Early Life & Work
Henry Doulton's parents, Jane and John, had eight children and
lived at Vauxhall Walk, Lambeth, London. John Doulton was a
partner in a pottery company known as Doulton & Watts, making
stoneware bottles for chemicals, beer, and other industrial
liquids.
Henry, their second child, was born on July 25, 1820.
At the tender age of 15, the young Henry
Doulton began an apprenticeship at his father's factory, to
learn potting. He caught on quickly, both as a potter and a
businessman. Before long he was introducing new products,
including garden ornaments and terracotta building materials.
In the 1830s, the rising demand for improved health and
sanitation standards created a demand for improved, nonporous
ceramic pipes and sanitary items. Young Henry rushed his family
company into this new market. It became the foundation of his
business for the next forty-odd years. |
Marks
impressed or printed onto Doulton stoneware made at Lambeth,
London. ENGLAND was added after 1891. Note the four interlocking
"Ds."