Shaws of Darwen Butler Sinks - Fireclay farmhouse sinks, distributed in Australia by Luxe by Design, Brisbane.

Handcrafted Fireclay Butler Sinks and Shaker Sinks

When Shaws of Darwen was founded in the closing years of the 19th century, we had a vision – to make the finest handcrafted fireclay sinks in the whole of England.

Today, some 120 years on, that vision has been more than realised; Shaws now enjoys, not only a national, but a worldwide reputation for the beauty, quality, craftsmanship and sheer practicality of our unique artisan products.

We’re immensely proud of our heritage, and the fact that our sinks are still handcrafted at our premises in the same quiet corner of North West England as they were when we first started out on Valentine’s Day 1897. We’re also extremely proud that the techniques lovingly used by our time-served craftsmen haven’t changed in all those years.

So much so, every handmade Shaws sink carries an impression on its base of the name of the master craftsman who created it. This, along with our Certificate of Authenticity, is your assurance that your investment has been handcrafted for life.

The Materials

HEAVY DUTY FIRECLAY

Heavy duty fireclay is a blend unique to Shaws, perfected over 120 years. Shaws fireclay includes the world’s finest Devon Ball Clay, which is still mixed and poured by hand. It is up to 25% more dense than clay used by other manufacturers and takes more skill to work with. The fireclay is handcrafted into thick solid walls making each sink much heavier and more durable than thinner or hollow-wall sinks.

HEAVYWEIGHT GLAZE

The quality of the glaze and its application affects the durability of a sink. Shaws unique heavyweight glaze is blended to exacting standards of strength and gloss, and is applied by a skilled specialist to ensure an even coating. Two layers are applied to every Shaws sink to produce a smoother and hard-wearing glaze which is typically 2-4 times thicker than sinks made by other manufacturers. A Shaws sink is fired at 1200 °C for 32 hours to enable the heavy duty fireclay and glaze to fuse into one inseparable and enduring body.