You may well have heard me say it before and even if you haven't if you've followed me for a while on social media you will most likely know that two things that I love are art and history and I feel very lucky to live here in England where our heritage in both is so rich and varied. We're so fortunate in the UK that because it's such an old and established country we are surrounded by beautiful old buildings and long standing companies who are now legendary for being innovators at the top of the game in their specific fields. One such company who are renowned the world over are Wedgwood, creators of fine china and porcelain goods and investors of Jasperware who were founded way back in 1759 by Josiah Wedgwood.
Usually it would be my game here to go into detail on the history of the company but on this occasion I won't be doing so! With this post I want to give you an overview and a little taster of the World of Wedgwood visitor centre in the hopes that you'll spend a lovely day their yourself, so I don't want to give lots of spoilers on what you'll learn but show you all the fun activities you can take part in. The World of Wedgwood is honestly unlike any other factory tour based attraction that I've ever been to, mainly because it's so interactive.
Usually it would be my game here to go into detail on the history of the company but on this occasion I won't be doing so! With this post I want to give you an overview and a little taster of the World of Wedgwood visitor centre in the hopes that you'll spend a lovely day their yourself, so I don't want to give lots of spoilers on what you'll learn but show you all the fun activities you can take part in. The World of Wedgwood is honestly unlike any other factory tour based attraction that I've ever been to, mainly because it's so interactive.
For the full experience you really need a full day at the centre so you're not rushing to cram in everything in just a few hours, which is what me and my Mother in Law Lizzie did on our visit. You can take charge and plan the order in which you'll do your activities, but we headed straight into our factory tour upon arrival.
I love a good factory tour as I find production methods really fascinating (nerd alert) but unsurprisingly my favourite part of the tour was walking through the decorating areas and watching the artists at work. I didn't appreciate how much freehand painted work is undertaken at Wedgwood and the talent of their artists is unreal; hand painting perfectly straight lines, adding real gold accents to tiny detailed areas and the delicate florals. I also found the Jasperware production line really interesting as I wasn't aware how this special kind of pottery is produced, but it's an ingenious method and creates some of the most gorgeous pieces I've ever seen.
After the tour we decided to stroll through the showrooms where we were astounded by the stunning arrangements and installations that are set up for the different styles and collection of china. So much thought has been put into each and every aspect of the centre and I can't commend the creative team enough for the gorgeous way they've decided to showcase the products. There was even a huge Chinese dragon made out of cups and saucers to celebrate Chinese New Year when we visited!
I also wasn't aware how many designer collaborations Wedgwood have created including super glam dinner services with Vera Wang and I adored the installation of hanging orchids above a table laden with modern floral patterned china. I'm trying to figure out a way to recreate such a thing at home...!
Our next stop was through to the Decorating Studio where we were sat at some tables and set up with all the art supplies we needed to create our very own design that would then be transferred on to a votive dish. Naturally my creative side was singing at this opportunity and I was a bit overwhelmed trying to decide what to draw, but in the end I did my own version of a tattoo design I'd spotted recently and had fallen in love with.
To help you along the way there were walls covered in inspirational images and drawers stuffed with motifs and pattern details as well as light boxes and lots of different mediums like pens, pencils, chalks and more to create the look you're going for. This was super fun and if drawing a design on paper isn't up your street you can do a bit of pottery painting instead, another thing I love doing whenever I get the chance. I can't wait for the finished dish to arrive in the post!
Next on our list was a trip to the Wedgwood Tea Room where we were ushered through the golden gates to a lovely table by the window for Afternoon Tea. As you can see the room itself was just stunning, perfectly designed to echo the feel and detailing of Wedgwood's classic designs and let me tell you, the food was just as much of a treat!
I love an afternoon tea and by now I consider myself a bit of a connoisseur, plus with my baking background I must admit to being a bit of a cake snob. This means that a traditional afternoon tea has to be very well executed for me to be impressed and let me tell you, this really was.
The sandwich selection was full of perfectly balanced flavour combinations including their take on coronation chicken, mozzarella and pesto with sweet tart pickled pepper and apple and asparagus and roast beef atop horseradish creme fraiche to name a few.
The tea selection was unsurprisingly impressive and my earl grey blend was just delicious - it's lovely having a pot of tea to yourself isn't it? The perfect accompaniment to tea in my books is a scone with jam and clotted cream and although I felt the scones were a little overcooked they tasted lovely and the jam was especially fruity and delicious.
The top tier was a myriad of sweet treats with little floral jellies, ginger cakes, some especially good brownies and vegan meringues with whipped coconut cream aka little bites of heaven. All in all a really lovely afternoon indulgence in an opulent setting that felt like a real treat.
The top tier was a myriad of sweet treats with little floral jellies, ginger cakes, some especially good brownies and vegan meringues with whipped coconut cream aka little bites of heaven. All in all a really lovely afternoon indulgence in an opulent setting that felt like a real treat.
Our final stop before heading to the gift shop and factory outlet store was to the Master Craft Studio to throw our own pot. This was great fun and the lovely lady teaching us was fabulous - and thankfully patient with me and my long nails making things a lot harder! My little vase came out wonderfully and is sitting proudly on my kitchen windowsill as a lovely reminder of this fabulous day out.
I would so recommend you book yourself a day out at World of Wedgwood if you have any appreciation for the art of pottery and china or even if you just want to learn about one of the UK's most famous heritage companies. Or you know, maybe you'd just like a cracking afternoon tea and to do a bit of pottery painting - either way I'm sure you'll have a wonderful day out.
It really was a fantastic day combining learning with fun activities, gorgeous surroundings and delicious food and the thought and care that has gone into every aspect of World of Wedgwood is astounding. Why not treat a loved one to a day out as a Christmas present? I love giving experiences rather than things so you can make memories to be treasured!
Myself and my guest were treated to a complimentary World of Wedgwood experience in exchange for my review, but all opinions are 100% honest and my own just like everything else on this site.
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