Our latest Blog posts...

Focus on John Wedgwood and the founding of the RHS

Wedgwood and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) have enjoyed a long and close relationship. In fact, the longest possible relationship because it goes back to before day one with John Wedgwood, the first son of Josiah Wedgwood 1.

John was born in 1766 and educated at Warrington Academy and the University of Edinburgh. He was a partner in Wedgwood from 1790 – 1793.

He developed a growing interest and fascination for all forms of agriculture, including flowers and vegetables, and the cultivation of tropical fruit and other exotic plants. 

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Wedgwood and Nature: Fish Vase by Elwyn James

One of the most unusual studio pots ever produced at the Wedgwood factory was crafted by the talented and popular ceramic artist, Elwyn James (1943-77).

Elwyn always had an eye for the unusual and here his observations of fish studies have been meticulously hand-carved into unfired bone china, while it was still cheese-hard.

Elwyn took great delight in following factory traditions of working with experimental glazes, and we see here how these have been used to great advantage creating a lifelike sheen to the scales of each individual marine subject.

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Focus on Daisy Makeig-Jones

Susannah Margaretta Makeig-Jones (l88l-l945) was an important designer for Wedgwood in the period around the First World War and is mainly recognised for her Fairyland Lustre work.

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Wedgwood and Nature: Ocean Teapot and Lid in Queen’s Ware

In the later decades of the 19th century the Victorians were captivated by naturalism. The establishment of botanical gardens, such as those at Kew, combined with an expanding general knowledge of flora and fauna as a result of investigative expeditions by collectors and specialists alike. Fascination and growing understanding led to a market demand for naturalistic forms, decorative designs and motifs.

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Wedgwood and Nature: Nautilus Dessert Service – Sauce Tureen, Cover and Stand

Josiah Wedgwood pursued his amateur hobby of shell collecting, or conchology, with immense enthusiasm and enjoyment. He wrote to his business partner and friend Thomas Bentley in September 1778 that, ‘…firmly believing idleness to be one of the seven-teen deadly sins …I have got my face over a shell drawer and find myself in imminent danger of becoming a connoisseur. You can scarcely conceive the progress I have made in a month or two in the deep & very elaborate science of shell-fancying.’

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Focus on the Hummingbird Collection

Introduced in 2021, designed by the Wedgwood Design Team and made here in Barlaston, this new collection of prestige vases and teaware is a celebration of the artistry, creativity and quality Wedgwood is renowned for around the world. The classically inspired shapes in fine bone china are decorated with archive inspired botanical designs in bold and exotic colours. The imaginative design creates an expressive and richly eclectic visual experience – an eye catching contrast.

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