Paragon Fine Bone China - Founded by Herbert James Aynsley son of the famous John Aynsley in 1903, as part of the the Star China Company. Read below about their meteoric rise .....
The Paragon brand was so successful it quickly enjoyed royal patronage. I suppose, by association it must have bathed in the reflected glory of the Aynsley name.
It was the right product at the right time.
By 1933, so enamored were the royals that a Warrant of Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen (Mary) was granted. However, there was a right royal row because they began to call all their chinaware ‘Royal Paragon’.
The warrant authorities insisted that they were only allowed to put “By appointment” on certain of their wares and were abusing the warrant by calling themselves ‘Royal Paragon’.
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Well, they all made up and although the ‘Royal’ epithet was removed, Paragon china to this day still holds a warrant to the current Queen Elizabeth II. Paragon became part of the Wedgwood Group when they bought Royal Doulton.
Doulton had absorbed Paragon in 1972 and continued with the brand until 1991, using some of the most popular patterns in their Royal Albert brand. By 1992 the Paragon name had been discontinued. So we have the unusual situation of a brand name with a valuable and current Royal Warrant with no merchandise to fulfill it.
