James Sadler and Sons Ltd facts for kids
| Industry | Pottery |
|---|---|
| Fate | Went into receivership; rights purchased by Churchill China |
| Founded | 1882 in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England |
| Founder | James Sadler |
| Defunct | 2000 |
| Products | Teapots |
James Sadler and Sons Ltd was a company that made pottery. It was started in 1882 by James Sadler. The company was located in Burslem, a town in Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom. They became very well known for their unique and often fun teapots.
The Story of Sadler Teapots
The company was especially famous for making "Brown Betty" teapots. At first, these teapots were made from a reddish clay called terracotta. They had a clear, shiny coating called a glaze. These early teapots were shaped using special pottery methods like jiggering, jolleying, and slipcasting.
Later, the "Brown Betty" teapots were made from white earthenware. They were covered with a shiny brown glaze called Rockingham brown. These newer teapots were shaped entirely by slipcasting. This is a process where liquid clay is poured into a mold.
Fun and Fancy Teapots
In the 1930s, James Sadler and Sons started making teapots in interesting shapes. These were called novelty teapots. They made teapots shaped like Crinoline ladies and even a Father Christmas.
In 1938, they created a very famous racing car teapot. After World War II, in 1947, they made a teapot shaped like a tank. The lid of the tank teapot looked like a character called "Old Bill."
The racing car teapots made before the war often had a shiny silver decoration. They usually had "Made In England" stamped on the bottom. You could also see a design number, 820236, on the base. These teapots came in many colors, like green, yellow, cream, black, blue, grey, pink, and maroon. The license plate on the car teapot read "OKT42." There was even a version decorated with cartoon characters by a famous artist named Mabel Lucie Attwell.
Changes and Challenges
In 1999, the company decided to make fewer types of teapots. They cut their product line from 850 different items to just 340. Some of their production was also moved to factories in other countries.
In April 2000, the company faced serious financial problems. It went into a process called receivership. This means that a special person was put in charge to manage the company's money. Another company, Churchill China, then bought the right to use the James Sadler brand name and its teapot designs.
Peter Sadler, who was in charge of the company, said that competition from cheaper products made in other countries caused the company's problems.
