Tea drinking developed its own ritual, and required the proper equipment. Teapots and bowls were first imported from China, then copied by European potteries. The teapot, tea cups and saucers, sugar bowl and slop bowl shown here were made by Richard Champion in his Bristol factory. William Cookworthy, a chemist, experimented with clays and was the first to produce English porcelain. When he moved production from Plymouth to Bristol, Richard Champion became first manager then owner of the factory. Tea wares were a major part of the factory's output. Tea became a woman's drink, and the tea-table the place where women could socialise with friends, both male and female. Hard-paste porcelain.