Snippets of information on the Internet reveal that this came about because Winsor and Newton is a part of ColArt. The W& N paint manufacturing factory in Harrow was closed in 2012, and production transferred to the Lefranc & Bourgeois factory in France. As of the time of writing the Cotman and Galeria ranges are now manufactured in China.
Humbrol paints -- popular with model makers -- followed a different path a number of years ago, but also ended up being manufactured in China. Then, users started to complain about quality control in the Chinese-made paints. Some paints were so viscous as to be unusable. Other tinlets contained paint with poor covering power. Matt paint dried satin or gloss. Not at all like the old reliable Humbrol paint from Marfleet, Hull. Thankfully, Hornby Hobbies (the owner of the Humbrol brand) took notice of the adverse comments, and brought paint production back to the UK -- and quality seems to have since improved.
Hopefully, Winsor and Newton have done their research, and will not repeat the Humbrol mistakes. With its quality somewhere between artists' and students' watercolours, Cotman may not be unduly affected by the move to China. But it would be a pity if in the pursuit of profits for shareholders, the Winsor and Newton reputation for reliability and quality is lost.
