Alfred Meakin Ltd was set up in 1875 and operated from the Royal Albert, Victoria and Highgate Potteries in Tunstall. Alfred Meakin was the brother of James and George Meakin who ran a large pottery company in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.
Alfred Meakin died in 1904 and was succeeded by his son Alfred James who died only four years later. Alfred John's uncle Robert Johnson bought the company for his son Stuart Johnson and it stayed in the Johnson family's hands until 1976 when it became Myott-Meakin before becoming part of the Churchill Group.
This set consists of four dinner plates and four side plates decorated in Alfred Meakins pattern MEA278, which has a blue ring off the edge of each plate and gold rose swags as well as scalloped rims. Each item is also ended off with gold trim on the scalloped rim.
All the items are marked underneath Alfred Meakin England.
The items have seen some use and fading of the gold trim on the rims have occurred and there is also feint age related crazing on some of the items. Three of the dinner plates have chips on the bottom of the rims, which is not visible from the top. The set is still in good usable condition and will complement any vintage table setting.
Side plate height of rim: 1.5 cm, Diameter of base: 9.2 cm, Diameter of rim: 17.6 cm Dinner plate height of rim: 1.8 cm, Diameter of base: 12.4 cm, Diameter of rim: 24.8 cm
