Wedgwood China

Josiah Wedgwood, or Wedgewood as it is often mis-spelt, was a man with a vision. He dreamed of creating the greatest ceramics and developing a true English style, able to transcend global fashion boundaries.

Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795), who is remembered as the Father of English Potters, was born in Burslem, Staffordshire, in the heart of the English potteries. He served his apprenticeship as a potter before setting up his own business in 1759, and, within ten years, he had transformed the nation's tableware and numbered among his customers both royalty and commoner alike.

By 1766 he had prospered sufficiently to build a new factory, which he named Etruria. Josiah was to sow the first seeds of the innovative spirit, which continues to be an integral part of Wedgwood (or Wedgewood, if you must). During his lifetime he invented and produced what remain today three of the most famous Wedgwood ceramic bodies - Queen’s Ware (1762), Black Basalt (1768) and finally Jasper (1774).

In the nineteenth century, important progress was made at the Wedgwood factory in the use of new machinery, the introduction of the first coloured earthenware bodies and, most importantly, the manufacture of bone china. Wedgwood bone china tableware was to grace the tables of many illustrious homes throughout the world, including the dinner service that President Theodore Roosevelt ordered for the White House.

During the 1930s, the success of Wedgwood continued and, in order to increase efficiency, the fifth Josiah Wedgwood decided to build a new factory. A country estate near the village of Barlaston was purchased and a new, modern factory was built. Production started in the 1940s and has continued at the site ever since. Here, Wedgwood continues its living tradition of progress in design, in production methods and in the skills of its many craftspeople. In 2000, a modern visitor centre was added to the complex to cater for the huge international interest in Wedgwood.

Millys Store offers a range of classic Wedgwood patterns, including Amherst, Cornucopia, Ethereal and Signet Platinum, plus a range of beautiful patterns designed by both Jasper Conran and Vera Wang.