Emma Bridgewater is a British

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

s manufacturing company founded in 1985 which is named after Emma Rice (''née'' Bridgewater). It is run by her and her husband Matthew Rice. Noted for their

polka dot Red polka dots on a yellow background Girl wearing polka dot dress Polish ceramics German ceramics Polka dot is a pattern consisting of an array of large filled circles of the same size. Polka dots are commonly seen on children's clothing, ...

design among others, the company "Emma Bridgewater" specialises in pottery with motifs drawing on techniques stretching back over 200 years. The company is one of the largest

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...

manufacturers based entirely in the UK. Most of its products are made in its factory in the city of

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...

, England, while others are produced in Poland. CTB 206 Wardle K345OFM v2 - Flickr - megabus13601 (1)

There are two Emma Bridgewater shops in London as well as an

outlet store An outlet store, factory outlet or factory shop is a brick and mortar or online store in which manufacturers sell their stock directly to the public. Traditionally, a factory outlet was a store attached to a factory or warehouse, sometimes allowin ...

located at the company's factory. The products can be purchased from major UK retailers such as

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

. In 2016, the company's namesake was made President of the

Campaign to Protect Rural England CPRE, The Countryside Charity, formerly known by names such as the ''Council for the Preservation of Rural England'' and the ''Council for the Protection of Rural England'', is a charity in England with over 40,000 members and supporters. Forme ...

. She is also a Patron of the

Heritage Crafts Association The Heritage Crafts Association is a registered United Kingdom charity set up to support and promote traditional crafts. Since October 2021 it has been operating under the name Heritage Crafts. The charity was launched at the Victoria & Albert Mus ...

History

Bridgewater Pottery Works, Eastwood, Hanley - geograph

The company was founded by Emma Bridgewater in 1984, when she was looking for a birthday present for her mother. Wanting to buy a cup and

saucer A saucer is a type of small dishware. While in the Middle Ages a saucer was used for serving condiments and sauces, currently the term is used to denote a small plate or shallow bowl that supports a cup – usually one used to serve coffee ...

but being unable to find any she liked, Emma created her own. Drawing four shapes, a

mug A mug is a type of cup typically used for drinking hot drinks, such as coffee, hot chocolate, or tea. Mugs usually have handles and hold a larger amount of fluid than other types of cup. Typically, a mug holds approximately of liquid. A mug i ...

, a bowl, a jug and a dish, samples were created in Stoke-on-Trent. Matthew, Emma's husband, also designs for Emma Bridgewater. He indulges his passion for birdlife in the Birds range. In its first year the company had a turnover of around £30,000. By 2009 this had increased to almost £8 million, and £11 million in 2010, employing 180 people.

Products

Emma Bridgewater's cream

earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ce ...

pottery designs are also adapted for application onto

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

s, glass, tin, stationery, and

melamine Melamine is an organic compound with the formula C3H6N6. This white solid is a trimer of cyanamide, with a 1,3,5-triazine skeleton. Like cyanamide, it contains 67% nitrogen by mass, and its derivatives have fire retardant properties due t ...

. Her designs include patterns such as Black Toast, Polka Dot, Union Jack, Starry Skies, Pink Hearts and Figs. During a visit by Prince Andrew, a member of the British Royal Family, Emma discussed the brand's launch of its biggest ever collection of Royal commemorative ware to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

"Festival in a Factory"

For the last few years, the Emma Bridgewater factory in Stoke on Trent has been the home to the "Festival in a Factory" a 3-day literary festival where a number of authors, politicians, artists and celebrities give public lectures. The 2020 Festival, planned for 4–6 June, was cancelled as a result of the

Covid-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Recent speakers included:

Mary Portas Mary Portas (''née'' Newton; born 28 May 1960) is an English retail consultant and broadcaster, known for her retail- and business-related television shows, founding her creative agency Portas and her appointment by David Cameron, the British P ...

Viv Groskop Viv Groskop (born 8 July 1973) is a British journalist, writer and comedian. She has written for publications including ''The Guardian'', ''Evening Standard'', ''The Observer'', '' Daily Mail'', ''Mail on Sunday'' and ''Red'' magazine. She writes ...

Elizabeth Day Elizabeth Day (born 10 November 1978) is an English novelist, journalist and broadcaster. She was a feature writer for ''The Observer'' from 2007 to 2016, and wrote for '' You'' magazine. Day has written six books, and is also the host of the po ...

Christopher Eccleston Christopher Eccleston (; born 16 February 1964) is an English actor. A two-time BAFTA Award nominee, he is best known for his television and film work, which includes his role as the ninth incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC sci-fi series '' ...

Lauren Child Lauren Margot Peachy Child (born Helen Child; 29 November 1965) is an English children's author and illustrator. She is best known for the Charlie and Lola picture book series and other book series. Her influences include E. H. Shepard, Quen ...

, AN Wilson, historian

Tom Holland Thomas Stanley Holland (born 1 June 1996) is an English actor. His accolades include a British Academy Film Award, three Saturn Awards, a Guinness World Record and an appearance on the ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 Europe list. Some publications h ...

, author Ben Macintyre, historian Andrew Roberts,

Rachel Reeves Rachel Jane Reeves (born 13 February 1979) is a British politician and economist serving as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer since 2021. A member of the Labour Party, she has been Member of Parliament for Leeds West since 2010. Born in Lewis ...

MP, Greepeace UK's Will McCallum, biographer

Jenny Uglow Jennifer Sheila Uglow (, (accessed 5 February 2008).
(accessed 19 August 2022). born 1947) is an English biographer, hi ...

, the National Trust's Nino Strachey, the V&A's Oriole Cullen and Claire Wilcox, and novelist

Deborah Moggach Deborah Moggach (née Hough; born 28 June 1948) is an English novelist and screenwriter. She has written nineteen novels, including '' The Ex-Wives'', ''Tulip Fever'' (made into the film of the same name), ''These Foolish Things'' (made into ...

.speaker list
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Bibliography

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References

External links

* {{Stoke-on-Trent Ceramics manufacturers of England Companies based in Stoke-on-Trent Manufacturing companies established in 1985 Staffordshire pottery 1985 establishments in the United Kingdom