Shaw and Copestake (Sylvac)
KEY DATES
1894 William Shaw founded the Sheaf Pottery, Normacot Road, Longton
1896 William Shaw moved to Commerce Street, Longton
1902 Mr Copestake became a partner
1902 Moved to the Drury Works, Normacot Road
1903 Mr Copestake's share bought by Richard Hull, Senior
1904 Works renamed Sylvan Works, Normacot Road
1936 Shaw and Copestake became a limited company
1938 Richard Hull Jnr. and E.J. Dennis acquired Thomas Lawrence (Limited)
Falcon Ware
(Falcon Works, Waterloo Street, Longton estd. 1898)
1942 William Shaw retired
1957 New factory opened in Normacot Road
1962 Thomas Lawrence ceased trading under own name
1964 Use of the Falcon Ware name ceased
1982 Shaw and Copestake in voluntary liquidation. Plant and equipment
(including moulds and name)
purchased by North Midlands Co-operative Society and leased to a
co-operative called Longton Ceramics
1984 Longton Ceramics taken over by United Co-operative Society and became
Crown Winsor
1989 Crown Winsor closed
** The Falcon Ware of Thomas Lawrence (Longton) Ltd. should not be confused with the products of J.H. Weatherby & Sons Ltd., Falcon Pottery, Hanley.
DESCRIPTION
In 1894, Mr Shaw called his company the Sheaf Art Pottery, but the wares produced were not produced by hand as in many art pottery studios - rather they were mass produced in moulds and then hand decorated. Early products included decorated vases, jugs, flower pots, cheese stands, toilet wares and fancy earthenwares. They were very ornate and heavily decorated with gold and a lot of hand painting.
Over the years many different decorative techniques were used and so a wide range of fancy goods can be found today. In the early 1800s aerography was used with handpainting, followed by lithographic transfers with hand embellishments. Lustre wares were produced and, from the late 1920s (until the 1950s), a cellulose finish, in imitation of Wedgwood jasper ware. In the 1930s a matt glaze was created and applied to a huge range of animal figures, vases and other decorative items. Production of some of these continued until 1982 and these matt wares are perhaps the best known of the SylvaC range.
In the 1950s and 1960s new lines continued to be produced including plaques and floral brooches. Advertising pieces and commemorative wares were also made.
The products in the Thomas Lawrence Falcon Ware range were very similar to the Shaw and Copestake wares - fancies, novelties and toilet ware. During the war The Shaw and Copestake factory was requisitioned by the government and used for storage. It re-opened in 1945. Part of the Falcon Pottery was made available to Shaw and Copestake during this period and so the two arms of the company worked closer together during this period. During the war they maintained a strong export market and the Falcon Pottery also manufactured utility wares for the home market.
By 1957 Thomas Lawrence had moved out of the Falcon Works and joined Shaw and Copestake at the Sylvan Works - both were by then producing the same items.
Collectors are fortunate in having access to several reference works (listed below) which include lists of pattern numbers, descriptions and production dates. Most wares are clearly marked with a mould number.
FURTHER READING
COLLINS, Mick & Derry An introduction to SylvaC. SylvaC Collectors Circle,
1988
VAN DER WOERD, Anthony Shaw & Copestake : the collector's guide to early
SylvaC 1894-1939
Georgian Publications, 1992
(inlcudes shapes and illustrations)
VERBEEK, Susan Jean The SylvaC story : the history and products of Shaw
and Copestake Ltd.
Pottery Publications, 1989
(includes descriptions of Falcon Ware & SylvaC
mould numbers & sizes)
VERBEEK, Susan Jean The SylvaC companion. Pottery Publications, 1991
(includes Falcon Ware and SylvaC mould numbers)
