The Grindley Hotel Ware Co Ltd






Location and period of operation:

Grindley Hotel Ware Co 

Tunstall

1908

Jan 1933

The Grindley Hotel Ware Co Ltd

Tunstall

Jan 1933

Dec 1979

The Duraline Hotel Ware Co Ltd

Tunstall

Dec 1979

June 1996

Dudson Duraline Ltd

Tunstall

June 1996

 

 

Manufacturer of earthenware hotel and catering ware at the Globe Pottery, Scotia Road, Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, England.

Originally a sister company of W.H. Grindley & Co  

  • The business was started in 1908 by William Harry Grindley who was the principal partner of the nearby business of W.H. Grindley & Co which was originally founded in 1880.

"W. H. Grindley & Co., the progressive firm of Tunstall earthenware manufacturers, have commenced the erection of a commodious new model factory, which is expected to be in full working trim before the spring is over. It is to be built on a site in Scotia-road, adjoining the Chatterley- Whitfield wharf, and will occupy an area of about 7,000 square yards. 
The factory will all be built on one story, and is intended to supply exclusively hotel ware. Its cost is to be between £8,000 and £10,000, and the contract has been let to Mr. James Grant, of Cobridge. There are to be four ovens, a special dippers’ drying tower is being installed, and the paving is to be stone sets, special arrangements being made to ensure perfect drainage. The most up-to-date machinery is to be installed, and the works will find employment for a large number of workpeople."

The Pottery Gazette - March 1908

  • In May 1908 the announcement was made that 'The Grindley Hotel Ware Co. Ltd.' had been registered with a capital of £15,000 in £1 shares to adopt an agreement with W. H. Grindley and J. H. Fleming. The subscribers W. H. Grindley, Mrs S. T. Grindley, J. H. Fleming, Miss A. M. Fleming, C. Bailey, Mrs A. J. C. Bailey, D. G. Norman.

  • The company was sold in 1920 and became part of H. T. Robinson's Cauldon Potteries Ltd - the business continued as Grindley Hotel Ware.

  •  Following the liquidation of the umbrella company Cauldon Potteries Ltd in 1932 the Grindley Hotel Hotel Ware Co was voluntary wound up on the 19 January 1933.

  • In January 1933 the business was re-formed under the management of John Goddard and Joseph Harrison.

  • It was around the early 1930's that the trade name 'Duraline' was adopted. 

  • In 1952 the business was acquired by Dudson Bros. and it continued to trade as the Grindley Hotel Hotel Ware Co - a member of the Dudson Group. 

  • At the end of 1979 the company incorporated its trade name into its title and became The Duraline Hotel Ware Co Ltd. 

  • 1st June 1996 saw another name change to Dudson Duraline Ltd

 

Originally a sister company of W.H. Grindley & Co  

 



London Gazette
30 December 1932


notice of the voluntary winding up of
The Grindley Hotel Ware Company
on 23rd December 1932

 


London Gazette
11 April 1974

notice that The Grindley Hotel Ware Company
intend to register land off Scotia Road, Tunstall

 


 

When the company was registered in 1908 it was "to carry on the business of pottery manufacturers, and dealers in earthenware, sanitary ware, china, porcelain, parian and other ceramic ware, bricks, tiles, &c." 

 


Small Duraline milk jug
made in March 1963 



Grindley Gravy Boat 

 


 


Plate for Clare College, Cambridge University 


Barrett & Son Ltd is  be the name of the retailer
11-50 is the date of manufacture - November 1950

 


Gibson and Paterson were agents for Grindley in New Zealand & Australia

 


Ware for the Catherdral Hotel 

Marked: Gibson & Patterson PTY LTD Sydney
(who were agents for the Grindley Hotel Company in Australia and New Zealand)

 


The Gibsons and Paterson 



 


W. A. G. R.
Dining & refreshment Service

 produced for the Western Australian Government Railways
and imported via
Gibson & Patterson 

this cup was found in an old townsite called Youanmi (now abandoned) 
near Sandstone Western Australia


"Duraline"
Super Vitrified
Grindley Hotel Ware Co
England
Gibsons and Paterson  PTY LD
Sydney
Patent

 


 


Barwon Cafe Walgett

 Walgett is a town in northern New South Wales, Australia


"Duraline"
Super Vitrified
Grindley Hotel Ware Co
England
Gibsons and Paterson  PTY LD
Sydney

1-37

manufactured January 1937


photos courtesy: Megan Hicks 

 




Gibsons and Paterson  LD
Wellington
3-39

manufactured March 1939


Gibsons and Paterson  PTY LD
Australia & N Z
3-54

manufactured March 1954

 


 

Grindley Hotel Ware made catering ware for hotels,
restaurants and organisations all over the world 



Crest of the Niarara Falls 
Commission 

Standish Hall Hotel 
 
A. E. B.
SOMMERLYST 

YMCA 

 


 

Marks used on ware for identification:

Early ware is marked "Grindley Hotel Ware" with a crown

From c.1932 ware was marked with the month and year of manufacture
this practice was continued was the business was taken over by Dudson.

From c.1996 just the year of manufacture was marked 

 

Duraline

Ultraline

trade names of Grindley Hotel Ware Co

Duraline was predominately used 
marks with the DURALINE trade name introduced c.1932+ 


 


Grindley  Hotelware
ENGLAND
Vitrified

early mark 1908+ 

 


 

   
Grindley Hotelware
Made in England

later mark commonly used in the period up to 1932 
at which time the DURALINE trade name was  introduced

however this style of mark was still in use in the later 1940s
as the 7-47 date of manufacture - July 1947 shows

 

 



GIV
Grindley
1944 

from a plate produced for for RAF canteens 
recovered from an old WWII Bomb Dump (RAF Turweston, Buckinghamshire)

photo courtesy: Garth Barnard

Under the Wartime Concentration Scheme Grindley was one of the potteries allowed to continued production during the Second World War.

A number of pottery companies that produced catering ware also produced ware for the armed forces canteens during the war time, sometime they were marked with the Cypher for King George VI instead of the A, B, C letters.

 

 


 


"DURALINE"
Super
Vitrified
Grindley
Hotelware Co
ENGLAND

marks with the DURALINE trade name introduced c.1932+ 

this style of mark 1946+ 

10-51 is the date of manufacture - October 1951


 


"DURALINE"
Super
Vitrified
Grindley
Hotelware Co
ENGLAND

Cassidy's would be the name of a retailer
3-63 is the date of manufacture - March 1963



"DURALINE"
Super
Vitrified
Grindley
Hotelware Co
Made in ENGLAND

7-78 is the date of manufacture - July 1978 



GIBPAT
Gibsons & Patterson
Duraline
Hotelware 
Co Ltd
Made in 
ENGLAND

2-86 is the date of manufacture - February 1986 

 



DURALINE
Dudson
Super Vitrified
Made in England

2-89 is the date of manufacture - February 1989 

BS 4034 is a "Specification for the requirements for resistance 
to water absorption and crazing of vitrified hotelware"



1800-1992
DUDSON
Duraline
Stoke-on-Trent
England 

manufactured in 1992

 


1800-1995
DUDSON
Duraline
Stoke-on-Trent
England 

manufactured in 1995

the 1800 is the date Richard Dudson opened his works 



Pottery Gazette & Glass Trade Review 
Reference Book Directory, 1947

7 Hollinshead & Kirkham

8 Johnson Bros. (Hanley), Ltd.

9 Grenville Pottery, Ltd.

10 W. H. Grindley & Co., Ltd.

11 Thos. Dean & Sons, Ltd.

12 A. G. Richardson & Co., Ltd.

13 Grindley Hotel Ware Co., Ltd.

14 Wedgwood & Co., Ltd.

 


 

1937 map showing the Scotia Road area of Tunstall

Globe Pottery (red) of the Grindley Hotel Ware Co. Ltd

Woodland Pottery (blue) of W.H. Grindley & Co. Ltd

 


 

Works in 2017
The old buildings of the original Globe Pottery can still be seen 

 


Sign on the works in 2017

 

Dudson Ltd
Duraline Site 

The faded shadow of the previous sign can still be seen:

The Duraline Hotel Ware Co Ltd
A Dudson Factory



Questions, comments, contributions? email: Steve Birks