Study the rich history of the ceramics industry in Staffordshire and Shropshire, with visits to Gladstone Pottery, the Wedgwood Museum and the Emma Bridgewater Factory
Discover the unique assembly of architecture and museums charting the story and legacy of the Industrial Revolution
Visit the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron and view the world’s oldest iron bridge, listed by UNESCO
“Lars was a great tour leader. A good communicator and performer, he maintained a level of friendly contact with everyone”
– ACE customer on the 2024 Art & Ceramics of the Industrial Revolution tour led by Lars Tharp
Britain’s Industrial Revolution saw extraordinary cultural and social change as well as technical innovation and entrepreneurship, and this is nowhere more evident than in the rich heritage of industrial architecture, decorative arts and ceramics visible in the counties of Staffordshire and Shropshire.
Exploring areas that inspired and provided contexts for the entrepreneurship of important figures such as Abraham Darby and Josiah Wedgwood, we will encounter several industrial icons that illustrate Britain’s 19th century heritage and showcase its pioneering technology, particularly in the field of ceramics production.
The development of steam power revolutionised the mining, iron, textile and ceramics industries, and we will visit the flint mill at Cheddleton, a pre-industrial water mill that was converted to flint grinding for the production of ceramics in the 1780s.
A highlight of the tour will be a visit to the World of Wedgwood Museum, home to the V&A Wedgwood Collection and the site of the Wedgwood Factory, which has been manufacturing its famous ceramics since 1759.
We will also chart the rising fortunes of the ceramics industry during the Victorian age, examining innovations and styles during a dedicated lecture and a visit to the Gladstone Pottery Museum – the last complete Victorian pottery factory, with displays of ceramic techniques and bottle ovens.
Our tour includes a visit to Middleport Pottery, home to Burleigh (historically Burgess and Leigh) since 1889; it is located in a brick canalside building in Stoke-on-Trent, and has been used as a filming location for The Great Pottery Throwdown and an episode of Peaky Blinders.
Emma Bridgewater’s contemporary earthenware is much loved for its colourful designs and use of traditional techniques; the company can be credited with reviving the previously common British technique of sponge painting, which had fallen out of practice. Bridgewater purchased a former Victorian factory site in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, in 1995, with production beginning the following year. The site is now a thriving modern example of how the fortunes of the Stoke potteries have been revived, with 1.9 million items produced each year, and we will enjoy a tour of the factory, bringing our understanding of the area's ceramics heritage up to the present day.
This tour will be based at the four-star Upper House Hotel, a delightful country house hotel located in Barlaston, close to the World of Wedgwood near Stoke-on-Trent. The house was originally built in 1845 for Josiah Wedgwood’s grandson and is set within 10 acres of woodland and landscaped gardens. The property enjoys classically decorated rooms and its own restaurant.
Lars Tharp
Lars is an art historian, lecturer and broadcaster with a specialism in ceramics.
This tour will be led by Lars Tharp, MA, FSA, an art historian, lecturer and broadcaster who is particularly well known for his work on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow. Lars is a ceramics specialist and a former Director of the Foundling Museum, as well as the author of several works including Hogarth’s China and The Little Brown Encyclopedia of Antiques (with Paul Atterbury). He has also worked with the York Art Gallery. Lars looks forward to introducing another ACE group to the history of the ceramics industry in Staffordshire, Shropshire and Derbyshire.
5
£1695
INRV-26
