Posted 1 month ago
jmillersmugs
(103 items)
Earthenware and porcelain manufacturer at the Old Foley Pottery, Stoke-on-Trent.
NOTE: The small district of Foley is very close to the municipal boundary between Fenton and Longton and the marks of James Kent use the town names of Fenton and Longton at various periods.
"This firm of general domestic potters, Old Foley, Longton, was founded by James Aloysius Kent (born 1864 died 1953) with five workmen from the firm of Barker & Kent (including Arnold Bennett's brother Septimus Bennett, modeller) in 1897." from Mankowitz & Haggar
James was joined at the business by his four sons.
James Kent became a Limited company in 1913.
When James died in 1953 he was succeeded as Chairman by his second son, Philip Francis Kent.
The company continued as a family business until 1981 when it was purchased by Bayer (UK) Ltd. [Bayer is a German multinational chemical and pharmaceutical company].
In 1985/6 the business was taken over by the pottery and engineer Morris Rushton.
The association with Morris Rushton was shortlived and 1987 the business became part of County Potteries PLC.
In 1989 County Potteries was renamed Carlton & Kent (from the names of Carlton Ware and James Kent which the company owned). During the same year Carlton & Kent went into receivership and the James Kent part was purchased by M. R. Hadida Ltd., owners of Hadida Fine Bone China Ltd.
The company was renamed James Kent (1989) Ltd.
c.1995 Wedgwood sold the buildings of Foley China Works to James Kent who were operating at the adjacent Old Foley Pottery.
The Old Foley Pottery was demolished c.2006 and the company operated from the Foley China Works.
By c.2008 the company closed and by 2010 the Foley China Works had been demolished.
