The Pilkington family, owners of glass factories and coalmines, established their Lancashire Pottery near Manchester in AD 1892, with the Burton Brothers, William and Joseph, who were chemists. To begin with they made tiles, but in 1903 the Burtons developed a new hard but transparent glaze and a process for decorating in gold and silver lustre. Production of vases on a large scale began.

The vases were notable for their spectacular glazes. One of the best-known was an orange vermilion colour and another kingfisher-blue one became very popular. In the early years of the 20th century, the firm employed a number of distinguished designers of the Arts and Crafts movement. Walter Crane (1845-1915), the painter and book illustrator, designed tiles and vases. Tile designs for Pilkington’s by C.F.A. Voysey (1857-1941), an architect and designer who had worked for William Morris, appeared in the Studiomagazine.

The Pottery was granted the name ‘Royal’ in 1913, after King George V and Queen Mary had seen several of their vases at the home of Lord Derby. The Royal Lancashire Pottery closed in 1938 due to falling sales. It briefly reopened in 1948, making 50s-style pottery, but closed again in 1957.