Grimwades

Leonard Lumsden Grimwade (c. 1863-1931), – was a pottery manufacturer in Stoke-on-Trent in England.

Leonard started as a dry salter with his Uncle in Ipswich but moved the Potteries as a modeller. He was joined by his brother, Sydney and around 1885 they formed the firm Grimwade Brothers. They specialised in earthenware and fine bone china.
By 1890 new showrooms were opened in both London and Stoke-on-Trent and they became Grimwades Ltd with the purchase of the Winton Porcelain Factory in 1900.
By 1906 Grimwades Ltd had four separate factories in the Potteries and business was booming. Leonard was keen to experiment with new manufacturing techniques and pioneered the duplex lithographic transfer method which allowed them to decorate their pots much more efficiently. He also invented the enamel climax ‘Rotary Kiln’ which ran continuously by enabling pots to be wheeled in and out of the kiln in iron cages on wheels, rather than the traditional method of stacking, heating, cooling and then unstacking pots.
King George V and Queen Mary visited the potteries in 1913 and the brothers produced a commemorative catalogue to celebrate the event. The Queen bought a Winton Tea Set and was presented with an oval ceramic hot water bottle – the ‘Mecca Foot Warmer’
By the time of the First World War the firm employed around 1,000 people.
In 1928 the first Royal Winton pattern was produced, including their new chintz designs for which the pottery became famous and they officially changed their name to ‘Royal Winton’ in 1930. They introduced more than 60 Chintz designs and became the leading manufacturer of this type of ‘chintzware’ which they exported to the USA and most commonwealth companies.
Leonard was killed in a traffic accident on 26 January 1931 and was buried in Hartshill cemetery.

The firm was bought out in the 1960s by Henry Potter Ltd and the Chintz designs were discontinued. Chintzware has now become highly desirable collectors items and Christie’s of London run auctions dedicated to this type of pottery. The company was sold again in 1995 and the new owners revered back to trading as Royal Winton under the old company name of Grimwades Ltd.

Due to the ongoing popularity, the company produced a new piece of Royal Winton Chintz in March 1997, the first such piece for nearly forty years. The 11” octagonal vase in the Florence pattern was unveiled to resounding approval and the Chintz Convention in Pasadena, California.