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THE club for collectors of
Bell's Decanters
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HISTORY
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Arthur Bell & Sons ....
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began dealing in whisky in 1825. The first Bell's Decanter
appeared in the 1920's and was made of blue glass in a rather more traditional
decanter shape as a specialist item.
The design continued to be developed, from the hand made Decanters of the 1930's and 1940's, until Royal Doulton took over the production in the 1950's. Copeland Spode produced the Decanters for a brief period in the early 1960's before the final producer, Wade, took over production in 1966. Wade Ceramics plc has produced all the Bell's Decanters made since then. In 1985 Arthur Bell & Sons became part of the Guinness Group. In 1987 the company was merged with United Distillers plc. In 1997, following the merging of the Guinness Group and Grand Metropolitan, the company was re-named Diageo. United Distillers plc was amalgamated with International Distillers & Vintners to form the wines and spirits division of Diageo. The new company was named United Distillers & Vintners (UDV). UDV, who now manage the Bells brand, continue to produce limited edition decanters. |