Towards the end of the 18th century, the form of the tea caddy was beginning to change in Britain with more elaborate shapes and styles being introduced. Factories in Staffordshire produced high quality enamel wares in various shapes and colours which became extremely fashionable during this period. From 1741, Bilston in Staffordshire became well known for the craft of enamelling, a technique consisting of fusing a paste of powdered glass to a base metal, where the enamel powder is spread thinly over the metal object which is then fired in the kiln creating a smooth colourful coating.
