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The Belleek pottery was established by John Caldwell Bloomfield and his partners an architect Robert Williams Armstrong and a merchant David McBirney. In the Castlecaldwell estate belonging to Bloomfield were found deposits necessary to run the pottery business. The Irish village of Belleek was chosen as a location for the pottery. The foundation stone was laid in 1858.

Bloomfield hired 14 craftsmen from Stoke-on-Trent. The pottery in the beggining produced domestic wares as mortars, washstands and floor tiles. In 1863 the factory started to produce Parian, a bisquit porcelain imitating marble. But until 1920 earthenware was the principal product.

The factory provided for domestic Irish and English markets but also exported its products to the United States, Canada and Australia. Bloomfield's business partners died in early 1880s. The company gained new local investors and in 1884 started as a new venture the Belleek Pottery Works Company Ltd.

The WWI was a difficult period for the company. In 1920 it was acquired by Bernard O’Rourke. Another period of struggle came during the WWII.

After the war, the factory was modernized and concentarted on producing Parian. In the late 1970s changing customer's tastes made running the business more difficult. In 1980s the Belleek Pottery Limited was sold a few times. 

In 1989 was opened the Belleek Visitors Centre and just one year later it was acquired by Erne Heritage Investments. In 1993 the company took over Galway Irish Crystal and in 1997 Aynsley China. In 2000 the group was enlarged by Donegal China.

 

Fermanagh mark
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1993 - 1997 Belleek Co. Fermanagh Ireland mark

Belleek mark
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Belleek Co Fermanagh Ireland 1926 - 1946 mark

1857 mark
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Belleek est. 1857 Ireland 2001 - 2007 mark

Millennium mark
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Millennium 2000 Belleek est. 1857 Ireland mark used in 2000

First Belleek mark
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1863 - 1891 Belleek mark

Green Belleek mark
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Green Belleek Ireland 1965 - 1980 mark

Brown Belleek mark
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1980 - 1993 brown Belleek mark

Green Belleek mark
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Green Belleek Ireland 1955 - 1965 mark

Black Belleek mark
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Belleek Co Fermanagh Ireland 1891 - 1926 mark

Belleek.com mark
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Belleek Ireland est. 1857 www.belleek.com 2014 - 2018 mark

Belleek Everyday mark
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Belleek Ireland EST 1857 mark used 2008 - 2010

Green Belleek mark
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1946 - 1955 green Belleek mark

Belleek Living mark
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Belleek Living est. 1857 www.belleek.com 2011 - 2013 mark

Belleek.ie mark
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Belleek Ireland Est. 1857 www.belleek.ie mark used 2011 - 2013

Christmas mark
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The Wren in the Firs Christmas 1977 Limited Edition mark used in 1977

Annual mark
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1999 Annual Piece Belleek Est. 1857 Limited Edition McBirney Centrepiece mark

150 years mark
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Celebrating 150 years Belleek Ireland 1857 - 2007 mark used in 2007

Contemporary Belleek mark
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Belleek Est. 1857 Made in Ireland mark used from 2019

Belleek Retrospect mark
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Belleek in Retrospect 2002 mark

Blue Ireland mark
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Blue Belleek Ireland 1997 - 2000 mark

 
 
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