Worcestershire Tourist Guide - Articles
Museum Of Royal Worcester
Founded in Worcester in 1751, the factory was established on the banks of the River Severn by a group of local businessmen, with the guidance of Dr John Wall, a physician. Dr. Wall along with another of the group, apothecary William Davis, developed their method for producing porcelain. Dr. Wall secured the sum of £4500 from the partners to establish the factory in Worcester and those original partnership deeds are still housed in the Museum of Worcester Porcelain.
By 1756 Robert Hancock had arrived at Worcester, the first man to apply transferring of prints onto porcelain.
Around 1770 one of the first Royal dinner services was made for the Duke of Gloucester.
Dr John Wall retired in 1774, however his partners continued to manufacture until their London agent, Thomas Flight, took over.
In 1783, the Worcester porcelain factory was purchased by Thomas Flight, the former London sales agent for the concern. He purchased the factory for £3000 from the former owners. He let his two sons run the concern, with John Flight taking the lead role.
Martin Barr joined the firm as a partner in 1792; porcelains of this period are often identified by an incised capital "B" and, later, by more elaborate printed and impressed marks.
Thomas Flight died in 1800, leaving the factory in the hands of his son Joseph Flight and Martin Barr. Barr’s sons Martin Barr Jr. and George Barr were being prepared at that time to run the factory.
The factory received a 'Royal Warrant' from King George III in 1789 during his visit to the city. Others followed, including a Royal Warrant by the Prince of Wales in 1807, another granted by the Princess of Wales in 1808.
In 1840 manufacture was consolidated on the current factory site and major modernisation followed in 1862.
The 'Worcester Royal Porcelain Company Limited' was the result of this work.
During the second half of the nineteenth century, Royal Worcester produced a new material called Parian, which revolutionised figure making.The new material imitated marble, which was mined in Paros, Greece. Parian only needed one firing to produce a cleanable material with a matt finish. Parian was used to make small versions of Classical sculpture at an affordable price and was in great demand by the new middle classes
Exhibition pieces were created, such as the Norman Conquest Vases, the Potters' Vases and the giant Chicago Vase, now on show at the Museum of Worcester Porcelain.
During the early 20th century Royal Worcester took a traditional approach to shapes and decoration.
The factory celebrated its 250th anniversary 2001.
At its height, the firm employed nearly 1,000 people, but after the 2006 merger with Spode, and heavy competition from overseas, the production was switched to factories in Stoke and abroad. 100 staff were made redundant in 2003 and another 100 went in 2005. Fifteen porcelain painters left the Severn Street factory on Friday 29 September 2006, together with 100 other workers. The last trading date for Royal Worcester was June 14 2009.
The company went into administration in November 2008.
On 23 April 2009 Portmeirion Pottery purchased the rival Royal Worcester and Spode brands, together with some of the stock, after their parent company had been placed into administration the previous November. The purchase does not include Royal Worcester and Spode's manufacturing facilities. The Worcester site closed on June 14 2009 after the staff thanked all the customers for their loyalty over the 258 years of trade.
The factory's former site includes the independent Worcester Porcelain Museum (formerly known as the Dyson Perrins Museum) owned by the Dyson Perrins Museum Trust. The Museum houses the world’s largest collection of Worcester porcelain. The collections date back to 1751 and the Victorian gallery, the ceramic collections, archives and records of factory production, form the primary resource for the study of Worcester porcelain and its history.
The Worcester Porcelain Museum is still open for business and welcomes visitors to its collection of Worcester Porcelain. Having recently gone through a process of re-branding the Worcester Porcelain Museum is now called Museum of Royal Worcester.
MUSEUM OF ROYAL WORCESTER
A remarkable audio tour leads visitors on a journey through time from 1751 when the factory was established.
The museum collection is displayed in three permanent galleries.
In the Georgian Gallery visitors can marvel at the technical achievements and skill of artists and craftsmen who worked long days in poor light and difficult conditions to manufacture the wares that made the name of Worcester Porcelain famous.
In contrast the Victorian Gallery is decked with deep colour, extravagant exhibition pieces and works of breathtaking craftsmanship illustrating how travel influenced design and how with the onset of industrialisation more people could afford to buy fine porcelain.
The Twentieth Century Gallery illustrates how although traditional styles continued the changing world brought new challenges. Industrial ceramics for schools and hospitals were developed as part of the war effort.Technical advances permitted the production of ever more complex bone china models of birds, horses and military figures.
The Exhibition Gallery, on the ground floor was purpose built as part of the redevelopment of the museum completed in 2001. The modern, multipurpose space is used for temporary exhibitions, lectures, seminars, educational groups, contemporary art shows and fundraising events.
A visit to the Museum Of Royal Worcester offers something to people of all ages and interests.
email: info@museumofroyalworcester.org
Severn Street, Worcester WR1 2ND
Museum Of Royal Worcester Website
By 1756 Robert Hancock had arrived at Worcester, the first man to apply transferring of prints onto porcelain.
Around 1770 one of the first Royal dinner services was made for the Duke of Gloucester.
Dr John Wall retired in 1774, however his partners continued to manufacture until their London agent, Thomas Flight, took over.
In 1783, the Worcester porcelain factory was purchased by Thomas Flight, the former London sales agent for the concern. He purchased the factory for £3000 from the former owners. He let his two sons run the concern, with John Flight taking the lead role.
Martin Barr joined the firm as a partner in 1792; porcelains of this period are often identified by an incised capital "B" and, later, by more elaborate printed and impressed marks.
Thomas Flight died in 1800, leaving the factory in the hands of his son Joseph Flight and Martin Barr. Barr’s sons Martin Barr Jr. and George Barr were being prepared at that time to run the factory.
The factory received a 'Royal Warrant' from King George III in 1789 during his visit to the city. Others followed, including a Royal Warrant by the Prince of Wales in 1807, another granted by the Princess of Wales in 1808.
In 1840 manufacture was consolidated on the current factory site and major modernisation followed in 1862.
The 'Worcester Royal Porcelain Company Limited' was the result of this work.
During the second half of the nineteenth century, Royal Worcester produced a new material called Parian, which revolutionised figure making.The new material imitated marble, which was mined in Paros, Greece. Parian only needed one firing to produce a cleanable material with a matt finish. Parian was used to make small versions of Classical sculpture at an affordable price and was in great demand by the new middle classes
Exhibition pieces were created, such as the Norman Conquest Vases, the Potters' Vases and the giant Chicago Vase, now on show at the Museum of Worcester Porcelain.
During the early 20th century Royal Worcester took a traditional approach to shapes and decoration.
The factory celebrated its 250th anniversary 2001.
At its height, the firm employed nearly 1,000 people, but after the 2006 merger with Spode, and heavy competition from overseas, the production was switched to factories in Stoke and abroad. 100 staff were made redundant in 2003 and another 100 went in 2005. Fifteen porcelain painters left the Severn Street factory on Friday 29 September 2006, together with 100 other workers. The last trading date for Royal Worcester was June 14 2009.
The company went into administration in November 2008.
On 23 April 2009 Portmeirion Pottery purchased the rival Royal Worcester and Spode brands, together with some of the stock, after their parent company had been placed into administration the previous November. The purchase does not include Royal Worcester and Spode's manufacturing facilities. The Worcester site closed on June 14 2009 after the staff thanked all the customers for their loyalty over the 258 years of trade.
The factory's former site includes the independent Worcester Porcelain Museum (formerly known as the Dyson Perrins Museum) owned by the Dyson Perrins Museum Trust. The Museum houses the world’s largest collection of Worcester porcelain. The collections date back to 1751 and the Victorian gallery, the ceramic collections, archives and records of factory production, form the primary resource for the study of Worcester porcelain and its history.
The Worcester Porcelain Museum is still open for business and welcomes visitors to its collection of Worcester Porcelain. Having recently gone through a process of re-branding the Worcester Porcelain Museum is now called Museum of Royal Worcester.
MUSEUM OF ROYAL WORCESTER
A remarkable audio tour leads visitors on a journey through time from 1751 when the factory was established.
The museum collection is displayed in three permanent galleries.
In the Georgian Gallery visitors can marvel at the technical achievements and skill of artists and craftsmen who worked long days in poor light and difficult conditions to manufacture the wares that made the name of Worcester Porcelain famous.
In contrast the Victorian Gallery is decked with deep colour, extravagant exhibition pieces and works of breathtaking craftsmanship illustrating how travel influenced design and how with the onset of industrialisation more people could afford to buy fine porcelain.
The Twentieth Century Gallery illustrates how although traditional styles continued the changing world brought new challenges. Industrial ceramics for schools and hospitals were developed as part of the war effort.Technical advances permitted the production of ever more complex bone china models of birds, horses and military figures.
The Exhibition Gallery, on the ground floor was purpose built as part of the redevelopment of the museum completed in 2001. The modern, multipurpose space is used for temporary exhibitions, lectures, seminars, educational groups, contemporary art shows and fundraising events.
A visit to the Museum Of Royal Worcester offers something to people of all ages and interests.
email: info@museumofroyalworcester.org
Severn Street, Worcester WR1 2ND
Museum Of Royal Worcester Website