A new Play Space has arrived at the V&A Wedgwood Collection, transforming a forgotten corner with vibrant designs and interactive games designs inspired by famous Wedgwood patterns and shapes.
Supported by Art Fund, this project started in 2024 with a light-touch ‘family space’ where young visitors could sit, read and complete activity sheets. We asked families to provide feedback by writing on cards with the prompt questions: ‘What did you enjoy about the space?’ and ‘What would you like to see next time?’. Through the feedback, we were able to co-create an ambitious design which aimed to meet the needs of young people and families already engaging with the space.
The consensus was that whilst “the bean bags were a comfy place to sit and read”, our young visitors wanted “more games!”, “a place to play”, and simply, “more stuff to do!”. Adults asked for more opportunities to discover Josiah Wedgwood’s legacy and suggested hands-on interactive activities or dress-up linked to pottery and design.
Along with a series of consultation events with local schools, creative practitioners and educators, this feedback collected from families shaped our brief: to transform the existing area into ‘an immersive, colourful space that reimagines iconic Wedgwood designs through hands-on learning and placemaking that is relevant to the lives of local families, young people and visitors from across the globe’.
We wanted to meet this brief by showcasing a range of Wedgwood designers and create zones where different patterns, stories and interactives could take centre stage. Alongside these additions, we decided to rename the ‘Family Space’ to the ‘Play Space’ to promote a more active and inclusive environment, which centres hands-on learning.
‘More games!’
Families are immediately met with two interactive games that explore the distinctive style of Eric Ravilious (1903 – 42)
An artist, painter and wood engraver, Ravilious was known for his watercolours of English landscapes. He also produced several iconic designs for Wedgwood, including the ‘Alphabet’ pattern. First designed for children in the 1930s, the simple typography and detailed illustrations provide a useful resource for children who are learning letters and discovering the world around them. The first interactive expands the ‘Alphabet’ pattern to a large scale and encourages young people to play collaboratively and attach letters to their matching image on the foam board wall.
The second interactive is inspired by the ‘Barlaston’ mug, designed by Ravilious in 1940 to celebrate the first electric kiln firing at the new Barlaston factory following the Wedgwood company’s move from its older Etruria factory, which began in the late 1930s. On the neighbouring floor-to-ceiling foam board, children can stack a life-size kiln with various shapes and choose to either match the pots to their corresponding shelf or create a topsy-turvy tower in the free space.
Find out more about Eric Ravilious’ life, work and legacy at the V&A in this short film.
A ‘place to play’
We want our galleries to feel like a place where play can happen anywhere, but we also hear from families that a dedicated ‘place to play’ can provide children with autonomy and adults with reassurance that making noise and playing is encouraged. To provide a backdrop for countless opportunities for imaginative play, we wanted the middle section of the Play Space to feel as if you had stepped into one of Wedgwood’s iconic designs.
Recognisable for its mystical, fairytale landscapes, Fairyland Lustre, made for Wedgwood between 1915 – 31 by Daisy Makeig-Jones’ (1881 – 1945), provided perfect inspiration. As well as woodland and fairy-inspired costumes and a reading nook, our colleagues in V&A Design suggested wrapping this part of the Play Space in a vivid blue, with glowing stars and swirling, shimmering trees filled with weird and wonderful creatures to bring this pattern and the stories within it to life.
While developing the costume concepts for this area, we couldn’t resist the brilliant archive material from the 1930 bicentenary celebration of Josiah Wedgwood’s birth in 1730. The celebration, held in Hanley Park and attended by around 5,000 people, held performances which traced the evolution of the Staffordshire Potteries from the Stone Age to the Industrial Revolution and beyond. Many of these costumes were designed by the head of Stoke School of Art, Gordon Forsythe (1879 – 1952), as well as the Wedgwood factory and competitors alike. From the ’Petroleum Lady’ to Josiah Wedgwood himself, there was also an incredible Portland Vase costume created to commemorate Wedgwood’s self-proclaimed ‘greatest work’.
Urban Wilderness CIC worked with us to recreate the Portland Vase costume using screen-printing techniques. We were delighted to have the costume included in the annual Pig Walk Parade organised by Urban Wilderness in our neighbouring town of Longton and there are three sizes to choose from in the Play Space (and yes, there’s one for adults too!).
The Portland Vase costumes have been a hugely popular element of our redesign and allow families to engage with the V&A Wedgwood Collection in creative ways. To develop this offer further and embed the Play Space across our learning programme, the focus of next year’s DesignLab Nation brief for KS4 students will be to design additional costumes for the Play Space based on the 1930 celebration event.
Even more ‘stuff to do!’
In a new daylit area, the new design brings Stoke-on-Trent’s ceramic heritage to life, with bottle kilns lining the entrance to a small factory area. Inside, children are invited to imagine what it might have been like to be a young Josiah Wedgwood and experience what working in the Wedgwood factory, situated right above the Play Space, might be like.
Whilst we couldn’t risk bringing clay into the gallery, the new hands-on interactives were designed to introduce ceramic techniques to our young visitors. From applying ornamentation to magnetic vase shapes, to building vessels with custom stackable disks or ‘coils’. These activities aim to make complex ceramic processes digestible so children are free to use prompts, or make their own creations.
Bring your potters for a great day out!
A notable addition is the replacement of a disused fire exit with a beautiful sliding glass door designed by Studio Mutt. The glass allows natural light pour into the Play Space, complete with bottle kilns that reflect shades of blue into the factory area. Here, children can create their own factory using wooden building blocks and magnetic tiles, encouraging child development and imaginative play.
Our Play Space has been designed to reflect all the many exciting experiences available across the site. The Wedgwood Factory sits right above us, which families can explore through guided tours organised by the World of Wedgwood. Our Fairyland area celebrates the magic of the World of Wedgwood Creative Studios, where families can throw, paint and create pottery together.
Together, these spaces create a memorable day out for families, connecting play and discovery with the heritage, craftmanship and artistry that makes our site special.
The Play Space is free to enjoy and open throughout our visiting hours. During school holidays, families can also join us for our free drop-in Craft Club workshops, designed to explore Wedgwood design through hands-on learning. This summer, we have also introduced the Majolica Makes Workshop, which allows families behind the scenes in our archives to explore pattern books, letters and pamphlets as well as a gallery tour and take home craft.
The Play Space opened on 28 March. It is open seven days a week, 10.00 – 17.00.
Find more information about What’s On for Families at the V&A Wedgwood Collection and World of Wedgwood on our socials and book online
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Supported by Art Fund
