 James Frederick Wiltshaw and the brothers James Alcock Robinson & William Herbert Robinson established the company Wilshaw & Robinson in 1890 and shortly after began production in the Carlton Works which were on Copeland Street in Stoke on Trent. The early production of this fledgling firm was branded with the W&R Swallow maker’s mark. This mark was in use until 1894 when it was replaced by the W&R Carlton Ware (Crown) mark. This mark was in use with just a couple of minor variations until 1927 when it was superceded in favor of the Carlton Ware script mark. This page and its sub pages cover the patterns first produced under the Swallow and the W&R maker’s marks.
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One can only imagine the enthusiasm with which the Robinson brothers and James Wiltshaw began the new venture. I am sure the W&R partners hit the ground running. Raw material would have had to of been procured; coal, clay, glaze and gas for the lighting; to name the most obvious. Staff would have needed to have been organized and of course there would have been financial commitments that had to be met. The partners would have been experienced in the industry and they had taken over the Carlton Works so some infrastructure would have been in place. I believe that they already had some patterns and moulds or some had come with the Works as original patterns and shapes are slow to produce and the fledgling W&R company would have needed turn over ASAP.  The Introduction page lays out why I have decided to catalogue the patterns of the 1890 to 1916 era in alphabetical order and not numerical order as determine by pattern number as I have with the W&R and Carlton Ware pattern introduced from 1916. From this point there are two ways to enter each page; either click on the page title, in this case (W&R Blush Ware Introduction), or the More... tab below.
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In 1890 Queen Victoria’s Britain was truly great; in fact Great Britain’s influence was at its zenith. The sun never set on the British Empire. It was the largest empire in the history of man. Britannia ruled the seas, a forth of the worlds land and its people. Queen Victoria had come to the throne in 1837. Between 1837 and the formation of W&R in 1890 Queen Victoria had reigned over the period of Britain’s greatest expansion. Her one true love and husband Prince Albert died of typhoid on the 14th December 1861 and the great Queen would morn him until her own death in 1901. 1890 Britain was conservative and the ruling class was fabulously rich. 
W&R Blush Ware Putti (Circa 1894) This page is the home of the Wiltshaw & Robinson's Blush Ware and Flow Blue patterns whose names fall alphabetically between "A" and "E" inclusive...... |
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Where Great Britain’s aristocracy were fabulously wealthy, its working class (approx. 80% of the population) where bitterly poor. Pottery and China production is labor intensive so the one thing critical to the success of the Staffordshire potteries was a cheap skilled work force. The streets of Staffordshire were paved with gold, but not for those who toiled in the works and pot banks. Twenty five percent of the population lived at or below subsistence level; ten percent of these were considered to be very poor and could not afford enough food. The six towns that make up Stoke on Trent where polluted by thousands of bottle kilns; each of which was fired twice a week with up to 3 ton of coal. The workers lived cheek by jowl in appalling conditions; many shared outdoor toilets that had no running water. The average life expectancy in 1890 was less than 50. 
This page is the home of the Wiltshaw & Robinson's Blush Ware and Flow Blue patterns whose names fall alphbetically between "F" and "N" inclusive......
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The Art Nouveau era was born 1890, which was the year that Wiltshaw & Robinson was founded, so it stands to reason that some of W&R patterns are the epitome of Art Nouveau movement. 
This page is the home of the Wiltshaw & Robinson's Blush Ware and Flow Blue patterns whose names fall alphbetically between "O" and "R" inclusive......
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 This page is the home of the Wiltshaw & Robinson's Blush Ware and Flow Blue patterns whose names fall alphbetically between "S" and "Z" inclusive......
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In 1911 James Wiltshaw took effective control of Wiltshaw & Robinson when he brought out the Robinsons brother’s share of the company. Wiltshaw employed Horace Wain to be W&R’s new designer. Harvey Pettit of “The Cochrane & Pettit Archive of Carlton Ware” states; Hoarce Wain's importance to the success of Carlton Ware cannot be overestimated; his technical expertise as decorating manager enabled the pottery to introduce many fabulous patterns. Wain was highly influenced by Chinese and Japanese ceramics and his use of names such as Kang His, Kien Lung and Cloisonne`Ware clearly indicate this influence” This page will be the home of the first range of patterns produced under the direction of Horace Wain; so circa 1912 to 1916. These early Horace Wain patterns will be listed alphebetically. These pattern include :- CLOISONNE` WARE - Chinese Quail on Tree Peony - Chinese Quail on Cherry Blossom - Kang Hsi Blossom Cartouche - KANG HSI Chinoiserie - KANG HSI WORCESTER BIRD |
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The 1916 to 1920 period covers some of the Twentieth Century’s years of deepest despair; the 1916 battles of Verdun, where a million men lost their lives, and The Somme, where 60,000 allies fell on the first day of battle. No Staffordshire household would have been immune from the horrors of WWI. And then of course in 1918 at the very end of WWI a freak rail accident prematurely robbed W&R of James Fredrick Wiltshaw.
It is interesting that it was during this time of despair that Horace Wain was guiding the firm on to the artistic path that W&R would follow until the early 1960’s. In 1919 Mikado went into production, this was the first of the Super Patterns that was the stepping stone for the tour de force that is Carlton Ware.
Patterns first issued in this range and which are covered on this page are:- BASKET OF FLOWERS - Bird & Chequered Border - Cartouche of Summer Flowers - Chintz - COCK & PEONY - Prunus & Bird - CURTAIN BORDER - Dog Rose - DRAGON – Flies - Floral Twig - KIEN LUNG - Lovebirds - MIKADO - Mikado in Cartouche - Old Wisteria - Pinks - ROCKERY & PHEASANT – SEASONS - Willow - WORCESTER BIRDS
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This page covers the range of patterns that were first introduced between 1920 & 1925. This was Roaring Twenties; a period of rapid growth for W&R Carlton Ware. Just a year after the signing of the Armistice that ended WWI. Less than two years since the young Cuthbert Wiltshaw had taken control of his late Fathers company. This was a time of great optimism. In November 1922 the Egyptologist Horward Carter discovered the tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamen in “The Valley of The Kings”. To commemorate this event Horace Wain had Enoch Boulton design the Tutankhamen pattern, this was the conception of the Art Deco era. It was also in this era that Temple (1920) and New Mikado (1923) went into production; these are the other two Carlton Ware’s “Super Patterns” that where in production until the early 1960’s.
Patterns first issued in this range and which are covered on this page are:- BIRD - BARGE - Berries & Bands - FISH & SEAWEED - GALLANT - "Hanging Fruits" - Hawthorn - KINGFISHER - Long Tailed Bird & Tree Peony - NEW MIKADO - ORCHARD - PENDANT BUBBLES - PERSIAN - PRUNUS - PRUNUS SPRAY - Stork and Bamboo - TEMPLE - TUTANKHAMEN (TUT)
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This page covers the W&R patterns introduced between 1925 and 1927 when the Carlton Ware script mark was introduced. The Paris expedition of 1925 is considered by most as the birth of the Art Deco movement. It was the time of the Charleston; the mood was light, the people did not suspect the economic catastrophe that was just around the corner. It was during this period that Horace Wain would leave the W&R to take up a position at Harley-Jones. The ever capable Enoch Boulton would take over Wain’s position. Boulton was instrumental in the end of the W&R makers mark that had served the company since 1894.
Patterns first issued in this range and which are covered on this page are:-
Bird & Pine Cone - Brocade - Cameo Wren - CHINALAND - CHINESE TEA GARDEN - CRETONE - DANCING FIGURES - Dragon in Cartouche - Enchanted Garden - Jeweled Star Flower - Kakiemon - Lace Frieze - LANDSCAPE TREE - MAGPIES - Meadow - Mikado without Mikado - MOONLIGHT - MOONLIGHT CAMEO -NEW FLIES - ORANGE EMBOSSED - PARROTS - Passion Flower - Plumb - Scalloped Lace - SWALLOW & CLOUD - TURKISH 
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