Latest news with #Spode
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Portmeirion pottery boss 'optimistic' about industry's future
The boss of a pottery firm has said he is "cautiously optimistic" about the industry's future, provided government support is Raybould, CEO of Portmeirion - which also owns the Spode brand - said despite recent difficulties, he believed there could be a bright future for the wider ceramics costs were among the biggest problems facing pottery firms, he said, and he urged government do more to help in order to "level the playing field" with other firm's wares are currently sold in about 60 countries globally. "What we find, with our brands, they are loved around the world," he said."People respect the 'made in the UK', the 'made in Stoke', the heritage that goes with that, the love and the craft that this city has in spades."He added his firm was launching a fresh push this week to highlight its own originated in 1770, he said, and he wanted people who worked for the firm to feel proud that their wares had been made in the city.A new logo and backstamp for his company's products would ensure the firm's origins were made clear, he said. 'Huge opportunity' "Stoke-on-Trent was the centre of the UK ceramic industry for a reason, and a leader for 100-200 years, so we have to believe it's important."We have a skill base in this city that is second-to-none, and we've got to cherish that."Although more than two thirds of his products are sold abroad, Mr Raybould said there was a "huge opportunity" to increase the industry's footprint further in other countries if it received the support it needed."We really, really hope that this time the government recognises the importance of Stoke-on-Trent and the UK ceramics industry," he said."Clearly it's been a tough four or five years for the consumer around the world in terms of the cost of living crisis."But really it's cost inflation – in particular energy costs. Soaring energy costs in this country have been a real problem, I think, for the industry generally." Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
22-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Stoke-on-Trent Spode pottery developer set to be appointed
Plans to regenerate a historic pottery site are set to move forward after councillors were asked to approve the appointment of a City Council hopes signing up Capital & Centric will "unlock new opportunities" at the former Spode pottery in the council's cabinet is to consider allocating £6.5m to the firm from its Levelling Up fund, as part of a wider scheme for the developer has already taken on the Goods Yard site, also in Stoke, and is also set to redevelop the Midway car park in Newcastle-under-Lyme. A new deal at the Spode works would allow Capital & Centric to bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund to bring the China Hall, a vast space in the old factory, back into operational use, the council would be subject to planning permission, with work expected to include demolition of some buildings with no heritage value and the development of new suggested partnership does not include the whole site, which will continue to host a range of tenants. Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for regeneration, said the authority would be proud to work with Capital & Centric again."Together we'll make sure Spode continues to be a success story, not just for the creative industry in the city, but for heritage regeneration too," he have previously expressed frustration over the slow progress of plans for the Spode was acquired by the council in 2010, two years after the factory closed and went into 2022, the authority secured £10m of Levelling Up cash to invest in the site and bring it back into August 2024, it has been working to remove asbestos in some heritage buildings and refurbishing two units to provide more space for the Spode Museum.A decision on the partnership is expected be made at a cabinet meeting on 27 May. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Council plans £2.9m revamp for former mansion
Parts of master potter Josiah Spode II's former mansion are set to be turned back into classrooms for the primary school next door in a £2.9m scheme. The Willows Primary School, which has expanded, will use the first and second floors of The Mount in Penkhull, Stoke-on-Trent, which has been unoccupied for seven years. Stoke-on-Trent City Council has submitted plans to refurbish The Mount, which is Grade II listed and dates back to 1803. The primary school, which already uses part of the ground floor of the building, needs extra space after expanding from two to three-form entry. The work would mean a portable building it uses could be removed. The potter's former home, which requires extensive repairs, was last used as The Mount Education Centre, which closed in 2018. Under the council's plans, three first-floor classrooms would be refurbished and brought back into use. Proposals also include overhauling the original timber sash windows, repairs to the four Victorian towers and reinstating a lead covering to the main Georgian dome roof. Some modern additions, including a glazed corridor and external fire escapes, would be removed. The application said the aim was to retain and repair "the existing historic fabric and its architectural detail and to maintain and enhance its heritage value and long-term sustainability as a school as part of a group of architecturally significant education buildings". Historians say Josiah Spode II built The Mount on the hill overlooking Stoke and the Spode factory, which he took over from his father. He moved into the building with family members and lived in the mansion until his death in 1827. The Mount was extended when it was converted into a school for deaf and blind children later in the 19th Century. City council planners are considering applications for planning permission and listed building consent and if approved, the work is expected to start in July. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Spode pottery set for return to factory museum Exhibition uses items broken in museum crash Stoke-on-Trent City Council
