Wedgwood Institute
Encyclopedia
The Wedgwood Institute is a large red-brick building that stands in Queen Street, in the town of Burslem
, Stoke-on-Trent
, Staffordshire
, England
. It is sometimes called the Wedgwood Memorial Institute, but it is not to be confused with the Wedgwood Memorial College
in Barlaston
.
The Wedgwood Institute is named after the potter Josiah Wedgwood
and stands on the site of the Brick House pottery works which he rented from 1762 to 1770. This was the second of his pottery works in the town of Burslem
, the first being at the Ivy House works.
The building was funded by public subscription and was constructed between 1863-69. The foundation stone was laid by then Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone
on 26 October 1863; the building itself opened 21 April 1869; the School of Art and Science opened in October 1869; the Free Library opened in 1870; and the façade was completed by November 1871.
The basic design is by an architect called Nichols, but the elaborate decorations which form an integral part of the facade were designed by Robert Edgar and John Lockwood Kipling
. Kipling, the father of Rudyard Kipling
, emigrated to India while the building was still under construction.
The style of architecture chosen was Venetian Gothic
, which had been popularised by John Ruskin
.
s, the latter executed by Signor Salviati
.
Over the entrance is a tympanum
with portrait medallions of three people connected with Wedgwood's projects: these are John Flaxman
, the sculptor, Joseph Priestley
, the scientist, and Thomas Bentley
(1730-1780), a business partner of Wedgwood. Above the tympanum is a statue of Josiah Wedgwood. The statue is in the middle of a frieze
. Around the upper storey is set a series of twelve terracotta panels to illustrate the months of the year, and above them mosaics of the corresponding signs of the zodiac. . Around the middle of the building are ten terracotta panels depicting processes involved in the manufacture of pottery.
The cresting at the top of the facade recalls the Doge's Palace.
It achieved Listed building status (grade II starred) in 1972.
and potters such as Frederick Hurten Rhead
and William Moorcroft
.
The art students remained in the Institute until 1905 when Burslem School of Art
was provided with its own building. The library in the Institute moved across the road to the Burslem School of Art in 2008 . It also acted at one time as an annexe for Staffordshire University
and more latterly for Stoke-on-Trent College
. It has recently been used for exhibitions and lectures .
Pictures of the building
Burslem
The town of Burslem, known as the Mother Town, is one of the six towns that amalgamated to form the current city of Stoke-on-Trent, in the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, in the Midlands of England.-Topography:...
, Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is sometimes called the Wedgwood Memorial Institute, but it is not to be confused with the Wedgwood Memorial College
Wedgwood Memorial College
Wedgwood Memorial College is a small residential college in Barlaston, near Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. The college is owned and operated by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, and is nationally important as a centre of Esperanto education....
in Barlaston
Barlaston
Barlaston is a village and civil parish in the borough of Stafford in the county of Staffordshire, England. It is roughly halfway between the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the small town of Stone. According to the 2001 census the population of the parish was 2,659.-History:The old parish church of...
.
Josiah Wedgwood
Josiah Wedgwood was an English potter, founder of the Wedgwood company, credited with the industrialization of the manufacture of pottery. A prominent abolitionist, Wedgwood is remembered for his "Am I Not A Man And A Brother?" anti-slavery medallion. He was a member of the Darwin–Wedgwood family...
and stands on the site of the Brick House pottery works which he rented from 1762 to 1770. This was the second of his pottery works in the town of Burslem
Burslem
The town of Burslem, known as the Mother Town, is one of the six towns that amalgamated to form the current city of Stoke-on-Trent, in the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, in the Midlands of England.-Topography:...
, the first being at the Ivy House works.
The building was funded by public subscription and was constructed between 1863-69. The foundation stone was laid by then Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
on 26 October 1863; the building itself opened 21 April 1869; the School of Art and Science opened in October 1869; the Free Library opened in 1870; and the façade was completed by November 1871.
The basic design is by an architect called Nichols, but the elaborate decorations which form an integral part of the facade were designed by Robert Edgar and John Lockwood Kipling
John Lockwood Kipling
John Lockwood Kipling, C.I.E. was an English art teacher, illustrator, museum curator, and father of author Rudyard Kipling.-Biography:...
. Kipling, the father of Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
, emigrated to India while the building was still under construction.
The style of architecture chosen was Venetian Gothic
Venetian Gothic architecture
Venetian Gothic is a term given to an architectural style combining use of the Gothic lancet arch with Byzantine and Moorish architecture influences. The style originated in 14th century Venice with the confluence of Byzantine styles from Constantinople, Arab influences from Moorish Spain and early...
, which had been popularised by John Ruskin
John Ruskin
John Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political...
.
Decorative scheme
It is an ornate building coated with numerous inlaid sculptures, ceramics and a series of zodiac mosaicMosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
s, the latter executed by Signor Salviati
Salviati (glassmakers)
A family called Salviati were glass makers and mosaicists in Murano, Venice and also in London, working as the firm Salviati, Jesurum & Co. of 213 Regent Street, London; also as Salviati and Co. and later as the Venice and Murano Glass and Mosaic Company...
.
Over the entrance is a tympanum
Tympanum (architecture)
In architecture, a tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. Most architectural styles include this element....
with portrait medallions of three people connected with Wedgwood's projects: these are John Flaxman
John Flaxman
John Flaxman was an English sculptor and draughtsman.-Early life:He was born in York. His father was also named John, after an ancestor who, according to family tradition, had fought for Parliament at the Battle of Naseby, and afterwards settled as a carrier or farmer in Buckinghamshire...
, the sculptor, Joseph Priestley
Joseph Priestley
Joseph Priestley, FRS was an 18th-century English theologian, Dissenting clergyman, natural philosopher, chemist, educator, and political theorist who published over 150 works...
, the scientist, and Thomas Bentley
Thomas Bentley (manufacturer)
Thomas Bentley was an English manufacturer of porcelain, known for his partnership with Josiah Wedgwood.-Life:He was born at Scropton, Derbyshire, on 1 January 1731. His father, Thomas Bentley, was a country gentleman of some property...
(1730-1780), a business partner of Wedgwood. Above the tympanum is a statue of Josiah Wedgwood. The statue is in the middle of a frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
. Around the upper storey is set a series of twelve terracotta panels to illustrate the months of the year, and above them mosaics of the corresponding signs of the zodiac. . Around the middle of the building are ten terracotta panels depicting processes involved in the manufacture of pottery.
The cresting at the top of the facade recalls the Doge's Palace.
It achieved Listed building status (grade II starred) in 1972.
People associated with the Institute
The building has played its part in the lives of many famous local people such as the scientist Oliver Lodge, the writer Arnold BennettArnold Bennett
- Early life :Bennett was born in a modest house in Hanley in the Potteries district of Staffordshire. Hanley is one of a conurbation of six towns which joined together at the beginning of the twentieth century as Stoke-on-Trent. Enoch Bennett, his father, qualified as a solicitor in 1876, and the...
and potters such as Frederick Hurten Rhead
Frederick Hurten Rhead
Frederick Hurten Rhead was a native of England who worked as a potter in the United States for most of his career. In addition to teaching pottery techniques, Rhead was highly influential in both studio and commercial pottery...
and William Moorcroft
William Moorcroft (potter)
William Moorcroft was an English potter who founded the Moorcroft pottery business.He was born in Burslem, Staffordshire. He studied art at Burslem then in London and Paris. He experimented with his own pottery designs around 1896 while working for James Macintyre & Co Ltd. and produced Aurelian...
.
The art students remained in the Institute until 1905 when Burslem School of Art
Burslem School of Art
Burslem School of Art was an art school in Burslem in the Potteries district of England. Students from the school played an important role in the local pottery industry....
was provided with its own building. The library in the Institute moved across the road to the Burslem School of Art in 2008 . It also acted at one time as an annexe for Staffordshire University
Staffordshire University
Staffordshire University is a university with its main campus based in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and with other campuses in Stafford, Lichfield and Shrewsbury.- History :...
and more latterly for Stoke-on-Trent College
Stoke-on-Trent College
Stoke-on-Trent College is a provider of further and higher education based in Stoke-on-Trent. According to www.stoke.net the college has more than 30,000 students and over 1000 staff. The college's main campus, known as Cauldon Campus, is in Shelton and it has a second campus in Burslem.Stoke on...
. It has recently been used for exhibitions and lectures .
Appearance in fiction
The Institute is a central setting in the historical mystery novel set in 1869, The Spyders of Burslem (2011).External links
- Josiah Wedgwood Memorial Institute (sculpture) for detailed pictures of the building
- Wedgwood Institute - Queen Street (Burslem)
Pictures of the building
