A six-figure investment has seen the renovation of part of a historic pottery museum site as a venue to host business meetings, weddings and community events.
The improvements have been carried out at the Spode Works in Stoke and are centred around the Spode Museum’s Blue Room, which houses an enormous collection of Blue Italian Ware.
The new facilities offer a blend of the museum’s collection, Spode heritage and modern amenities. They are equipped to accommodate a wide range of events, from museum-related seminars to podcasts and from corporate meetings to large celebrations.
The Blue Room will also host weddings, small conferences, and meetings for up to 60 people.
Additionally, a new contemporary video conference and meeting room has been created for up to 20 people as well as an enlarged and improved workshop space that will allow the museum to host community based “hands on” activities.
The £150,000 work has been carried out by The Spode Museum Trust and Dog and Bone Group, owners of the Potbank Development in Spode Works. It forms part of a wider Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) project that has also seen the renovation of a secret garden area and various museum displays.
Dog and Bone completed the works and also provided funding for the renovation of the Blue Room, the new AV and conferencing facilities, and enabled the museum to access to the Potbank’s lifts and other disabled access facilities.
This collaborative approach allowed the museum to improve disabled access to its facilities and significantly improve the use of space utilisation and other facilities.
The new spaces will also provide an important new revenue source for the museum.
“We are delighted to open this new facility and provide a space that can bring people together for memorable occasions,” said a spokesperson for the Spode Museum Trust.
“This venue is a testament to our commitment to preserving the heritage of Spode Works while also contributing to the community’s future.”
Jeff Nash, owner of the Dog and Bone Group said: “We were really pleased to be able to help the museum complete its SPF funded works and to enhance these with the new wedding and conferencing facilities.
“This will enable us to work with the museum to provide local people with a historic backdrop for their weddings and other special events. The new conference facilities will also be used by the Spode Site’s creative technology companies and has already hosted some of the Summer Graduate internships provided by the Createch cluster companies at Spode.”
“The new wedding facilities will improve the Wedding offer at Potbank and also provide work for our other suppliers (including Donna’s Designs, also based at Spode, who do the venue dressing for our events.”
- The Quarter at Potbank is hosting a wedding fair on 22nd September and the new wedding facilities will be open for couples to view. For more information visit the Quarter Website.
