It was just one short year ago that the Wedgwood Museum Collection saved its massive collection of 80,000 ceramic works. When the organization was faced with a £15.75m pension bill, donors in Britain helped bail out the institution and save its collection from being dispersed.
Click to see a larger image.
Those dark days are behind the museum. This summer, free of the bills and backed by government funds, the museum was able to open a veritable theme park dedicated to Britain’s “potter to the world,” Josiah Wedgwood. In July the “World of Wedgwood” in Stoke-on-Trent opened it’s doors to the public, according to the Telegraph. Located on the Wedgwood estate, the site features a factory tour, a design studio, a master craft studio where visitors can try their hand at ceramics, and a collection of more than 3,000 artifacts that date back to the company’s founding in 1759.
After seeing photographs from the museum, we believe the new £34 million museum was deftly executed. We think the museum strikes the perfect balance between deference with history and playful accessibility.
Bill Rodgers is the General Editor of CFile.
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Josiah Wedgwood rendered dot matrix-style in ceramic plates. Click to see a larger image.
Click to see a larger image.
Image of a Wedgwood showroom on York Street, London in 1809. Click to see a larger image.
Historic photographs of Wedgwood showrooms.
The Wedgwood tea room.
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