Ian Handford: Ceramic pioneer who shaped an era and found solace in Torquay

Herbert was the second son of Thomas Minton, born at Stoke-on-Trent on February 4th, 1793. Educated with his brother Thomas (II) at Audelm School, Cheshire, they eventually became joint partners in the family business started in 1817. Their father Thomas would remain working for the factory until his early death in 1836.

Minton's grew steadily, eventually with fifty people producing cream-coloured and blue-printed earthenware and later majolica products. Its china ware was said to be of high quality and equal to that produced by "Spode," although in time Minton's products included "art porcelain," which today we often call the "Willow" pattern. 

Following the death of Thomas, son (2) decided to enter the Church, leaving Herbert in absolute charge of the family factory. Herbert now quickly surrounded himself with skilled artists and inventors so he could produce new products. In fact, he mirrored the great Josiah Wedgwood, who also realised that to keep ahead of competition, you have to constantly introduce new products using skilled workers. Like Josiah, Herbert visited rival factories to enhance his knowledge in these changing times, which brought him to Bovey Tracey in Devon after realising their easier access to china clay from Cornwall. 

By the 1820s, Minton's were producing china-ware reported as being comparable to the French Sevres China, which Herbert had always admired. The Sevres "pate-sur-pate" process involved decorative painting and white slip rather than the usual method—enamelling on clay and finally glazing. It took until 1830 before the staple product of his tableware was being produced in a wide variety of shapes and artistic painted decorative or printed work yet was still on quality earthenware and then eventually bone china.

Above: Minton exhibit 1862 tin-glazed Italian vase. Image. Davidmadelena / Creative Commons

With the loss of his father and the resignation of Thomas, Herbert soon improved his own skill set while also employing a skilled workforce. This ensured the Minton processes went forward from soft porcelain to the more commercially viable chinaware. Its range was endless, as soft and hard china-ware, encaustic tiles, azulejos, or coloured enamel tiles, majolica, mosaics of sopryas, and Palissy ware, plus Della Robbia and Parian ware were all produced. The parian figurines were scaled-down versions of the original marble sculptures created by contemporaries like Walter Crane, Christopher Dresser, John Moyr, and William Wise. By 1842 Herbert had found time to endow a school and a spacious church at his beloved Stoke-on-Trent, and like his father before him, he introduced a partner—Michael Daintry Hollis. It was Hollis that eventually brought tiles into the business and renamed it Minton Hollis & Co in 1845. Now Herbert secured the patronage of the Duke of Sutherland, a resident near Trentham, before exhibiting a wide range of products at the 1849 Birmingham exhibition, which coincided with another important date—for the famous British Association. 

Herbert was awarded the British Council Medal after the 1851 Great Exhibition, and then, having attended the Paris exhibition of 1885, he displayed his "majolica" ware, which created enormous interest and orders. British institutions like the Church of England, government offices, and Embassies and State Departments now purchased Minton wares before Herbert retired. 

Having been a Commissioner of the Peace, a Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Stafford, a member of the Society of Antiquaries he was made a French Knight of the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour. He retired to Hartshill Stoke-on-Trent, but then poor health made him move to a milder climate in Torquay in 1856. He purchased "Belmont Villa" Higher Woodfield Road and yet sadly only survived two years and today lies near his beloved Stoke-on-Trent back at Hartshill. 

Belmont had a chequered history until the 1980s when finally it was restored. New owners created it a Villa then the Mintons Restaurant, and in 2012 it was converted into a family home again by owners who invited Torbay Civic Society to erect a Blue Plaque to honour Mr Herbert Minton.

IAN'S COMMENT - This famous past resident of Torquay was an extra-ordinary entrepreneur during an era where porcelain products were popular around the world.