Wedgwood Visitor Centre a Learning Experience
Wedgwood Craftspeople Demonstrate Skills Used in Adjoining Factory
Jul 1, 2009
Visitors first enjoy a 20-minute film which tells the story of the company's founder Josiah Wedgwood before beginning a voyage of discovery through the demonstration area. Here members of the public can see for themselves the intricate work involved in each stage of the production process and then, if they wish, make an attempt to emulate the experts. For an extra charge they can test their abilities to
- throw a Jasper pot on the wheel
- paint a ceramic plate, cup or flower
- make a Jasper medallion
- decorate a turned jasper vase
Wedgwood Visitor Centre Offers Chance to Try Both Pottery and Painting
The potters wheel is the first stop in this part of the Visitor Centre. Here the clay is moulded into the shape of the item being manufactured. Queues frequently form as people wait for a chance to throw their own bit of clay on to the wheel. The item produced is fired and posted on to its creator.
Visitors then move on to other work stations to watch the experts demonstrate subsequent stages in the production process such as lithographing. This is the process by which intricate patterns are placed on plates and other vessels. Artists are also on hand to demonstrate how the delicate items are hand painted.
In the case of lithographs this involves intricately working around the pattern already present with a very fine brush and ceramic paint. The artist does not let the brush touch the item but applies the paint with a slight flicking motion.
Wedgwood Visitor Centre Offers Chance to See £700 Dinner Plate
One of the most involved patterns in terms of both lithographing and painting is 'Black Astbury', originally named after the town in which Josiah Wedgwood's wife lived prior to her marriage. Just one plate in a Black Astbury dinner service costs £700 and a vegetable serving dish complete with lid costs as much as £4000. Black Astbury dinner services are owned by some of the wealthiest people in the world.
At another work station visitors see how the expert use of paint creates different characters out of one figurine model. Close by another artist demonstrates how special commissions are painted. This process begins with the customer selecting a product which is manufactured and given to the artist with no pattern on it.
He or she then paints a design or scene of the customer's choice. For example, some people will supply photographs of much loved pets they would like immortalised on a piece of china. Others may choose a favourite type of bird or a place they have visited such as a stately home.
Wedgwood Used in Manufacture of Jewellery
The demonstration area includes a work station where the use of Wedgwood in the manufacture of jewellery is explained. The craftsperson here shows how necklaces and bracelets can be produced out of small Wedgwood cubes, spheres and other shapes.
Finally visitors can view an exhibition of work entitled A Legacy of Excellence. This includes pieces by Royal Doulton with which Wedgwood merged some years ago as well as items created for the Minton and Royal Albert brands.
Wedgwood Visitor Centre Has Restaurant, Tea Room And Two Retail Areas
Home cooked food is available in the Ivy House Restaurant which is accessible without the payment of the entrance fee. There's also a new area called the Wedgwood Tea Room which is available for groups and corporate bookings.
The Wedgwood Visitor Centre has two retail areas selling best products as well as seconds and discontinued lines. Items unique to the Centre are also available for purchase.
The Wedgwood Visitor Centre is open from 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday and 10.00am to 5.00pm at weekends. It will be closed from Christmas Eve to January 2.
A day ticket for the Wedgwood Visitor Centre costs £6.25 but a ticket also allowing entrance to the adjoining state of the art Wedgwood Museum which won this year's Arts Fund Prize can be purchased for just £9.00.
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