The museum of Royal Worcester on Severn Street - geograph

The Museum of Royal Worcester (formerly ''Worcester Porcelain Museum'' and ''Dyson Perrins Museum'') is a ceramics museum located in the

Royal Worcester Royal Worcester is a porcelain brand based in Worcester, England. It was established in 1751 and is believed to be the oldest or second oldest remaining English porcelain brand still in existence today, although this is disputed by Royal Crown D ...

porcelain factory's former site in

Worcester, England Worcester ( ) is a cathedral city in Worcestershire, England, of which it is the county town. It is south-west of Birmingham, north-west of London, north of Gloucester and north-east of Hereford. The population was 103,872 in the 2021 Cen ...

Overview

The museum houses the world’s largest collection of Worcester

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises main ...

. The collections date back to 1751 and the Victorian gallery, the ceramic collections, archives and records of factory production, form the primary resource for the study of Worcester porcelain and its history. The museum is the only part of Royal Worcester left at the Severn Street site in Worcester after the factory went into administration in 2008 and closed in 2009. The Royal Worcester Visitor Centre, the seconds shop and the cafe all closed with the factory in 2009. The Museum of Royal Worcester was formerly known as the Museum of Worcester Porcelain and the Dyson Perrins Museum and Worcester Porcelain Museum, after

Charles William Dyson Perrins Charles William Dyson Perrins FRAS (25 May 1864 – 29 January 1958) was an English businessman, bibliophile and philanthropist. He was born in Claines, near Worcester, the son of James Dyson Perrins, the owner of the Lea & Perrins Worcestersh ...

of Worcestershire sauce fame. The collections includes pieces from the beginning of porcelain manufacturing in Worcester in 1751 until the closure of the

factory in Worcester. The museum is owned by the Dyson Perrins Museum Trust.

Collections

The Worcester Porcelain Museum collection is displayed in three permanent galleries: the Georgian Gallery, the Victorian Gallery and the Twentieth Century Gallery. The museum holds over 10,000 objects made between 1751 and 2009. The collections date back to the 18th century, when shapes and patterns were copied from the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The t ...

for use in the homes of the very rich. A display in the first gallery shows an 18th-century furnished room with a long case clock and table laid for dessert. A trio of hexagonal vases feature on the mantle piece in what would have been a gentleman's home. In contrast, the Victorian gallery has deep colours, extravagant exhibition pieces, and works of great craftsmanship. Here it can be seen how travel influenced design and how with the onslaught of the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

more people could afford to buy fine works. The museum tour ends in the 20th century, where as well as producing bespoke services, commissioned by some of the factory's private customers, changing lifestyles and the advent of modern appliances like

freezer A refrigerator, colloquially fridge, is a commercial and home appliance consisting of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from its inside to its external environment so th ...

s and

microwave oven A microwave oven (commonly referred to as a microwave) is an electric oven that heats and cooks food by exposing it to electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range. This induces polar molecules in the food to rotate and produce ...

s required a new range of products.

Henry Sandon Henry George Sandon, MBE (born 4 August 1928) is an English antique expert, television personality, author and lecturer specialising in ceramics and is a notable authority on Royal Worcester porcelain. He was curator of the Dyson Perrins Museum f ...

and

Lars Tharp Lars Broholm Tharp (born 27 March 1954, Copenhagen, Denmark)THARP, Lars Broholm
, '' ...

together with others worked on an audio tour for the museum. This together with the facts trail combines to set the historical backdrop and present the technical achievements, the workers who made and decorated the porcelain, and the customers who bought it.

Facilities

Disability and Access The Museum of Royal Worcester has full wheelchair access throughout the galleries, two lifts and a disabled toilet. Wheelchairs are available for use at the museum. Three hour street parking is available in Severn Street outside the museum for those with a

blue badge A disabled parking permit, also known as a disabled badge, disabled placard, handicapped permit, handicapped placard, handicapped tag, and "Blue Badge" in the European Union, is a permit that is displayed upon parking a vehicle. It gives the ope ...

. Functions and Hire The museum holds a range of events each year and is also available for private and corporate hire for conferences, dinner parties, wedding receptions, etc. There is also a Friends society with members from around the world.

References

External links

Museum of Royal Worcester website
{{Coord, 52.1873, -2.2190, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Museums with year of establishment missing Porcelain Museum Decorative arts museums in England English pottery History of Worcester, England Ceramics museums in the United Kingdom Art museums and galleries in Worcestershire Industry museums in England Porcelain

Overview

Collections

Facilities

See also

References

External links