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Royal Winton
The firm was established by Leonard Lumsden Grimwade trading as Grimwade Brothers in Hanley at Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire in 1885. Leonard Grimwade was born in Ipswich about 1863, the son of Richard Grimwade. He began his career as a dry salter in Ipswich then came to the Potteries as a modeller and quickly moved to manufacturing. He was joined by his brother Sydney Richard Grimwade and they acquired the Winton Porcelain factory in about 1890, the firm becoming Grimwades Ltd. Leonard Grimwade went for a time to Australia but returned to the Potteries. The firm acquired Heron Cross Pottery in 1908. Grimwades developed two processes essential to the firm’s prosperity. The first was a lithographic transfer process that increased the speed and efficiency of china production. The other was a special kiln that ran continuously with china pieces moved in and out on wheeled carts as opposed to slower traditional kilns where goods were stacked, heated, cooled then unloaded. A further major initiative was the introduction of Chintz patterns in 1928.
Chintz dates back to the 17th century with fabrics from India imported into England featuring loose patterns with large flowers and richly plumed exotic birds. The word "Chintz" is derived from the Indian word "Chint" meaning broad, brightly printed fabric. Development of transfer printing allowed production of Chintz china to be cheap enough to reach a mass market and there were a number of Staffordshire factories producing Chintz for everyday use by the 1820s. Both Grimwades and Ducal Ltd began to produce much tighter chintzes in the 1920s and these became very popular particularly for the American market. Grimwades first Chintz pattern was Marguerite which was extremely successful at the time but perhaps the least collectable today. Apparently the pattern’s design was taken from a cushion cover that Leonard Grimwades wife was embroidering at the time. Most of the Staffordshire factories were fighting for survival throughout the depression of the 1930s and firms copied whatever seemed to be selling. James Kent, Ltd. produced a whole series of Chintzes and another major Chintz producer was Elijah Cotton ‘Lord Nelson Ware’. Their prices were lower but the quality was inferior to Grimwades. The Shelley factory produced some Chintz patterns. During the next 50 years, Grimwades produced some 65 Chintz or ‘All-over’ patterns. In an attempt to revive the factory after wartime shortages they came up with 15 new Chintz patterns in 1952 alone. Grimwades were very skilled at creating a sense of novelty using the same pattern in different ways. They reversed colorways to come up with new patterns every year. Grimwades designed a series of Chintzes in the 1950s with a more modern look featuring large flowers further apart and rich dark backgrounds.
The prestigious title "Royal" was bestowed upon Grimwades after a visit from King George V and Queen Mary in 1913 and the firm changed its name to Royal Winton in 1930. Leonard Grimwade died in 1931 but the company continued to prosper under the leadership of James Plant. The business was bought by Henry Potter Ltd in the early 1960s and all old Chintz designs were discontinued. The firm was taken over again in 1995 by Spencer Hammer and Associates and they returned to the company name of Grimwades Limited trading as Royal Winton, and a number of Chintz designs were reintroduced. Chairman Ian Davis commented “It soon became apparent that we had acquired a company with a unique heritage”.
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