Dotty Brown: Vintage Fabrics and Oilcloth

Dotty Brown is a wonderful collection of vintage inspired fabrics, oilcloth, home furnishings and gifts, handcrafted in our factory right here in sunny Lancashire.

Our high quality products are made by the same skilled workers who joined us when we began supplying our retail customers back in 1983.

These charming and whimsical designs are cleverly brought to life with the use of bold fun colours, which can be used practically in every room of your home, without costing the earth.

The range is designed to coordinate for chic and easy living, yet this twist on English country style also allows you to create a more quirky, individual look.

We are proud to bring British products direct to your home and our aim is to continue to create delightful textiles for your enjoyment for many years to come.

http://www.dottybrown.com/index.html

Abbeyhorn - High quality natural horn products

Abbeyhorn are makers of beautiful horn products ranging from gifts and homewares to jewellery.

The products are made by a team of skilled craftsmen using traditional methods. All horn is sourced ethically from across the world often using horn classed as a waste product from the meat industry.

The company has a history dating back to 1749 and is now based in Lancashire.  

http://www.abbeyhorn.co.uk/

Logicline Trunks

Logicline Trunks are a family business established in 1996 and the largest dedicated trunk maker in Europe with a range of over 400 trunks.

The Company says:

“Our craftsmen use traditional methods of construction, finish and service and our experienced team has now been supplying storage trunks to the trade and public for over 40 years, because we take such great care in providing the highest quality product and service at the lowest price, direct from the manufacturer.”

http://www.storagetrunks.co.uk/index.php

Brierley Hill Crystal

Brierley Hill Crystal was established in 1913 and is probably the longest private family owned crystal brand in the UK that are still manufacturing British crystal today. was established in 1913 and is probably the longest private family owned crystal brand in the UK that are still manufacturing British crystal today.

http://www.brierleyhillcrystal.com/

William Turner - Master cutler

 
In 1887 the country celebrated Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, 50 years as Queen. One in four of the world’s population was a subject of the crown. William Gladstone was a prominent politician when William Turner started a business in Sheffield smelting and refining gold and silver. The company quickly expanded into rolling other metals and manufacturing cutlery. The majority of the company’s early production was supplied to other cutlers for finishing and sale under their own name. In essence, William Turner was the “cutlers’ cutler”.
William Turner founded the company in 1887 with his close friend Mr R.J. Brown. The company was first engaged in the refining and smelting of precious metals. William Turner had close links with the Sheffield community – he was a director of the Sheffield Wednesday Football Club and became Sheffield Lord Mayor elect in 1906 shortly before his death. He was succeeded by his son William Glasier Turner O.B.E, who was also a Director and Chairman of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club.
In the early 1930′s the company designed two of the classic Sheffield patterns Jesmond and Harley which are still, to this day, copied worldwide.
William Turner’s tradition as a master cutler lives on and the company continues to produce the highest quality Sheffield cutlery in Hallmarked Sterling Silver, Silver Plate and Stainless Steel. Each and every piece is individually guaranteed for the lifetime of the purchaser and all the patterns featured on this Website are timeless, possessing an elegance and quality that will never date.
Remember, there’s cutlery and there’s William Turner Cutlery, and by choosing Sheffield’s best, you are making an investment that will not only provide you with a lifetime of pleasure, but will serve generations to come.

http://www.williamturnersheffield.com/static/

Big Tomato Company - Ceramic homewares

Big Tomato Company was launched with just one product – the iconic red tomato. Our Mission was to see a squirty tomato on every kitchen table in the UK. This has moved on a little since then….

From those humble beginnings we ventured into the British Ceramics industry, developing our award winning table top range: English Eccentrics.

Big Tomato Company is now firmly established within the gift and homeware market. Our products are developed in collaboration with leading British designers and traditional manufacturers and we are committed to manufacturing in Stoke-on-Trent using time honoured production methods. 

http://www.bigtomatocompany.com/ 

Shire Crystal - English Handmade Crystal

Shire Crystal has been Manufacturing hand made English cut Crystal since 1983. We are the last remaining full Manufacturer of Crystal from start to finish all under one roof left in Stourbridge / Brierley Hill area, England. Our craftsmen are some of the finest in their field and have learnt their trade with leading Brand Name Companies such as, Stuart Waterford Crystal, Royal Brierley, Royal Doulton, Webb Corbett and Tudor Crystal.

http://www.shirecrystal.com/

Leo Alexander - Quality Leather Goods

Leo Alexander is a Master Saddler and member of the Society of Master Saddlers. Leo trained as a Bespoke Saddle and Harness maker, achieving Level III City & Guilds in all three disciplines (Bridle, Saddle and Harness) in 1994
Leo has been running his Saddlery business (L.C. Wright Saddlery) since 1991, initially specialising in Equestrian related products.  Due to customer requests, a natural artistic flair and an inquisitive nature, Leo’s love of working with Leather found his business diversifying into more artistic and unusual leather goods.
With this diversification came the need to split the original business and form a company specifically aimed at the Interior Design Market and the more discerning clientele.

These high quality and unique items include: Leather trunks, Lamp stands, Log baskets, Leather pales, Leather vases, Jugs and Drinking vessels, Briefcases, Hat boxes, Hand bags, Belts and Dog collars & leads.
Bespoke items made to a customer’s own specification are easily catered for, emphasizing that personal and individual touch.

http://www.leoalexander.co.uk/

Wade Ceramics - high quality earthenware and porcelain products

Wade Ceramics is a market leader in the design and production of high quality
earthenware and porcelain products and the world leader in the design and
supply of porcelain flagons for the international distilling industry.

http://www.wade.co.uk/index.html

Portmeirion - Designer tableware

2010 is a very important year for Portmeirion as it celebrates its 50^th birthday. For half a century, Portmeirion has been delighting the world with tableware designs that are as innovative and imaginative as they are beautiful.

Taking direct inspiration from the original designs of the legendary designer and founder of Portmeirion Potteries, Susan Williams-Ellis, Portmeirion have introduced the Portmeirion Originals collection -  a perfect tribute to Susan's iconic designs and the innovative techniques she used to revolutionise the casual dining market in the 1960s and 70s.

The Portmeirion Originals collection includes stunning, beautifully gift boxed mugs, a vase, coffee pot and soup tureen, all made in England. Information about each of the designs follows.

http://www.portmeirion.co.uk/

Royal Crown Derby - Luxury China

1750

The history of Royal Crown Derby is one of changing fortunes in the ebb and flow of time and taste. It began some time before 1750, when the Huguenot, Andrew Planche, established the first china works in Derby. His exquisite figures led to a fortuitous link with William Duesbury, who eventually became the guiding light in a very successful partnership manufacturing china of the highest quality.

1770

By 1770, Duesbury had acquired the famous Chelsea China Works and the Bow moulds which resulted in the gradual transfer of a number of extremely skilled craftsmen to Derby. It wasn't long before Duesbury could claim - with some justification - that his Derby factory was the 'second Dresden'. The opening of a London Showroom in 1773 marked the begnning of the widespread recognition of the excellence of Derby porcelain.

1775

King George III recognised the uniqueness of Derby porcelain in 1775 when he granted the factory the rare honour of being able to incorporate a crown into the backstamp. Much later, in 1890, Queen Victoria also gave Crown Derby her seal of approval not only by awarding the royal warrant, but also by granting the title "The Royal Crown Derby Porcelain Company".

1786

After his father's death in 1786, William Duesbury II set about making the Derby China Works the finest in Europe. Great developments were made in body, glaze, potting and decoration and the factory benefited from what was probably the most talented group of ceramic artists ever assembled. A tremendous variety of objects - all lavishly decorated - has made the 1786-95 decade one of the most desirable and interesting for collectors and students alike. Artistic talent included Boreman, the water-colour landscape genuis; figure painters Askew and Banford; and the exceptional talents of flower painters Withers, Billingsley and Pegg.

2000

Hugh Gibson, a former director of Royal Doulton and member of the Pearson family, leads a buy-out of Royal Crown Derby. Once more the firm becomes an independent and privately owned concern, during the year in which it also celebrates 250 years of manufacture of porcelain in Derby. http://www.royalcrownderby.co.uk/

James Macintyre & Co. - Moorcroft pottery

Originally founded as a studio in 1897 within a large ceramic company. James Macintyre & Co. Moorcroft pottery soon made its mark on the world. Designs came from 24 year old William Moorcroft who personalised each piece of pottery produced with his own signature or initials. This did little for James Mcintyre’s name and reputation, and in 1912 the inevitable split occurred. William marched his workforce across Cobridge Park to a new factory in Sandbach Road where Moorcroft pottery is still made today. Money came from Liberty, the famous London store and Liberty continued to control Moorcroft until 1962.
In 1904, Moorcroft won a gold medal at the St Louis International Exhibition and followed up the achievement with further medals and commendations, culminating in the appointment of the Moorcroft company as Potter to HM The Queen in 1928.
On the death of William Moorcroft in 1945, his elder son, Walter, took over management and design. In 1962, the Moorcroft family bought out Liberty, but Moorcroft seldom prospered. Finally, in 1984, the family sold the bulk of their shares on the open market. After several material shareholder changes in the mid-1980’s and early 1990’s, Moorcroft is now controlled by the Edwards family, and has been since 1993.
Over the past nine years the world profile of Moorcroft has grown internationally, both in quality and in perceived value. Auctioneers Christies hold a dedicated Moorcroft sale each year. In 2001, Sotheby’s NewYork hold a major sale comprising many pieces of Moorcroft pottery. The Victoria & Albert museum has joined many other national museums with significant pieces of Moorcroft pottery in their permanent collections.

Today, Moorcroft leads the world of art pottery with its own distinctive design style. With added value coming from the skills and craftsmanship of a dedicated workforce, Moorcroft is selling more of its magnificent ware all over the world today, than it did even in its previous heyday in the mid-1920’s.

http://www.moorcroft.com/Site/History/

Black Sheep - finest knitwear

2011 is here and Black Sheep embarks on its 30th year making the finest knitwear from the highest quality British wool.  Much has changed over the last three decades but, as our longest standing friends will see, our core range and values have stayed the same: classic designs, made in England from British yarn.

In our earliest years the sheep grazing in the meadow at Ingworth would be shorn, local spinners would spin the yarn, our knitters would knit it and you would buy it!  Fundamentally this has not changed.  We have grown a bit now and have to get our yarn ready spun, and many designs are now made on larger knitting machines, but it is still from the sheep’s back to yours with as little flapdoodle as possible.  

Old hands will know that quality is what we are about.  We expect our products to last, and to look good for years not months.  Over the years we have all witnessed the rise of the throw-away society, the dreaded term ‘inbuilt obsolescence’, we all hate it but somehow we feel powerless and, worse, a sense of guilty complicity – Oh dear, you can see where I am going, can’t you?  OK, fair enough, buying a Black Sheep jersey is not going to solve any problems the world might have, and is not going to empty any landfill sites.  But when you do buy one you will be guaranteed quality of raw material, quality of manufacture and quality of service, and a garment that will keep going for you when others in your wardrobe fall by the wayside.  Not wishing to sound too sugary we do care about the garments we produce and expect them to serve you well.

http://www.blacksheep.ltd.uk/index.html

Daines and Hathaway - Luxury leather gifts since 1922

Our comprehensive collection of both classic and contemporary leather pieces has been carefully and individually crafted using premium quality leathers and fittings. The result is a range of items of the finest quality for those who are discerning of style, and demanding of standards.

In 1922 the highly respected William Daines and Charles Hathaway, leather specialists in Walsall - the heart of England -, joined forces to begin the manufacture of traditional English leather goods. The history and heritage of the company continues to provide inspiration for the many beautiful and useful things we produce: Our substantial design and pattern archive is still an important resource in designing products for the way we live our very different lives nearly 100 years later.

Daines and Hathaway is still amongst the most prestigious traditional leather goods makers, producing products which continue to be quintessentially English in style. All our products are made in England, combining th experience of the true craftsman, with the most beautiful leathers* and superior quality fittings to create truly exquisite pieces to be cherished for years to come.

Our collection is offered to our customers who appreciate the quality and style of the best of England. We seek to take care of their requirements in an efficient and understated way, and look forward to sharing with them products which are really a joy to own.

Many of our leathers are supplied by Pittards, based in the England's West Country but famous across the world for producing beautiful leathers.

http://www.dainesandhathaway.com/

Noble Macmillan - Photo albums, record and social books

Noble Macmillan designs, manufactures and sells an exceptional and comprehensive range of photo albums, record and social books. From cellar books to dressing books, visitors books to game books, we do them all.

Our books and albums are handmade in the UK using materials that we have sourced from all over the world. The binding is to the very highest standard ensuring that our books last many generations - the perfect gift for those people who want to store their memories and records for all to enjoy.

http://www.noblemacmillan.com/

Dartington Crystal - Wine Glasses

The English Crystal Company - Handmade since 1967

In 1967 a group of Swedish glassmakers brought their hand making skills to rural North Devon to help start a very different glass company. Working with the finest natural materials, these craftsmen soon became known for creating beautiful glassware that would be used and appreciated.
Today, Dartington Crystal continues to provide elegant, simple designs in crystal and glass. Much of our range continues to be hand crafted in our Devon factory and Dartington is now the only crystal brand still producing in the UK.

http://www.dartington.co.uk/

Teign Valley Glass

Devon collectable glassware since 1981


http://www.teignvalleyglass.com/

Melamaster - Quality British melamine products

Melamaster with parent company Coleshill Plastics Limited, has been manufacturing quality melamine trays and co-ordinating products for over thirty years. In our well equipped factory in Coventry, we produce our melamine products with care and attention, working closely with highly talented designers to bring products to you which will be perfect for your home or as a much appreciated gift for someone special.

In addition to our melamine product ranges, we are pleased to include quality bone china mugs which make a natural companion to our trays. You will find mugs and tankards available for many of the designs featured in our catalogue.

We are continually developing new surface images with our designers, so please keep an eye open for new introductions, which will be featured here as and when they are released. As a part of this progression, we have to make space for the new ranges, so please take a look at our Clearance Store where you will be able to purchase discontinued items at significantly reduced prices.

http://www.melamaster.co.uk/

Cumbria Crystal - Greatdale Limited

Cumbria Crystal was founded in 1976 to produce very high quality, handmade, full lead crystal tableware. Only traditional glassmaking methods were to be used. Initially the work-force was recruited from the Stourbridge area of the West Midlands, the heart of the English crystal industry and re-located to Ulverston in the south of Cumbria.

Early ranges were reproductions of classic designs from three hundred years of crystal making. One of the earliest, Grasmere, is based on a Georgian design and remains our most popular range. Another, Helvellyn, is a reproduction of the very earliest form of cutting from the 17th Century and is supplied to British Ambassadors Residences and High Commissions around the world.

The Company has remained small and currently employs 17 people at its factory on the edge of The Lake District where visitors can watch our craftsmen and women at work producing crystal in the time honoured way. Unlike all of our larger competitors Cumbria Crystal does not have any of it’s products made overseas or use automated manufacturing methods. Our commitment to quality remains as exacting as ever, with each piece of our crystal being individually inspected twice before being given the Cumbria Crystal assay mark of first quality. Second quality crystal is sold through the factory shop at our visitor Centre in Ulverston and is not available anywhere else.

http://www.cumbriacrystal.com/

English Pewter Company

English Pewter Company are the UK's largest manufacturer of quality pewter giftware. Established in 1977 the family run business exports worldwide and our products can be seen in some of the worlds leading retail outlets.

A commitment to Quality, Service and Price is at the core of our business.

Made In Sheffield - All of our pewter products are handmade in the world famous manufacturing city of Sheffield. For centuries Sheffield has been synonymous with quality manufacturing. Although somewhat smaller than in previous decades this trend continues today and Sheffield still leads the way in the production of quality silverware, steel and pewterware.

Located in the very building where stainless steel was invented (many of the original laboratory fixtures are still clearly visible) English Pewter Co are proud to be at the forefront of carrying on this magnificent tradition of quality and innovation.

http://www.englishpewter.co.uk/