JAMES GILBERT RUGBY FOOTBALL MUSEUM (Webb Ellis Museum) - a scarce merchandise ceramic mug (Coloroll Kilncraft), late 1980's Unused condition.

Postage is extra.

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For sale is a scarce merchandise mug produced by Coloroll-Kilncraft for the JAMES GILBERT RUGBY FOOTBALL MUSEUM of Rugby in Warwickshire.

This museum was opened in 1987 to commemorate the game of rugby football and its history. As Coloroll-Kilncraft ceased production in 1990, it's likely this mug was made for sale at the museum around the time it opened or shortly after. The museum is still at the same location and is now called the Webb Ellis Rugby Football Museum.

James Gilbert (1885-1967) was a leather-worker and bootmaker who was renowned as a premium maker of rugby footballs and today, the name 'Gilbert' is still used. The museum premises pictured on the mug is the same shop used by the Gilberts. It was at these same premises that William Gilbert (1799-1877) began producing leather and pig bladder rugby footballs in 1842.

The Reverend William Webb Ellis (1806-1872) was an English Anglican clergyman and is accredited as the inventor of rugby football while a pupil at Rugby School.

https://www.gilbertrugby.com/blogs/gilbert-rugby-history/the-gilbert-rugby-story

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Webb_Ellis

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Outline history (including Coloroll-Kilncraft):

* Staffordshire Potteries Ltd grew out of the Keele Street Pottery Group and through the acquisition of smaller local pottery companies.
* By 1963, most of their operations were located on the 38 acre Meir site, formerly Meir Airport.
* 1972 Staffordshire Potteries Ltd assumed the KilnCraft name.
* 1979 Company bought by Royal Winton as a going concern, company's name remained unchanged.
* 1985 Company bought by the Coloroll Group of Manchester as well as Bilton tableware of Stoke-on-Trent. The company became the Ceramics Division of the Coloroll Group and the KilnCraft brandname was retained.
* 1990 The Coloroll Group went into receivership and there was a management buy-out of the Ceramic Division (Staffordshire Potteries Ltd/KilnCraft) to form a new company called Staffordshire Tableware Ltd (STL). STL included Biltons.
* 1994 Biltons sold amid a continuing decline in business for the company.
* 1999 A third of the Meir site was sold to Sainbsury for a new Homebase store.
* 2000 STL went into receivership when Bank of Scotland refused to extend its loan facility.

From 1972 through to 2000, the above companies made a major contribution to the British potteries industry. They were renowned for their ranges of mugs, tableware and dinnerware through the brandnames of KilnCraft, Biltons and Medici.
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http://www.thepotteries.org/allpotters/286a.htm

http://www.thepotteries.org/allpotters/950b.htm

http://www.thepotteries.org/advert_wk/049.htm

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DESCRIPTION:
Size: about 3 9/16" high x 3 1/8" O.D., excluding the handle (90mm x 79mm).
Finish: screen printed in 1 colour with an overall clear glaze.
Material(s): white china clay.
Imprint: COLOROLL KILNCRAFT ENGLAND
Weight (excluding transit packaging): about 275g
Approximate age: c.1987 to c.1990

CONDITION:
Excellent unused condition. No damage. No cracks, no chips, no crazing.
Please see photograph(s), these form part of the description.

POSTAGE:
* Postal costs are extra, additional to the Asking Price.
* I always get a proof-of-posting certificate.
* I combine postal costs for multiple items when these are paid for and posted the same time.

RETURNS:
* Return accepted if the item(s) is returned in same condition it left me, then the full Agreed Asking Price will be refunded. Postal costs are not refundable.
* Buyer pays the return postal costs - unless agreed otherwise.

f/r s/b