The Pottery Gazette and Glass Trade Review

July 1, 1927 Pages 1097-1099

John Steventon & Sons Ltd, Royal Pottery, Market Place, Burslem, whose London showrooms at 1-3, Union Bank Buildings. Ely Place. Holborn Circus. EC1, in the charge of Mr H.S.Leese, the writer recently had an opportunity of revisiting, will need no introduction to those of our readers who are regularly in the market for popular priced earthenware, either useful or ornamental. It is, however, chiefly the former class of ware that the firm seems to specialise, and in this branch of the trade their arrangements are certainly of a very practical order, for they seem to offer everything that is normally required., from the most inexpensive articles of daily use in the home to some smartly decorated wares in full service compositions.


Dinner and toilet ware are strong lines in the range, and there is no question that within the last few years there has been a steady advance in the decorations offered, whether the designs happen to be on or under the glaze, in the production of both of which classes of decoration the firm seems to be equally at home. In our illustration we have pleasure in putting before our readers three new decorations which are reported to be finding a ready market, and which can be supplied en suite in dinner, tea and miscellaneous table articles, as is the case with most of the newer decorations which the firm as bought out.

It has become a growing practice on the part of retailers to select patterns of this type and run them as stock lines, and, seeing that it is not quite so easy as it was in times gone by to sell services of the larger compositions, such as, for instance, a 54 piece or 72 piece dinner set, a 40 piece tea set, and a 51 piece breakfast set, what is called a "combination service" of 76 pieces is now offered as solution to the problem. The set in question seems to be capable of meeting the requirements of smaller households in relation to tea, breakfast and dinner ware, and the patterns which John Steventon & Sons Ltd, supply these combinations are now available..


A further point we ought possibly to emphasise is that since we visited the firm's showroom in the early part of last year an additional ivory bodyware has been introduced, so as to give a softer and warmer effect to some of the enameled and underglazed colourings, many of which are being employed with less restraint than was at one time the case. To our minds, these stronger and ,more intense colourings are far more advanced of many of the more , shall we say?, "nervous" styles of colouring which held sway a couple of decades ago. The greater the confidence and courage with which strong colours are being used is all to the good, since they bring into the home that touch of colour which becomes increasingly necessary, seeing that furnishings are getting fewer in the average home, and, therefore, have severally to play a large part.

We can strongly recommend to the trade amongst the best selling patterns of John Steventon & Sons Ltd, at the moment, the Nos 1531, 1563, 1573 and 1635 decorations. The No 1531 pattern is an onglaze design in bright, effective colourings; the Nos 1563, and 1573 are lithos, which are placed on the ware to the best possible effect, there being a far greater sense of freedom about setting than is usually displayed in the application of litho designs to ordinary domestic ware; and the No 1635 is a spray pattern that is printed and brushed in under the glaze, entailing the use of a dark purple colouring which is distinctly pleasing, as well as being different from the usual types of underglaze colouring offered elsewhere..


Apart from dinner and tea ware, the firm under notice has on offer an excellent range of fruit sets at competitive prices, these ranging from the simplest plain borders in lithographs to ambitious treatments in Royal blue groundwork or panels, enlivened by a tracery in best scoured gold. The No 1789 fruit set is a very interesting pattern, supplied on the new "Shell" shape, which has a special rim to accommodate the stones. This shape has been specially modelled by the firm to meet the demands for something distinctive in fruits sets, and many patterns have been applied to this embossed shape In the case of the No 1798 pattern to which we now refer the panels are dealt with in blue, whilst the centres of the pieces bear a strongly enamelled design in fruits.

Another good design in fruit sets is the 1892. Here again, blue is the predominant note, and it is enlivened by a fruit decoration which. in this case, is traced in best gold, and the centres of the pieces assisted by an orange lustring. There are many conventional designs in the range, but there are also many which seem to offer good scope to the enamellers and paintresses; which is all to the good..


Passing to toiletware, which is a strong line in the house, there are many appealing treatments available at quite reasonable prices. There is the new shape in toilet ware, known as the "Ascot" and to this there have been applied some smart styles in stencilling, a department of decoration with which the firm under notice has been very successful ever since their earliest 'attempts' were made, in a fairly simple way, upon jugs some seven or eight years ago. A decoration of outstanding merit in competitively priced toilet ware is the No 1522, which entails three processes, printing. enameling and stencilling. This is a design of which the dealers would be well advised to make a special note. There is also a black grounded toilet ware, to which is applied a strongly coloured tulip design, and this is reported to be one of the best selling lines of the firm at the present time.

Lastly, we would remind ours readers that John Steventon & Sons Ltd, are regular suppliers of hotel ware, and in this connection they have a number of specially suitable shapes, strongly potted and having roll rims. We saw, whilst in the firm's London showrooms recently, a number of badges in all kinds of treatments from simple to involved styles, indicating that the firm is, indeed, doing a developing business in this particular branch of the pottery trade.