Stay In Staffs: World class Wedgwood museum is right on doorstep
EXPERTS are hoping the Wedgwood Museum's new-found status as Britain's best museum will lift the entire tourism industry in Staffordshire.
The Barlaston museum, run by an independent trust, was chosen from a shortlist of Britain's best attractions to receive the prestigious £100,000 Art Fund Prize, following a public vote.
Cash from the Art Fund award is now being used to build an exhibition gallery to show off the work of local artists and schoolchildren; and another gallery to display items not from the Wedgwood range, like pottery produced by famous designers such as Suzie Cooper and Clarice Cliff.
Museum staff say the award is a much needed boost, following a turbulent year which has seen the Wedgwood company fall into administration.
Museum director Gaye Blake-Roberts said: "It's been a roller-coaster year.
"Having opened only last year, the last thing we expected was for the company to fall into administration. It was a horrendous time. Winning this award is a real boost.
"I hope it will have an enormous effect on everyone in North Staffordshire. It is going to give us regional, national and international recognition.
"We have a world class museum on our doorstep in the Potteries, which complements the other museums, like the Gladstone Pottery Museum and the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery. All three are very different.
"People who think it is all about pottery are in for a surprise, it's about a lot more. It is about the people, the commerce, fashions and lifestyles of the times. Many people are fascinated to find details of their relatives.
"There is plenty for the connoisseur. We had some visitors from the International Wedgwood Foundation and they loved it.
"Someone who believes they are not interested in pottery should go away entranced having learned a lot. I defy anyone to come in and not find at least one piece that they really love.
"Josiah Wedgwood himself is associated with so many different movements, such as the abolition of slavery, or the canal system.
"We have got a display on Charles Darwin, Wedgwood's grandson.
"We have a research area and reading room which is all about family archives and genealogy. People will realise we have all this wonderful material. People can access 84,000 documents, many will find records of ancestors who worked in the pottery industry for Wedgwood."
The Wedgwood Museum only opened last October, but already 12,000 people have visited its numerous attractions.
The museum tells of the life and times of Josiah Wedgwood, pioneering industrialist, humanitarian and visionary; as well as charting the history of Wedgwood and pottery in Stoke-on-Trent.
It is displayed chronologically from 1730, Josiah's birth, to present day and as well as numerous examples of pottery, the £10 million museum boasts numerous paintings and watercolours, copies of documents in Josiah's own handwriting and Wedgwood jewellery and sculptures.
There are more than 6,000 ceramic items on display, along with the results of 10,000 pottery trials conducted by Josiah.
The exhibits are well presented to enhance their beauty, while interactive displays ensure all the family are kept entertained.
One of the highlights is a virtual tour of Wedgwood's original factory at Etruria, which also provides the museum with an opportunity to show archive footage filmed at the factory as far back as the 1920s.
Nigel Spicer, the museum's learning and access manager, said: "We built this museum for everyone. Families love it. There's pots of pottery, but so much more besides.
"We are looking after this collection for the people of Stoke-on-Trent. People feel very connected to Wedgwood and this museum allows us to give the collection back to them."
Visitor Anthony Doar, aged 46, travelled from Ilkeston, Derbyshire, to visit the museum. He said: "It has surprised me, the eclectic mix of items on display. The pottery is astonishing. There are some really elaborate vases which must have been so complex to put together."
This year is Wedgwood's 250th anniversary and to celebrate, the museum is planning a host of events, including a range of family workshops.
Visitors are also encouraged to take in Gladstone Pottery Museum, The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Hanley, Ford Green Hall and Etruria Industrial Museum, by the Trent and Mersey Canal.
Other days out:
Newcastle Borough Museum & Art Gallery
Stay In Staffs: Blossoming of a disregarded gem
Comments
by MICHAEL, Stone
Saturday, June 27 2009, 4:49PM
“Congratulations to the small very dedicated team at Wedgwood Museum Trust - yes very well worth a visit -you will not regret it.It's not just about pots it's about the people who them!”