Wedgwood Institute
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The Wedgwood Institute is a large red-brick building that stands in Queen Street, in the town of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England and was erected by R. Edgar and John Lockwood Kipling (father of Rudyard Kipling). It is sometimes called the Wedgwood Memorial Institute, but it is not to be confused with the Wedgwood Memorial College in Barlaston. The building was commissioned by public subscription.
The Wedgwood Institute stands on the site of the Brick House pottery works which was originally rented by Josiah Wedgwood 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 is in the Venetian Gothic style and was constructed between 1863-69; the foundation stone was laid by then Prime Minister William 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; the façade was completed by November 1871. The art students remained in the Institute until 1905 when Burslem School of Art was provided with its own building. The Institute still serves as the Burslem public library. It also acted at one time as an annexe for Staffordshire University and more latterly for Stoke-on-Trent College.
It is an ornate building coated with numerous inlaid sculptures, ceramics and a series of Zodiac mosaics, the latter executed by Signor Salviati. [1] Around the first storey is a decorative frieze depicting the monograms of famous people involved with Wedgwood's projects. These are John Flaxman, the sculptor and Wedgwood modeller, Joseph Priestley, the scientist and inventor who discovered oxygen, and Thomas Bentley (1730-1780), a business partner of Josiah Wedgwood. Around the upper storey is a series of twelve terracotta panels set to illustrate the months of the year, and above them mosaics of the corresponding signs of the zodiac. Between the storeys are ten relief terracotta panels depicting processes involved in the manufacture of pottery, and showing the crowded scenes of pottery workshops.[2]
The building has played its part in the lives of many famous local people such as Oliver Lodge, Arnold Bennett and the ceramic artist William Moorcroft. It achieved Listed building status (grade II starred) in 1972. [3]
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.thepotteries.org/art/17.htm Josiah Wedgwood Memorial Institute (sculpture)
- ^ http://www.thepotteries.org/art/17.htm Josiah Wedgwood Memorial Institute (sculpture) at Burslem
- ^ http://www.thepotteries.org/photos/burslem_centre/wedgwood_institute.htm Wedgwood Institute - Queen Street (Burslem)
[edit] External links
- Josiah Wedgwood Memorial Institute (sculpture) for detailed pictures of the building
- Wedgwood Institute - Queen Street (Burslem)
