Henry George Stephenson
The company’s founder, Henry George Stephenson was born in 1847. Quite fittingly, his place of birth was Hanley, a small market town in the very heart of the Staffordshire potteries.
There were two major influences on Henry’s early life. Firstly was his place of birth, where the young Henry would have seen the prosperity of the pottery industry first-hand.
The second was the fact that his mother, Naomi Bull, was a financially independent entrepreneur in a time of patriarchy.
Seemingly, the will to succeed was sewn from the start.
The Early Years
FOCUS
The Birth of the Business 1868 - 1900
ASK
A Golden Era: 1900 – 1914
The Stephenson Family
In The Wars: 1914 - 1945
In The Wars: 1914 - 1945
Post War Progress: 1945-1966
The Move to Kennerley Works: 1967 – 1998
The Fifth Generation Enters: 1998 – 2017
The Sesquicentennial Anniversary and Beyond: 2018 – Present
“Our history is fabulous, but we cannot rest on our laurels. If we’re not competitive or we miss a delivery, it counts for very little” – Henry Stephenson