Where in the World is Lord Wedgwood?

Piers, Lord Wedgwood, really gets around the world.  He's often difficult to keep up with but he was recently in New York having been a judge in the contest to choose a winning designer in the annual Josiah Wedgwood Design Award contest.  Check it out here and see the winning design ~ sleek, cool and white china for today's young entertainers and homemakers.

WEDGWOOD BLUE by Ketelbey

If you are a regular reader of our blog you may remember that we posted a link to this song in the past, but we've just heard a beautiful rendition of it played on an organ and available on YouTube by clicking the title of this post. I think this is my favorite of all the versions I've heard. You can go here to find the sheet music so you can make your own version come alive! Enjoy!

WHAT HAVE FERNS TO DO WITH WEDGWOOD? YOU ASK

In rambling around the world-wide press this morning, from my perch in the woods of southeast Maine, land of the pointed firs, I discovered this blog entry about one of my very favorite plants, ferns. In Maine they grow quite wild and large and lush. It is early yet, but already in the woods surrounding my daughter's home we can see evidence of early spring fern growth. In Georgetown where her in-laws live they grow a foot tall, wild along the roads and in the woods.

We know Wedgwood jasper, caneware and other bodies sometimes sported fern fronds, but not nearly as often as many other types of flora. If you go here you will find a few things we have in stock with fern leaves. The green dresser tray is one of my personal favorites, the fern fronds are beautifully displayed in a graceful trim.

I think I'll try taking a batch of ferns home to plant amongst my hostas in the shade!

IRISH HORTICULTURE SOCIETY NOW HAS A GARDEN TO TEND

The Royal Horticulture Society of England has had a Wedgwood connection since it's inception since one of its founders was John Wedgwood. Of course Wedgwood plates were commissioned by the RHS over the years also. This article caught my eye as much for the Wedgwood connection as for the fact that when I was in Hatchard's I couldn't help think about the many famous and not-so-famous folks who had roamed the bookshelves of that store! To say nothing of the RHS' having been founded right there! Click the title above to read the latest on the Irish Horticulture Society!

MINTON ARCHIVE TO JOIN WEDGWOOD MUSEUM HOLDINGS

FINALLY, some good news on the Wedgwood Museum Trust fiasco. It appears that fundraising will begin to pay the Wedgwood Museum's part of the Pension Fund shortfall thus ending the long battle to secure the future of the Wedgwood Museum holdings! This is the first really good result that has been announced in quite some time. Coincidental to this problem at Barlaston has been the dilemma over what to do with the Minton Archive which became homeless in the demise of the Minton factory. That historic and valuable collection will be housed in some fashion with the Wedgwood archives at the Wedgwood Museum in Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent. It appears changes to the Museum will be made to accommodate these additional archives and it seems likely we will now be following the progress of that step in the procedure. What a long road through a lot of British muck this has been but now a glimmer of hope has emerged! Let us all now give our support to those who will be working hard to make this latest plan realize success! Josiah may now relax in his repose and perhaps rest in some new-found peace!

Wedgwood dinnerware helps celebrate Queen's Diamond Jubilee

We are all familiar with royalty collectibles, and especially those of the ceramic variety, but check out the huge celebration provided for the Queen by the City of Manchester. They went all out with community gardens, luncheon, brass band of students, and even a wedding invitation for Her Majesty. The Wedgwood connection is that the celebratory luncheon was served on Wedgwood bone china commissioned for the Coronation in 1953. Click the title of this post to see photos and read all about the Queen's Royal visit to Manchester. Meanwhile, you can go here to see what we have in our inventory that might fit the ROYAL title - you could buy yourself a nice Royal Souvenir right here at Alexis Antiques!

Wedgwood Museum Appeal Effort Fails

Click the title of this post to see the latest on the Museum fiasco in England. It appears that the government is not going to admit to the errors in legislation or do anything to remedy the ill effects. The arts world will never be the same. It makes one think about common sense, wonder where in the world it is ~ certainly it is not in England! And here is a very well presented YouTube Video which explains about the dilemma, and the hopeful outcome, made just 8 days ago. The Attorney General has his head in the sand, no matter how one slices and dices this problem. The sale of all the Museum's holdings does NOT "plug the hole" in the company's pension shortfall. Maybe makes the drip less heavy, but does NOT turn off the faucet. Talk about a fool's errand!

Yet another Wedgwood Tome in the Offing

From the Financial Times website comes an article by A N Wilson, son of famed Wedgwood designer Norman Wilson. It appears he has written a novel about our favorite potter, Josiah, and the 18th Century. He was raised in The Potteries so his point of view might be different from some of the other recent books about Wedgwood. And he weighs in on the current dilemma with the Museum's future. Click the title of this post to see the article; one has to scroll down a bit but you'll see it, title is in bold letters. I'll be watching for the book, hopefully it'll be out before long. If you read it and want to send a review, I'd love to post it!

New Wrinkle on Wedgwood Museum Dilemma

Click on the title of this post to read up on a newer development in the Museum dilemma in Barlaston. It appears new ideas are coming forth to hopefully find a solution to save the treasures of the Wedgwood Museum and still satisfy the ruling laws.

Presidents' Day will be here soon

It's long been our habit to make a Featured Item Frame on the website for American History Month and Presidents' Day in February. If you click the title of this post you'll see three nice Presidential China plates we have in stock. If you go to the Browse Inventory box on our site, and type in Lincoln, Kennedy, or Eisenhower you will find items pertaining to those men produced by Josiah Wedgwood & Sons as well, and don't miss the Featured Item Frame on the beautiful set of George and Martha Washington portrait plates produced in 1932 for the Daughters of the American Revolution, they are gorgeous!