| Description | Paragon was manufactured at the Atlas Works in Longton. The company began as the Star China Company c1897 at St Gregory's Works, Longton, moving to the Atlas Works in 1903. The company changed its name to The Paragon China Company in 1919, having used the trade mark 'Paragon' from 1909. Herbert James Aynsley and Hugh Irving were the founding partners. It became a public limited company in 1930 under the name Paragon China Ltd.
Paragon received royal warrants from Queen Mary in 1933; the Queen in 1938; and Queen Elizabeth II in 1955.
Paragon China was taken over from the Irving family in 1960 by Thomas C. Wild & Sons Ltd, manufacturers of Royal Albert bone china, with David Wild as managing director. In July 1964 Wild and its subsidiary companies, including Paragon, merged with the Lawley Group Ltd which later that year changed its name to Allied English Potteries Ltd. Paragon had a second factory at the Albert Works in the mid-1960s on the closure of Chapmans (Royal Standard) another subsidiary of Wild. Although a subsidiary from 1960 onwards the company continued to trade as Paragon
Paragon became part of Royal Doulton in 1972 and continued to produce china under that name until 1991. By 1989 the name and patterns had been absorbed into Royal Albert and by 1992 the Paragon name was discontinued. Some later Paragon patterns from this period continued in production under Royal Albert and were still available until the Royal Albert name was discontinued by Doulton." [Extracted from: http://www.royalalbertpatterns.com/reference%20pages/Royal%20Albert%20Paragon%20Patterns.htm].
For history of the Company see 'Two for Joy' Volume 4, 2005 |