Match Striker Gallery          

Company History

The company was originally founded as J. W. Beswick in by James Wright Beswick in 1894. The firm  became John Beswick (ltd) in 1936. They operated from the Gold Street works, Longton, Staffordshire. The firm was eventually taken over by Royal Doulton around 1972 .The Beswick plant in Longton was finally closed around 2002/3. 

The firm is most well known for the wide range of collectible animal figurines that it manufactured including ranges based on characters in the Beatrix Potter books.

The firm, did, however also manufacture a wide variety of other wares.

Marks

The early wares from this firm were unmarked. The mark shown below came into use in 1936 when the firm became a limited company.




Match Striker with Ashtray

This attractive match holder incorporates an ash tray, but does not have a striking surface. The design appears it have been influenced by seashell shapes.




Pelican Match Box Holder

This is a really cute matchbox holder in the shape of a pelican, where spent matches can be stored in the beak. I am NOT certain this is Beswick, as it is an unmarked example (except for an impressed pattern number, 407), however I have seen marked examples for sale so that's why it is on this page