His son, Sir Henry Doulton, joined the company in 1835 and with it brought the entrepreneurial energy and vision that turned it into Britain's leading manufacturer of sanitary wares and other industrial ceramics. One of his innovations was the introduction of steam-powered potters' wheels that put Doultons ahead of the competition. He was knighted in particular for innovation in sanitary and new glazed sewage systems that were instrumental in reducing the spread of fatal diseases such as dysentery, cholera and the like, particularly in dense urban areas. Much of the original sanitary infrastructure was made by Doultons. A stark contrast to the fine-bone porcelain for which it is more commonly known!

For more history try these links:

•   John Raine - Doulton History
•   ABC & Alan Carter's Doulton History
•   Doulton History
•   Antique Collector UK - Doulton History
•   Doulton's Revolutionary Ceramic Filter

The Doulton family had several country mansions, one of which is now a private boarding school, Woolpit (now Duke of Kent School) in Ewhurst, and gave the land and money on which St Thomas's Hospital in London was built (now Guys & St.Thomas').