Spode Museum

Spode's achievements include the formulation of Bone China, which became the standard for all English chinawares, and the development and perfection of underglaze transfer printing on earthenwares, which enabled mass-production of attractively decorated ceramic items on a scale never previously achieved. By the early 1820s, his factory, now managed by his son Josiah Spode II and his business partner William Copeland, had become the largest in Stoke, employing some 2,000 workers and boasting 22 bottle ovens. Spode's factory was in continuous production from 1774 to 2008, when it finally closed (although the brand was subsequently purchased by Portmeirion, who continue to make Spode branded…