European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 16, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Doulton factory has had a wheel of Good Fortune no one can accuse the potteries big names in porcelain and China outfits like Royal Coalport and Wedgwood of turning away each operates a virtual open House to whatever their one of the big draws for visiting Stoke Trent is the Opportunity to tour China factories and their seconds where super bargains can be millions of visitors take these Tours annually to find out How Fine Bone China and figurines Are we kicked off our tour of the pottery factories with a visit to the Royal Doulton factory in one of the six towns that comprise Scotland England How to get there by rail to get to Stoke Trent from take the train from Euston which departs daily every there Are also frequent trains from Birmingham and by Road 157 Miles North of makes an Ideal Stopover in route from the British capital to the Lake District or take the m1 Motorway North from London to exit then the m6 to exit Stoke Trent is just off the m6 and reached by the a5006 each Painter works on a different piece at the Royal Dot Mlton named after the founding started off in a quite Downto Earth manner in London in the Early 1800s As a maker of Plain stoneware bottles and it soon established the worlds first factory for the production of stoneware sewer and water to this Many of its Early utilitarian products gurgle on beneath the pavements of British in the London factory eventually branched out great Success into Art by 1878 Doulton had bought a pottery factory in Stoke intent that soon was producing Bone award after award was bestowed on the Henry Doulton was knighted by Queen Victoria and later King Edward Vii granted the company the Royal warrant authorizing the use of the prefix today the Royal Doulton group is the worlds leading manufacturer of Bone its 14 12 of them in include such Well known names As Royal Royal Crown Royal Queen Paragon and John our visit to Doulton Fine chivas Nile Street factory began with a look at its backyard Sheds that contain tons of the raw ingredients for to qualify As Bone the product must contain at least 50 percent animal Bone for it is Bone that gives the product its distinctive Dou tons recipe Calls for 50 percent ground 24 percent China Clay and 24 percent mixed together with a 1 percent bonding agent which allows for oily 1 percent China is the strongest of All Ceramic its a Potter forms a plate with hand pressure and the turning dense and very Sandra Dou tons touts organizer told our min group As we trooped around the premises where nearly people Are we passed Fine China plates thousands upon thousands of them being glazed and one of the most interesting sections of the Doulton factory is the Labo intensive figure casting department where delicate porcelain figures Are painstakingly crafted out of As Many As 52 individual each figure is made from Start to finish by highly skilled individual painted pieces Are fired in the kilns Between each color application and some pieces require As Many As six the painting department is a close copy of santas workshop where scores of artists All paid piecework rates paint the colourful figures with Quick deft to fully train an artist so that he or she is Able to paint any of the Doulton figures can take As Long As eight the painting of the largest and most expensive Doulton Princess Badoura which features a woman Riding an takes one artist 160 decorated with 22karat the figure which is Only made to order costs just under pounds nearly and it has been in production since the one reason the figure is so expensive is that after All the work has been done on it could go into the last firing and said included in the factory tour is a visit to the Henry Doulton gallery were on display Are examples of Royal Doulton pottery spanning More than 150 the gallery is the Home of the Royal Doulton figure collection where nearly 300 figures give a Complete picture of the evolution of this important aspect of the company americans will be especially interested in one commemorative plate on display in the it is one of three plates the first Bone China to be sent into space taken aloft on by nasal space the Royal Doulton premises also contain a gift shop where both Best Quality and limited quantities of slightly imperfect items Are on often for far less than they would Cost especially in the United All of the museums and shops in the Royal Doulton group Are normally open from monday to Friday from 9 to you wish to join a conducted tour of one or More of its please Contact them to provide Advance notice and details of the number in your one final note All the outfits premises Date to the last Century and Are unsuitable for the elderly or for the company is unable to accommodate children under the age of for More Telephone Minton China 0782 47771 or Royal Doulton 0782 King Cruger May stripes Magazine 7