The Pottery Gazette and Glass Trade Review

August 1, 1922 Pages 1185-1187

Brown & Steventon, Ltd, Royal Pottery, Market Place, Burslem are manufacturers of a wide variety of popular earthenware, both useful and ornamental, have recently developed their attention rather specially to the production of a complete range of domestic ware in a series of stencilled and shaded patterns, which are experiencing quite a ready call and promise to become on of the firm's leading lines. It will be known by all our readers that Brown & Steventon have long enjoyed a wide connection for underglaze printed toilets, as wells as for self-grounded, simple shaded, and shaded and lithographic sets. When these are fortified, as in future they will be, by an assortment of stenciled patterns, there is every promise of the line becoming even more powerful.

In one of the patterns in which we were specially interested, and which we have chosen to illustrate, the quiet tint of the shading provides a capital background for the touch of real live colouring that is introduced to the stencil work.

There is just enough of gay colouring to lend interest to the production no more or less than is necessary to make the pattern a popular seller. Moreover, the price of the service is just about within the province of the average buyer. We must not, however leave our readers with the impression that Brown & Steventon are simply toilet specialists; for, as a matter of fact, they are producers of everything in competitive domestic pottery from teaware upwards. Their lines begin with the most modest requirements in stock teaware designs and extend to a full range of 'en suite' patterns and some solid lines in dinnerware.

They are particularly strong on an all over flow blue printed pattern known as "Bluebird Chintz" which appears to come from the oven into the warehouse uniform in colour and generally well finished, in spite of the moderate price that is asked for it. The writer critically inspected a number of tea and breakfast cups standing in bungs in the warehouse, and was particularly impressed by the lightness and straightness of the potting. Brown & Steventon Ltd, are also strong in hotel and restaurant goods of which a powerful unit is their mazarine blue band and guilt ware. This they can supply with or without badges, and the flatware with or without a rolled edge. A Saxe blue band which they offer is also much in demand for the purposes of caterers.

We noticed when at the factory recently that the old " Blue Willow" printed pattern, which has long been supplied by the firm in tea ware only, is now being engraved so as to be made applicable also to dinnerware and other articles of tableware.

The house is strong on cheese dishes, sets of jugs, trinket sets, and similar lines which come under the general category of 'extras' and there appears, in fact, to be little in the realm of everyday pottery goods for which they were unable to quote.

Their productions are of a popular quality - attractive and yet inexpensive -the class of pottery that should be in strong demand in these economic days. The firm's London agent is Mr J.E.Holt, who maintains at 59 Shoe Lane, EC4, a full range of their productions, which should be consulted. Any provincial dealer who is too far removed from London to pay the showroom there a visit will be welcomed at the factory, or will be advised by Mr Steventon, jun, from the nearest point on his country journey.