burslem, (1898-1952) another long established pottery company being purchased.

In 1953 the “Washington Works” was sold and in 1959, Swinnertons was taken over by  the Lawley Group and the Swinnertons name gradually disappeared.  In 1964, ALB. Along with Shore and Coggins, Chapmans and the Paragon China Company became a subsidiary of Allied English Potteries; a combination of the Lawley Group and Thomas C Wild & Sons Ltd.  In 1967, Allied English Potteries were acquired by the Standard Industry Group, then in 1971 AEP became part of Royal Doulton and ALB closed in 1979.  Royal Doulton then became part of “Steelite International”.  Their Chief Executive is a former Royal Doulton employee.