SHAWS OF DARWEN – Wolverhampton, South Staffordshire
The Heritage: Established by Arthur Shaw in 1897, the company spent over 125 years in the same quiet corner of Darwen, Lancashire. In a major development for 2025-2026, the brand completed a transition of its entire production to a new 270,000 sq. ft Centre of Excellence in South Staffordshire. This represents one of the largest single investments in UK ceramic manufacturing in decades.
The Verdict: Shaws remains a bastion of traditional fireclay engineering. Each sink is still hand-finished and stamped with the name of the master craftsman who created it - a rare mark of individual accountability in the appliance sector. Their sustainability credentials are rooted in the material itself: fireclay is denser than standard china clay and is fired at 1200°C for 32 hours, creating an inseparable bond between the body and the glaze. This results in a sink that is exceptionally resilient to impact, thermal shock and staining, often remaining in service for over a century. The new facility is tech-enhanced to reduce the energy intensity of the firing process while maintaining the traditional ‘Devon Ball Clay’ recipe that has defined the brand since the Victorian era.
Core Products: Heavy-duty fireclay Butler and Belfast sinks.
