Wedgwood Museum collection can be sold to help plug £134m pension deficit
THE world-renowned Wedgwood Museum collection can be sold off to help plug a £134 million pension fund shortfall.
A High Court judge has ruled that the 10,000-piece collection is not held by the Barlaston museum in trust, and so can be sold to pay off creditors.
Members of the Wedgwood family and museum trustees say they are "devastated" and have vowed to mount a campaign to make sure it can be kept on public display.
The museum went into administration in April 2010 after being hit with a £134 million claim from Wedgwood Group Pension Plan.
When Wedgwood itself went into administration the previous year, it was thought the scheme would be taken over by the Pension Protection Fund (PPF).
But the PPF could not accept it as there is still a surviving solvent organisation connected to the scheme – the Wedgwood Museum.
Administrators for the museum, Begbies Traynor, sought a High Court ruling to determine the collection's future. At a three-day hearing earlier this year, lawyers acting for the Attorney General argued the treasures, which include rare pottery, paintings and manuscripts, could not be sold as they were held in charitable trust.
But yesterday, at Birmingham High Court, Judge Charles Purle QC ruled that was not the case – although he acknowledged the collection is of "enormous national importance".
Nick Wedgwood, pictured, a direct descendant of company founder Josiah, said: "I'm devastated. I really thought the judge was going the other way.
"There now has to be a major campaign to save it for the nation."
A spokesman for the museum's trustees thanked everyone who has shown support and added: "We remain confident that this support will encourage all parties to now strive for a solution which will save the museum's collections for the nation and keep them on display."
The court was told the collection is worth between £11.5 million and £18 million which falls well short of the £134 million fund deficit.
Administrators will now wait to see if the Attorney General appeals against the decision, but Bob Young, from the firm's Caverswall office, said there are options that could keep the collection together at Barlaston.
He said: "We are exploring other options to raise money to keep the collection in situ.
"We have already held discussions with the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Wedgwood family and other potential benefactors about raising funds."
He stressed that there were no immediate plans to close the museum.
The Wedgwood Group Pension Plan has around 7,500 members, of which 3,500 are currently receiving a pension.
A spokesman said: "The pension trustees would like to highlight that they were under a legal obligation to seek to clarify the ownership of the museum collection."
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