Etruria Hall
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Etruria Hall in
Etruria Etruria ( ) was a region of Central Italy delimited by the rivers Arno and Tiber, an area that covered what is now most of Tuscany, northern Lazio, and north-western Umbria. It was inhabited by the Etruscans, an ancient civilization that f ...
,
Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire ...
,
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
is a Grade II listed house and former home of the potter
Josiah Wedgwood Josiah Wedgwood (12 July 1730 – 3 January 1795) was an English potter, entrepreneur and abolitionist. Founding the Wedgwood company in 1759, he developed improved pottery bodies by systematic experimentation, and was the leader in the indu ...
. It was built between 1768–1771 by
Joseph Pickford Joseph Pickford (bap. 6 October 1734 – 13 July 1782) was an English architect that mostly worked within the English county of Derbyshire, and was one of the leading provincial architects in the reign of George III. The house he designed for h ...
. The hall was sold by the Wedgwoods in the 19th century and is now part of a hotel.


History


The Wedgwoods

Etruria Hall was built between 1768-1771 by
Joseph Pickford Joseph Pickford (bap. 6 October 1734 – 13 July 1782) was an English architect that mostly worked within the English county of Derbyshire, and was one of the leading provincial architects in the reign of George III. The house he designed for h ...
, for
Josiah Wedgwood Josiah Wedgwood (12 July 1730 – 3 January 1795) was an English potter, entrepreneur and abolitionist. Founding the Wedgwood company in 1759, he developed improved pottery bodies by systematic experimentation, and was the leader in the indu ...
, near his new recently built, Etruria works. The majority of the 'ceilings, ornamental friezes and chimney pieces' were designed by
John Flaxman John Flaxman (6 July 1755 – 7 December 1826) was a British sculptor and draughtsman, and a leading figure in British and European Neoclassicism. Early in his career, he worked as a modeller for Josiah Wedgwood's pottery. He spent several yea ...
between 1781-1787. An entry in the 1784-1785 Wedgwood company ledger indicates that at least one of the ceilings was designed by
William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake has become a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of the Roma ...
, although it cannot be certain that this design was ever implemented. The hall was the site of the innovative research into photography by Thomas Wedgwood in the 1790s. There is a small commemorative plaque on the Hall. Due to financial difficulties Etruria Hall was sold in the 1840s by Francis Wedgwood, who moved to the smaller Barlaston Hall nearby.


Recent history

The building was given Grade II listed status in 1973. The house was restored as part of the 1986 Stoke-on-Trent Garden Festival, the second of Britain's national garden festivals, and incorporated as the centre-piece of the festival to lend it a 'historical dimension'. After the end of the festival, the hall was one of the few buildings on the site allowed to remain. It was developed as part of the four-star Stoke on Trent Moat House, later becoming a member of the
Best Western Best Western International, Inc. owns the Best Western Hotels & Resorts brand, which it licenses to over 4,700 hotels worldwide. The franchise, with its corporate headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, includes more than 2,000 hotels in North America. ...
chain of independent hotels. The hotel's meeting and events centre and the rooms were named after Josiah's business colleagues and friends including the Prince of Wales and Earl Granville. The walls of the hall are lined with prints of the Wedgwood family and Wedgwood pottery. The cellars beneath Etruria Hall were where Josiah Wedgwood performed some of his work developing new pottery bodies. In 2020, the hotel was taken over by the Hilton group and now forms one of their
DoubleTree DoubleTree by Hilton is an American hotel chain managed by Hilton Worldwide. DoubleTree has been the fastest growing Hilton brand by number of properties since 2007, and by number of rooms from 2007 to 2015. , it has 587 properties with 135,745 ...
chain.


Architecture and design

The hall consists of a central block of three storeys flanked by two pavilions, both of two storeys. The building is built in the neo-classical style, with the central block featuring a large
pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...
. The majority of the work is in brick, with stone dressings. There is some evidence that the upper floor may have been rebuilt during extensive 19th century remodelling.


References


External links

* http://www.thepotteries.org/walks/etruria/1.htm {{Stoke-on-Trent Houses completed in 1771 Grade II listed houses in Staffordshire Hotels in Stoke-on-Trent Country houses in Staffordshire