Advert of the Week
Potworks of the Week
Ceramica,
Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent
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Ceramica in Burslem,
Stoke-on-Trent was one of the Millennium Commissions 222 projects
across the country. Ceramica
was designed to be a unique celebration of the ceramic industry of
Stoke-on-Trent. Created inside the Victorian town hall of Burslem.
-
Although
the First Day of Issue postmarks were May 2000 it was not until
2003 that Ceramica finally opened to the public.
-
Dry
rot was discovered in the town hall which housed the exhibition
and fixing this swallowed up a large portion of the
budget.
-
It
was expected to attract 100,000 visitors a year - but it only
realised less than a tenth of that figure which meant that it was
not viable without local authority funding.
-
The
closure of the Royal Doulton factory in Burslem reduced the number
of visitors to the town and an anticipated restoration of the
Burslem Port Canal did not happen.
-
It
closed in March 2011 after Stoke-on-Trent City Council withdraw
its £150,000 a year funding for the day to day running of
Ceramica.
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'First
Day' of issue (May 2000) - postage stamps and envelopes - celebrating
Millennium Projects...
year 2000 commemorative First Day Cover -
Ceramica - 2nd May 2000
In the year 2000 a number of commemorative postage stamps were issued
- the Ceramica stamp was part of an Art & Craft series which
marked Millennium projects and included:
Ceramica, Stoke-on-Trent
Tate Gallery of Modern Art, London
Cycle Networks Artworks
The Lowry, Salford |
|
Ceramica, Stoke-on-Trent
"Ceramica
is a visitor centre where the
artistic and industrial heritage of the
Potteries area is brought to life in a
series of interactive displays and
galleries. The product, part of
everyone's daily life, is examined as
much for its part in place-setting
etiquette as in craft and commerce." |
Jan 2001 - Ceramica under construction
Ceramica advertising leaflet
| what
was on offer at Ceramica.......
Bizarreland
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Time Team - Unearth what the Time Team found of Josiah Wedgwood's kiln and rake up evidence of the past.
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The Magic Carpet - Take a ride over the 'Mother Town' of Burslem.
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Studio Pottery - Listen to a studio potter's life and have a go at throwing your own pot on a potter's wheel!
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What is clay? - Discover what clay is and where it comes from.
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The Narrowboat - Find out why narrowboats were used and how they travel through tunnels with no engine!
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In the Home - See how many things in our house are made from ceramic.
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The Pottery Shop - See how ceramics get to the shop and be your own shop keeper!
The Pavilions
An exploration into the past, present and future of the ceramic industry with specially created video presentations and interactive displays
Wade - Find out what Wade ceramics make from Whimsies to industrial power insulators.
Royal Doulton - Find out about the different things Royal Doulton make from Figures to Dinner Sets.
Sadlers - Learn about tea-pot design from Sadlers top designer and why tea-pot design is so important
Dudson and Steelite - Find out about how Steelite test the strength of plates and the different Hotelware designs Dudson produce
Royal Stafford - Learn about how Royal Stafford design tableware and how they keep up with latest fashion
Moorland - See the wide range of decorative techniques from this innovative company
Inside the Bottle Oven - Feel the heat inside a bottle oven and try not to get fired with the bottle oven challenge.
Burgess, Dorling and Leigh - Learn about how Arnold Bennett wrote about Burleigh pottery in his book "Anna of the Five Towns"
Moorcroft - See the unique skill of slip-trailing ceramics to produce stunning designs
Cobridge Stoneware - Discover the unique process of stoneware production
Hothouse - The Hothouse use computers to design ceramics, here you can have a go at designing ceramic pieces.
Arnold Bennett - Experience the life and works of the locally born novelist, and listen to extracts from his books
Memory Bank - Listen to the life and craft of the pottery workers both old and new, young and old from around the potteries
Video Tower - Watch the breathtaking video that show life in Burslem how it was and how it is today.
|
photos
of the interior of Ceramica - taken by Fred Hughes in April 2002....
refurbished staircase of the old Burslem Town
Hall which housed Ceramica
central staircase which mimics a bottle kiln
with the outer hovel and the inner kiln
mockup of a canal barge
tiled mural showing the canals, coal mines
and pottery factories of Stoke-on-Trent
Ceramica - housed in the Old Town Hall - and
the clay and coal deposits that made the pottery industry of
Stoke-on-Trent
the 'Time Team' dig - the old Town Hall was
built near to Josiah Wedgwood's Ivy House Works
'Get a Handle on This" - how cup handles
are made
manufacturers exhibition section -
Moorcroft
representation of a Moorcroft tube-lined
vase
manufacturers exhibition section - Royal
Stafford
manufacturers exhibition section - Wade
