MarketMaw & Co
Company Profile

Maw & Co

Maw & Co have made earthenware encaustic tiles for walls and floors since 1850, when the English company was established by George Maw and his brother Arthur. Their first factory was in Worcester, and in 1852 the company moved to Broseley, Shropshire in the Ironbridge Gorge. In 1883 they moved to the Benthall Works in Jackfield, Shropshire. The new, purpose-built factory was the largest tile works in the world and the company was the world's largest producer of ceramic tiles, making more than 20 million pieces a year.

History
(1882) , Mayfair, London (2023) Maw & Co was established in Worcester in 1850 by brothers George and Arthur Maw. Their father, John Hornby Maw (1800 – 1885), felt that the tile industry would be a good business opportunity for his sons as it combined their artistic talents with their entrepreneurial skills. In 1849 he bought the Encaustic Tile Works in Worcester which had been established by the Worcester Porcelain Company. They quickly gained a high reputation for their 'mock-mediaeval' encaustic floor tiles. The local clays were unsuitable and clay from Shropshire was brought in at great expense. In 1852 the company moved to Broseley, Shropshire, in the Ironbridge Gorge to take advantage of the good-quality local clay in the area. The company continued to prosper and by 1880 had grown to be the largest producer of ceramic tiles in the world, making more than 20 million pieces a year. Maw & Co have supplied ceramic wall and floor tiles to some of the world’s most prestigious buildings. The recession that followed World War I, building restrictions and railway closures were all detrimental to the tile industry. In March 2008 the company was acquired by new management. The Company was dissolved on January 15, 2019. ==Products==
Products
, 1878 , c. 1885 The earthenware encaustic and geometric floor tiles, that Maw & Co are best known for, have always been produced. In addition, mosaic tiles (from 1862), transfer printed tiles, hand painted picture tiles and relief tiles were also produced and included Art Nouveau and Art Deco geometric designs. ==Two-handled Commemorative Toast Mug==
Two-handled Commemorative Toast Mug
All the workers of Maw & Co contributed to a Benefit Club to enable them to be paid if they became ill. As a gesture of respect and affection for their employers the Club commissioned John Rose and Company (the trading name, at that time, of Coalport China) to make two toast mugs, one for each of the Maw brothers. The mugs were presented to the Maw brothers at the annual meeting of the Benefit Club in 1869. The inscription, on the inside of the lids of the mugs, shows the high regard that the workforce held for their employers and suggests that Maw & Co. were good employers and that their employees were well treated. The inscription reads:Mr George and Mr Arthur Maw Gentleman – in anticipation of this day’s entertainment, in addition to the many substantial proofs of generosity and concern which you have shown to those in your employ, a deep sense of the obligation we felt ourselves under to you induced us to consider in what way we could best mark our appreciation of your past and present munificence and honourable treatment, but we were almost at a loss to know in what form or by what means we could render a token of our unfeigned gratitude and respect. However it was resolved to offer a cup to each the acceptation of which we now solicit at your hands, and beg to assure you that, though they are so insignificant in themselves, yet they are accompanied with warmer sentiments of esteem than we can find words to express. One of the mugs, on loan from the Maw family, is on display at the Jackfield Tile Museum. == Horticultural interests ==
Horticultural interests
George Maw is also notable for the major monograph he published on the genus Crocus in 1886. ==References==
tickerdossier.comtickerdossier.substack.com