Mission Statement

Protect   Preserve   Promote

Protect

The Spode Museum Trust was first established in 1987, and cares for a collection which includes

• 20,000 ceramic items.
• Over 25,000 engraved copper plates, antique factory tools, machinery and furniture.
• An extensive collection of documents relating to Spode and Copeland, including 70,000 ceramic patterns.

Unique in its depth, this archive of Spode’s history spans 250 years of innovation and creativity, from the company’s eighteenth-century beginnings, all the way through to 2008.

Preserve

The Spode Museum Trust’s collection and archive holds great potential for exploration and research; to tell the rich vital stories of ceramic and decorative arts, design and technology and the social history of the Spode factory, its workers, and its place in the local community.

Some of the collection is displayed in the Spode Museum located on the former Spode factory site, and is well used and highly valued by the local community and visitors from further afield.

Promote

Our mission is to protect and conserve the collection in perpetuity and to educate and inspire visitors.  We welcome the range of visitors – international and domestic – as well as forging links with the local community and with artists, designers and makers. We strive to make the collection accessible for all.

Our vision for the future:

• To develop as a renowned, sustainable and accessible Accredited Museum, combining heritage and contemporary creativity.
• To partner with the community, higher education and other creative and heritage organisations in Stoke-on-Trent and beyond.
• To offer display and hands-on practice, and be a valued resource for visitors, students, artists, designers and researchers alike.