Further redundancies would be a blow to artisanal craft skills and to the remaining pillars of Staffordshire ceramics
When a British diplomat led the first formal trade mission to China to meet the Qianlong emperor in 1792, he brought with him an array of textiles, astronomical models and sword blades. One offering was more audacious than the rest: six vases of jasperware, the blue and white pottery created by Wedgwood. China may have invented porcelain, but Josiah Wedgwood of Stoke-on-Trent created a transnational pottery empire, whose story was synonymous with commerce, colonialism and the formation of British identity.
More recently, Wedgwood’s challenges have mirrored those of British manufacturing. The business boomed in the mid 20th century, and by 1986 it employed about 12,000 people worldwide. Many were based in Stoke-on-Trent, where Wedgwood’s “paintresses” trained young apprentices to create curling floral designs. Today, Staffordshire’s potteries face an existential crisis. Four ceramics firms have gone bust or shifted production overseas in the last two years. Last week, the Fiskars Group, Wedgwood’s parent company, announced that it was pausing production for 90 days, putting 70 workers on temporary leave.
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