Staffordshire Day today!

It's Staffordshire Day today!
It is 1000 years since the first recorded mention of the term Staffordshire, written as 'as Staeffordscir'  in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (for 1016) - so this is a millennium anniversary. 
And why May 1st?  I wondered that; but it turns out that May 1st was the date of the founding of the Wedgwood pottery company, which is based in Staffordshire, and, arguably, the county's most historically famous name.

Why the powers that be wanted to tie Staffordshire Day into the pottery industry, I don't know, but even the Oxford Companion to British History states quite categorically that "Staffordshire is one of the counties most affected by the industrial revolution" so, there you go.
It's all a bit artificial, but it's fun.

Old Josiah Wedgwood himself might have be surprised at seeing his work made quite so central to the whole county's identity, but then again, there are probably more famous images of him than any other Staffordshire figure.     (Barring Saint Chad of course - and Sir Stanley Matthews...)       The one in the picture above is on the side of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London - although the most famous statue of him is in Stoke.

Strangely enough, I celebrate 1000 posts on this photo-blog myself this month.  Bit of a coincidence...

Wedgwood in Mumbai

Talking of Josiah Wedgwood, it's really extraordinary that, in virtually just one generation, he turned a small pottery concern in an insignificant North Staffordshire town into a worldwide business. 
It was the beginning of the age of the entrepreneur, but even so...

Nowadays, Wedgwood is a name revered all over the globe.  Even in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) Museum in Mumbai, India, Wedgwood objects get a display case all to themselves....

Magnificence - coming back

The facade of the Wedgwood Institute is, by any standards, magnificent.

Built 150 years ago in Stoke-on-Trent to house the city's school of art, it features plaques of 'great men' on its front, as well as reliefs of the astrological houses/months and of various creative labours..
Topping the doorway is a statue of Josiah Wedgwood himself.

However, its magnificence is not enough, as no one has quite known recently what to do with the building, which has been empty for five years.

However, the latest news is that the Princes Trust has stepped in with a promise to bring it back to its deserved state.   See:  Institute to be restored
I'm pleased.


This post was featured on the City Daily Portal July 2013 theme 

Wedgwood ... is back

In early 2009, Waterford-Wedgwood went into administration with debts of £4million. The iconic Staffordshire pottery brand, founded in 1759 by Josiah Wedgwood, was in danger of disappearing.
It was touch & go, before American firm KPS bought it two months later.  

Yet, it is amazing to report that WWRD (Waterford Crystal, Wedgwood & Royal Doulton) - the name of the company these days - is one of the companies now chosen to produce official souvenir merchandise for the Olympics. Quite a revival.

From beyond the grave, Josiah (standing guard here at the Barlaston factory site) must be relieved.

However....  the future of the Wedgwood Museum (which is also on the factory site, and which Josiah is facing) has been placed in doubt because of the 2009 problems. Its exhibits may be sold off to pay the debts. Naturally, people aren't happy about that. See: Save Wedgwood Museum