Happy Birthday Wedgwood! 261 Years Old

In 1759 on May 1st, Josiah Wedgwood opened his pottery and he began making his name something recognized around the world.

Wedgwood became synonymous with quality table ware and home decor... and is famous for transferware, majolica, jasperware and Queens Ware...the latter created by them.

This is a tray of sample colours for jasperware created in 1773 by Josiah Wedgwood as he perfected the material. This I took at the Wesgwood museum, called the World Of Wedgwood, in Barlaston just outside of Stoke-on-Trent where the pottery started...

 Here are scenes around the museum...

The Museum collection was almost dispersed in 2012 when undergoing financial difficulties, but saved by public and private donations in 2014.
Wedgwood, which had be joined into WWRD or Waterford Wedgwood Royal Doulton in 1989. 
in 2015 WWRD was acquired by Fiskars, Finland and is still owned and operated by them. The lines have shrunk, changed and in 2019 word came that the museum was again under threat.
With the virus situation, I have little hope it can survive as it was expected to be able to support itself with visitors.
Sigh...

We used to visit every year when we were in England for a month on a buying trip, and the World Of Wedgwood was always visitied for a day...either by ourselves or with relatives and friends. We loved watching the workers at work.

Queen Elizabeth visiting the pottery in 1953 after her coronation...

Above are some of the various items at Time Was Antiques from Wedgwood over the ages...

I am certainly hoping the Museum, and Wedgwood pottery itself long continues...

Pink Saturday Wedgwood With Wedgwood News

I am joining Pink Saturday with Beverley at How Sweet The Sound...late today, as life has intervened with a technology problems. I got a new data phone, had to wait for my phone number to get ported, and then kept waiting for the phone to kick in...to no avail. Finally, after 1 hour on the phone with techs, they told me I had to get get a new SIM card, mine was defective. Oh joy...and that meant another 2 hours at Costco...so the time I was going to do the blog post...poof!

Psalm 31:15a says My Times Are in His hands! So...

I am sure you are all familiar with Wedgwood, England jasperware, but for Pink Saturday...taa daa...pink jasper! Jasperware has always been a favorite. I was broken hearted when Wedgwood moved production in 1992 to Indonesia, and more saddened when it went into bankruptcy as part of Waterford Wedgwood. But the Museum in Barlaston, a district of Stoke-on-Trent with the fabulous Wedgwood collection would continue to be open. 

But fast forward to 2010, hard economic times, and a group sued the company to get money for the failed pension scheme from 2009. A judge ruled in early 2011 that the museum and contents would have to be auctioned off piece by piece to replace the failed pension scheme. And while I appreciate and sympathize with those who had their pensions ended, the thought of that wonderful place being closed or the items being dispersed and never possible be available for people to see was devastating.  But...

Enter a hero on Christmas Eve! A Birmingham, England millionaire, John Caudwell, has agreed to buy the museum and contents and keep it together and open. Birmingham is where my husband and my family are from and we couldn't be happier. Whenever we are in England and are up by the family we take the 2 hour drive to Stoke and Barlaston and spend part of the day at the museum. The collection is fabulous, there are workmen there who demonstrate the process and the tea room is fab!

John Caudwell said "Selling the off the collection would be a tragedy" and we certainly agree! Thank you John, for saving a National treasure! 

To read the article in the Telegraph Online click here:
Wedgwood saved

To see Wedgwood jasperware at Time Was Antiques, click on the pink Jasperware plate photos.

Dickens Smoking Bishop, Wedgwood Jasperware

I always love a Christmas Carol! And I have always wondered what is meant when the chastened and changed Scrooge says to Bob Crachit that they will discuss the matter (getting Tiny Tim well) over an afternoon bowl of Smoking Bishop. Well..this morning, a tea friend living temporarily in England reported that she and her husband visited the Dicken's House in London on Christmas day and received a gift of postcards, a guide and a recipe for Smoking Bishop that she passed along to a tea group,  Afternoon Tea Across America as follows:


SMOKING BISHOP

Ingredients:
6 Seville oranges
4 oz. sugar
Cloves
1 quart strong red wine
1 bottle Ruby Port

Bake
the oranges in a moderate oven for approximately 20 minutes until
golden brown, and then place in a warmed glass or pottery bowl with 6
cloves pricked into each fruit. Add the sugar and pour in the wine, but
not the Port. Cover and leave in a warm place for a day. Then, squeeze
the oranges into the wine and pour through a sieve.

To keep for future use, bottle in sterilised bottles and seal at this state, omitting the Port.

To serve immediately, add the Port to the liquid and heat in a pan, but do not boil. Serve in warmed goblets and drink hot.

Or,
pour into bottles and stand in a pan of simmering water; this keeps it
hot and makes pouring easier. If Seville oranges are out of season use 5
sweet orange and one yellow grapefruit instead.

"...we shall discuss your affairs this very afternoon, over a bowl of Smoking Bishop, Bob!"
- Scrooge, from 'A Christmas Carol' 1843.



I also found this version:

Smoking Bishop

• Take six Seville oranges and bake them in a moderate oven until pale brown. If you cannot procure any bitter Seville oranges, use four regular oranges and one large grapefruit.

• Prick each of the oranges with five whole cloves, put them into a warmed ceramic or glass vessel with one-quarter pound of sugar and a bottle of red wine, cover the vessel, and leave it in a warm place for 24 hours.

• Take the oranges out of the mixture, cut in half and squeeze the juice, then pour the juice back into the wine.

• Pour the mixture into a saucepan through a sieve, add a bottle of port, heat (without boiling), and serve in warmed glasses.

• Drink the mixture, and keep Christmas well!

The line is usually changed to read "warm punch", because they probably figured no one would know what Smoking Bishop was...and quite right too. Now, if I can find out WHY it was called that....

One of my favorite types of English pottery is Wedgwood jasperware or jasperware, and we always have many items in jasperware at Time Was Antiques.  Jasperware is a form of stoneware that was named jasper ware because Josiah Wedgwood thought it resembeled the semi precious stone from the quartz family. Jasperware was introduced in 1775 and has enjoyed popularity since then. The Wedgwood jasper ware is the most famous, but was made by many othe English firms including Dudson, Adams, Minton & Copeland and was extensively made by the German firm Shafer & Vater in the Victorian era.

Designed at a time when classical Greece and Rome were considered the heighth of culture, beauty and learning, the designs are often re telling of mythology. This particular dish features a vignette of applied white jasper figure on blue in a design called Cupid As Oracle with the cherub Cupid donning a mask to prophesy. They are so beautifully detailed. We watched them work on jasperware several times during visits to the Wedgwood factory and subsequently the Wedgwood Museum in Barlaston, England and were in awe of the skill required to create the delicate designs.

Here are links to the jasperware category at Time Was Antiques and the Wedgwood Museum website. Well worth a visit.

Jasperware at Time Was Antiques

Wedgwood Museaum Barlastan, England