The factory tour was amazing. I'd never realized how truly 'handmade' Bridgewater pottery is. Every step is done by hand: injecting the slip into the molds, unmolding the pieces, removing the seams, glazing, decorating, firing...
Along the way, we met and chatted with the employees, who were all incredibly friendly and took real pride in their work.
While customers in the shop are sometimes taken aback by the price of Bridgewater, I can now say hand-on-heart that it is worth every penny. In fact, I'm surprised it doesn't cost more considering the time invested in each piece.
After the tour, we were treated to a wonderful picnic lunch in the factory courtyard, which was followed by an impassioned speech by Matthew Rice (Emma's husband) on the importance of buying British. Well said!
And finally, here's a picture of Matthew designing a special plate, which will hopefully be on its way to its recipient (can you guess?) very soon:
What a blissful day out! My sister loves Bridgewater pottery (and I know she would be insanely jealous!)
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What a fab day out - lucky you! I, too, love Bridgewater pottery, but only ever seem to give it rather than receive it!
ReplyDeleteWhat heaven - to go around a pottery. Sigh...
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ReplyDeleteI love Emma Bridgewater stuff--so much so that I have it shipped, for an exorbitant fee, to the States.
ReplyDeleteThe factory looks lovely!
what a great treat to see it made!
ReplyDeletehow cool!! I LOVE Emma Bridgewater stuff, we have an ever increasing collection of mugs, teapots, plates etc...what a lovely day out for you. The factory is amazing isn't it, we went a couple of years ago and I was really impressed.x
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