Description

When the clock strikes three, everything stops…but it’s no good without any tea. So boil the kettle and fill the pot. A perfect brew’s the key! Favourite cakes make a pleasant day, and are freshly baked for you. It’s a very quaint English custom, especially when skies are blue.

Audio read by: Vicky Breakwell from BBC Hereford and Worcester

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Peter Poole

Peter Poole creates artwork that blends realistic elements with imaginative ideas, including still life, landscape and urban scenes. He has designed backdrops for a children’s theatre company, painted two Moor Otters for Dartmoor art trails and worked on several Wild in Art projects. He created ‘Hare’s Magic’ for Hares About Town, Southend-on-Sea, in 2021, plus ‘Sea for Miles’ for A Dog’s Trail, Cardiff, and ‘Skool’s Owt’ for The Big Hoot, Ipswich, both in 2022. Last year, Peter’s ‘Learning to Fly’ was part of Herd in the City, Southend-on-Sea, and Mechani-Kit seen in Croydon Stands Tall.

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08. Royal Porcelain Works

More than two and a half centuries after it was first established in the city, Worcester’s porcelain industry can claim a legacy of international renown. You’re stood near an important historic site of Worcester’s porcelain manufacturing.

The name most synonymous with the early manufacturing of porcelain in Worcester is Dr John Wall. Born in Powick in 1708, Wall was the son of a one-time mayor of the city and as a young man attended the King’s school. After the death of his father in 1734, he became the ward of Samuel Sandys of Ombersley (notable because one of Sandy’s descendants would play an integral part in the creation of the recipe for Worcestershire Sauce a century later).

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08. Royal Porcelain Works

In 1739 Wall qualified as a Dr and in the 1740s helped establish the first public infirmary in Worcester on Silver Street (this was later moved to premises near Pitchcroft and became the Royal Infirmary).

Amidst the chaos of providing essential medical care for an entire city, Dr Wall and an apothecary who worked with hm at Silver Street, William Davis, managed to discover a method of producing a porcelain-like material. Wide-spread porcelain manufacturing had only really taken off in Britain in the early 1740s and Dr Wall was keen that the city of Worcester take the opportunity to develop a new industry, providing employment and stimulating the local economy.

In 1751 Dr Wall and William Davis were able to persuade 13 local businessmen to undertake the venture with them. In 1752 Warmstry House on the banks of the Severn was converted to become the first factory. By 1783, a rival factory had set up for business on Severn Street, owned by Robert Chamberlain.

The Worcester Porcelain Company obtained its ‘Royal’ status after George III and his family placed an order following a visit to the city in 1788.

In 1802 Admiral Nelson and Lady Hamilton, whilst visiting the city, purchased a large order of porcelain from Robert Chamberlain’s rival works in Severn Street. Over the next few decades Chamberlain’s business grew in prestige and reputation.

In 1840, the original company founded by Wall merged with Chamberlains, who concentrated the manufacturing operation on this site. By 1851 the company was called the Worcester Royal Porcelain Company. In 1862, Royal Worcester Porcelain was formed.

The second half of the 19th century saw huge expansion in the production for the company. The number of employees at the Severn Street factory was 700 by the 1880s. The company continued to produce high quality dinner services, as well as decorative figurines. In 1860 Prince Albert had ordered a dessert service for Queen Victoria after admiring the designs.

In 1951 the future Queen Elizabeth visited the city and officially opened the Porcelain Museum and in 1954 The Royal Worcester Porcelain Co. became a public company.

In 2009 the Severn Street Factory closed as the Royal Worcester name was purchased by Portmeirion Pottery who manufacture the brand today.

Today the site of the old Royal Porcelain Works has been revitalised as a centre of culture for the city. To experience a full history of porcelain Manufacturing in Worcester, you can visit the Royal Worcester Porcelain Museum, located on the site.

This location fact has been provided by Joe Tierney of Faithful History. To learn more stories of the ancient city of Worcester, spanning thousands of years of history in ‘The Faithful City’, visit https://www.facebook.com/faithfulhistoryworcester

Take home your own feathered friend

In October 2024 all 40 large penguins and one chick will be auctioned to raise funds for the care provided by St Richard’s Hospice.

In 2021, 31 stunning elephant sculptures raised a mammoth £368,800 to support the care provided by St Richard’s Hospice across Worcestershire.

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