Fowler Potteries
Corporate brand
UnclaimedFowler Potteries is an Australian ceramics and sanitaryware brand founded in 1837 and now preserved within Caroma.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Fowler Potteries is an Australian ceramics manufacturer whose origins date to 1837, when Enoch Fowler established a pottery business in Parramatta, near Sydney. The enterprise is generally described as nominally the oldest continuously existing ceramics manufacturer in Australia, although its corporate structure, factories, ownership and product focus changed substantially over time. The business initially produced a broad range of utilitarian ceramic goods. In 1848 Fowler moved to Glebe, where its output included ginger-beer bottles and kitchen utensils. A major technical and commercial turning point came in 1860, when Enoch Fowler acquired machinery for producing four-inch drainpipes. Drainpipes became a principal line as Sydney expanded, and the company subsequently broadened its manufacturing to bricks, firebricks, tiles and ceramic kitchenware. In 1865 the works moved to Camperdown, supporting further growth in building-related ceramics and sanitary products. Enoch Fowler's son Robert became manager in 1873 and inherited the business in 1879. Following Robert Fowler's death in 1906, production was transferred to Marrickville. The company later adopted a public-company structure under the name R. Fowler Limited, with sources placing that transition in either 1919 or 1922. By this period Fowler had become a substantial industrial employer and was also manufacturing electrical insulators. Additional production capacity was established at Thomastown in Melbourne in 1927 and at Lithgow. The Great Depression placed severe pressure on the business. Fowler responded in part by developing Fowler Ware, introduced in 1936 as a range of ceramic kitchen utensils, particularly bowls. The line became commercially successful and helped restore the company's fortunes. Fowler pottery and Fowler Ware from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries later became collectible, reflecting both the company's long industrial history and the recognisable design and colour conventions of its domestic and bathroom products. Fowler's bathroom and sanitation ware became especially associated with standard colour options, including lemon, blue, pink and green. The company was acquired by another business in 1968 and was divided into separate operations in 1982. One division, together with the Fowler name, was sold to James Hardie. Under James Hardie, Fowler became a bathroom-products division focused exclusively on bathroom goods rather than its earlier, wider portfolio of pipes, bricks, tiles, kitchenware and other ceramics. Fowler's coloured bathroom ranges were discontinued by 1983 as the business was consolidated within James Hardie, and the Victorian manufacturing plant closed in the same year. Caroma acquired Fowler from James Hardie in 1997. The Fowler name continued within Caroma's bathroom-products portfolio, particularly in toilet pans and related sanitaryware. Australian production of the relevant toilet products ended in 2017, after which manufacturing moved to overseas third-party facilities. Accordingly, Fowler survives primarily as a brand name and historical product identity within Caroma rather than as the independent, vertically integrated pottery company established by Enoch Fowler. Its legacy spans early Australian industrial ceramics, infrastructure products, domestic pottery, coloured sanitaryware and modern bathroom fixtures.
History
Fowler Potteries began in 1837 when Enoch Fowler founded a ceramics works at Parramatta in the colony of New South Wales. The company moved to Glebe in 1848 and produced ginger-beer bottles, kitchen utensils and other practical ceramic goods. In 1860 Fowler acquired machinery for manufacturing four-inch drainpipes. This investment aligned the business with Sydney's urban growth and made drainage products a central part of its operations. In 1865 the works moved to Camperdown. Fowler expanded its range to include bricks, firebricks, tiles and ceramic kitchenware, becoming an important producer of construction and household ceramics. Robert Fowler, Enoch's son, managed the business from 1873 and inherited it in 1879. After Robert's death in 1906, production moved to Marrickville. The business later became a public company under the name R. Fowler Limited, although historical references differ on whether the conversion occurred in 1919 or 1922. Its industrial activities also included electrical insulators. Fowler employed approximately 400 people in 1919 and expanded beyond New South Wales. A factory was established at Thomastown in Melbourne in 1927, while another facility operated at Lithgow. The Great Depression severely damaged the company's position. Fowler's introduction of Fowler Ware in 1936 provided a successful domestic product line, centred on ceramic kitchen utensils such as bowls, and contributed to a recovery in the company's fortunes. Surviving Fowler pottery and Fowler Ware are now collected as examples of Australian industrial and domestic ceramics. The company was acquired in 1968 and subsequently divided in 1982. One division and the Fowler name were sold to James Hardie. Under James Hardie, Fowler was narrowed into a bathroom-products division and concentrated on bathroom and sanitation ware. Fowler products were known for standard colour schemes, including lemon, blue, pink and green. These coloured options were discontinued by 1983 as the brand was absorbed into a more consolidated bathroom-products structure, and the Victorian manufacturing plant closed that year. Caroma acquired Fowler from James Hardie in 1997. Fowler continued within Caroma as a brand associated with bathroom products, including toilet pans. By 2017, products carrying the Fowler name were no longer manufactured in Australia; production was transferred to overseas third-party facilities. The brand therefore represents both a continuing commercial identity within Caroma and the industrial heritage of one of Australia's earliest ceramics manufacturers.
- 2017
Australian toilet-pan production ends
[1]Manufacture of Fowler-branded toilet pans ceases in Australia and moves to overseas third-party facilities.
- 1997
Caroma acquires Fowler
[1]Caroma purchases Fowler from James Hardie and continues the name in bathroom products.
- 1982
The business is divided and the brand moves to James Hardie
[1]Fowler is subdivided, and one division together with the Fowler name is sold to James Hardie.
- 1968
Fowler is acquired
[1]The ceramics business is purchased by another company, beginning a later period of restructuring.
- 1936
Fowler Ware launches
[1]The company introduces Fowler Ware kitchen ceramics, a line that helps restore its financial position after the Depression.
- 1927
Melbourne capacity is added
[1]Fowler establishes an additional factory at Thomastown in Melbourne; the company also operates at Lithgow.
- 1906
Production moves to Marrickville
[1]Following Robert Fowler's death, manufacturing is transferred to Marrickville.
- 1879
Robert Fowler inherits the business
[1]Robert Fowler becomes proprietor after inheriting the enterprise from his father.
- 1873
Robert Fowler becomes manager
[1]Enoch Fowler's son Robert takes managerial responsibility for the business.
- 1865
Camperdown works open
[1]Fowler moves to Camperdown as the expanding business adds bricks, firebricks, tiles and kitchen ceramics.
Products and positioning
A long-established Australian ceramics and bathroom-products brand associated with durable utility ware, sanitary ceramics and historically distinctive coloured bathroom fixtures.
Domestic ceramics · 1936
Fowler Ware
Introduced in 1936, Fowler Ware was a range of ceramic kitchen utensils, particularly bowls. It provided Fowler with a successful consumer-facing product line during the recovery from the Great Depression and is now encountered in the Australian collectibles market.
Building ceramics · 1860
Fowler drainpipes
Drainpipes became a core Fowler product after the company acquired machinery for producing four-inch pipes in 1860. The line connected the business to urban infrastructure and Sydney's nineteenth-century expansion.
Bathroom products
Fowler bathroom and sanitation ware
After the Fowler division moved to James Hardie, the brand focused exclusively on bathroom products and sanitation ware. Its historical ranges were associated with standard lemon, blue, pink and green colour options, which were discontinued during consolidation in the early 1980s.
Sanitaryware
Fowler toilet pans
Toilet pans continued to carry the Fowler name within Caroma's bathroom portfolio. Australian production ended in 2017, after which manufacture shifted to overseas third-party facilities.
Brand decisions
2017
Move toilet-pan production offshoreStrategyBackground
Caroma's Fowler-branded toilet products had been manufactured in Australia.
Action taken
Australian manufacturing of Fowler toilet pans ended, with production transferred to overseas third-party facilities.
Aftermath
Fowler remained commercially available as a brand, but no longer represented Australian manufacture of those toilet products.
1997
Caroma acquires FowlerM&ABackground
Fowler was operating as a bathroom-products division within James Hardie.
Action taken
Caroma purchased Fowler from James Hardie.
Aftermath
Fowler continued as a brand within Caroma's bathroom and sanitaryware activities.
1982
Transfer the Fowler bathroom division to James HardieM&ABackground
After a 1968 acquisition, the Fowler business was reorganised and divided into separate operations.
Action taken
One division and the Fowler name were sold to James Hardie, where Fowler became a dedicated bathroom-products division.
Aftermath
The brand withdrew from its broader historical ceramics portfolio and concentrated on bathroom and sanitation products.
1936
Launch Fowler WareProduct launchBackground
The Great Depression had severely affected R. Fowler Limited.
Action taken
The company introduced Fowler Ware, a range of ceramic kitchen utensils focused particularly on bowls.
Aftermath
The range was successful and contributed to the restoration of the company's fortunes.
1860
Invest in drainpipe machineryStrategyBackground
Sydney's urban expansion created demand for drainage and construction materials.
Action taken
Fowler acquired machinery capable of producing four-inch drainpipes and made drainpipe manufacturing a major part of the works.
Aftermath
Drainpipes became a central product line and helped establish Fowler as an infrastructure ceramics manufacturer.
Sources1 sources
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