The Minton Archive is a collection of records for the English pottery firm Minton. The archive was originally housed in the firm's works at London Road, Stoke-on-Trent. It was catalogued by Alyn Giles Jones (1928-2000), Archivist and Keeper of Manuscripts at the

University of Wales, Bangor Bangor University ( cy, Prifysgol Bangor) is a Public university, public university in Bangor, Gwynedd, Bangor, Wales. It received its Royal charter, Royal Charter in 1885 and was one of the founding institutions of the federal University of Wales ...

, who acted as archival consultant for the Minton china company. The archive includes work by designers who were employed by Minton, including

Augustus Pugin Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( ; 1 March 181214 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and, ultimately, Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival st ...

and

Christopher Dresser Christopher Dresser (4 July 1834 – 24 November 1904) was a British designer and design theorist, now widely known as one of the first and most important, independent designers. He was a pivotal figure in the Aesthetic Movement and a major cont ...

. The future of the archive was put at risk when, as a result of the contraction of the Staffordshire pottery industry, the Minton factory was demolished in 2002. Ownership of the archive passed to Waterford Wedgwood plc which decided to auction it. Money was raised by the

Art Fund Art Fund (formerly the National Art Collections Fund) is an independent membership-based British charity, which raises funds to aid the acquisition of artworks for the nation. It gives grants and acts as a channel for many gifts and bequests, as ...

and the archive was presented to the

City of Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and 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 in Staffordshire and is surro ...

in 2015. The archive is kept in Hanley, where the documents are being digitised by the city's archive service (part of the Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service). It is envisaged that some material will go on display at the

Potteries Museum & Art Gallery The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery is in Bethesda Street, Hanley, one of the six towns of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. Admission is free. One of the four local authority museums in the city, the other three being Gladstone Pottery Museum ...

and the

Wedgwood Museum Wedgwood is an English fine china, porcelain and luxury accessories manufacturer that was founded on 1 May 1759 by the potter and entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood and was first incorporated in 1895 as Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Ltd. It was rapid ...

, Barlaston.

References

External links

website
{{coord missing, Staffordshire Archives in Staffordshire Business and industry archives Staffordshire pottery