Johnson Brothers Old Britain Castles blue dinner plate

Johnson Brothers is a historic British brand renowned for its high-quality earthenware, particularly in the transferware style. The brand was founded in 1883 in Stoke-on-Trent, England, by four brothers: Alfred, Frederick, Henry, and Robert Johnson. The 'Old Britain Castles' pattern, which features iconic British landscapes and architecture, is one of their most celebrated designs, originally created in the early 20th century.

Throughout the 20th century, production was centralized in the United Kingdom. However, after the brand became part of the Waterford Wedgwood group in 1968, and following subsequent corporate restructuring and shifts in global manufacturing, production was largely moved to China in the early 2000s. Today, the brand is owned by the Fiskars Group, a Finnish conglomerate that acquired WWRD (Waterford Wedgwood Royal Doulton) in 2015. While the brand maintains its British heritage and design aesthetic, current manufacturing takes place outside of the UK.