Royal Stafford 'collapses after 180 years with loss of 70 jobs'

-Credit:Pete Stonier / Stoke Sentinel
-Credit:Pete Stonier / Stoke Sentinel


Iconic Stoke-on-Trent pottery firm Royal Stafford has 'collapsed into liquidation' with the possible loss of dozens of jobs. The Burslem-based ceramics firm has been operating for nearly two centuries.

More than 70 jobs 'are expected to be lost' with immediate effect. Now the GMB union has voiced its fears that the UK will lose this 'vital' industry without Government intervention. It has today called on Keir Starmer to act urgently to save the sector.

Royal Stafford - known for English cream-coloured earthenware - is based in the Royal Overhouse Manufactory, one of the oldest pottery factories in Burslem. The brand was established in 1845 in Longton and is recognised around the world for its high-quality tableware. It was one of the few firms where all production still took place in England.

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Colin Griffiths, GMB senior organiser, said: “This is a wake-up call for the new Government and its industrial strategy. Stoke cannot power its kilns with wind and batteries; wishful thinking means spiralling energy costs are now pushing the sector over the edge.

“Meanwhile the illegal importing of foreign forgeries is out of control and driving down orders even further. Our ceramic and pottery industry is vital for economic growth and supports thousands of jobs across the UK. The time for warm words is over, now we must see action."

StokeonTrentLive has approached Royal Stafford for a statement on the collapse.

History of Royal Stafford

The original Royal Stafford company was founded in 1845 in Longton by Thomas Poole. The firm’s most recent incarnation was formed in March 1992 with the merger of two pottery factories, Royal Stafford China and Barratts of Staffordshire. The Royal Overhouse Manufactory, formerly the home of Barratts, is one of the oldest factories in Burslem and belonged for two centuries to the Wedgwood family.

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