NEWLY REVAMPED WEDGWOOD MUSEUM & CAMPUS OPENS TODAY!

The new Museum and Visitor Experience are opened as promised today!  Check it out here and then plan to go! We are!

Newly renovated Barlaston Wedgwood site to reopen next month

The new Wedgwood campus with new exhibits, new displays, new activities, a new tea room and more is set to open on 17th July.  Formerly it was scheduled to open in May, but due to construction concerns that date was pushed up to next month.  Read the full article, courtesy of our ever-viligant Scottish friend Laird Pulford, who forwarded it to us today.  See the article here and thank you Sir P! 

ANNOUNCING THE NEW WEDGWOOD BARLASTON EXPERIENCE

The opening day is coming closer, and the press releases are starting to pop up.  Here is one just found today, check it out.  Let's hope they are really ready to open mid-July as claimed.  Opening was already delayed once.  Enjoy reading about what we have to look forward to!

VICTORIAN TASTE, WEDGWOOD MAJOLICA & WILLIAM THE SILENT

Here from our friend Lord Anthony Pulford of Glencoe, Scotland, is another interesting article he has shared for our enjoyment.  Thank you Lord Anthony for your continuing interest in Wedgwood and Alexis Antiques, and for your thorough and entertaining research!  Photos courtesy of the author. 

 VICTORIAN TASTE

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  The portrait medallion of William The Silent, Prince of Orange (1533-1584) taken from an engraving based on the painting by Michiel Mierevelt was first listed in the Wedgwood catalogue of 1788 and has been reproduced a number of times.

  The jasperware example is marked WEDGWOOD only and dates from c1860 but, by the 1870's, the Victorian taste for brightly coloured and decorative items had largely replaced the severe lines of classic jasperware.  The second example, of the same subject, dating from c1875 and also marked WEDGWOOD only, reflects this change in taste and is produced in the majolica body.  So popular did this form of decoration prove that, throughout the 1870's, almost every class of ware was made in majolica and, reportedly, outnumbered all other ornamental wares.

  By the 1880's, the number of paintresses employed had almost doubled, mainly with girls recruited from the government art schools.  They showed great skill in painting the moulded details of the piece although the same may not be said of the mould-maker who obviously had some difficulty applying the inscription.

  Majolica continued to be produced at Etruria into the 20th Century but output declined partly in response to government pressure to reduce the high lead content of the glazes used in production.

WWRD acquired by famed FISKARS - PRESS RELEASE

We've all been waiting to see who would buy the WWRD holdings, which include Waterford and Wedgwood of course, and now the news is out.  GO HERE to see the Press Release.  Hopefully this will bring a worldwide market for great British products, time will certainly tell!  Also, we have just learned that the predicted opening of the new Wedgwood compound at Barlaston has been delayed past the original expected date.  More on that as we hear details.

WEDGWOOD INSTITUTE, BURSLEM, REFURBISHMENT BEGINS

Here is an excellent article with beautiful photos from the folks at BBC illustrating the beginning of the long-awaited refurbishment and repurposing of the well-known and loved Wedgwood Institute.  We have watched this story with great interest for a long time.  The building has many connections to Wedgwood, the man and the company, the city of Burslem, the arts in Staffordshire and much more since its original construction in 1869.  Let's hope the arts community will welcome this new venue and use it well.  Sarah Lewis, from English Heritage, said: "The Wedgwood Institute is one of the top 6% of listed buildings in the country for not only its architectural splendour but also the social history it embodies."