Friends of the Spode Museum

To date the Friends have handed over in excess of £83,000 to the Spode Museum Trust towards projects related to the Spode Collections.  Your help is vital to continue with this support – you can join the Friends by downloading a membership form below, for as little as just £5 per year of a higher amount of your choosing.  For existing members Membership Renewal falls due on 1st January each year.

History of FOSM

The Spode company went into administration in 2008 and subsequently the entire factory site was purchased by Stoke on Trent City Council.

The Friends of the Spode Museum (FOSM) raised much of the £30,000 needed to pack the Collection and pay for its safe transportation from the site to various storage locations around Stoke.  This includes the paper archive, 40,000 copper plates and 20,000 ceramic pieces, sprig moulds, plus a host of other Spode related items ranging from antique furniture to portraits, shards and potter’s tools. The entire Collection is owned by the Spode Museum Trust, a registered charity and is protected in perpetuity.

FOSM obtained charitable status in 2007 and is eligible to claim Gift Aid on all donations from UK Taxpayers and to date has handed over in excess of £80,000 to the Spode Museum Trust, supporting various projects directly related to the Collection.

In 2024 the Friends donated £1973 for two projects at the Spode Museum. One was the acquisition of a high quality museum display case from Compton Verney now located in the main gallery of the museum. This is how is looked then and how it looks today.

Following the refurbishment of the building and installation of the refurbished display cabinets in the front of house, the 30+ years old carpet tiles detracted from the new displays and surroundings. In some areas there was no carpet at all where old fixtures and fittings had been removed. Following a request from the Trust the Friends paid £5124 for the provision and installation of new carpeting throughout the front area of the Museum.

The Spode Museum Trust approached us requesting financial assistance for the creation of a run of cabinets to house a display of tiles in the main gallery of the Spode Museum. The Friends donated the sum of £1650 for this purpose and we think you will agree the result, with specialist lighting, is stunning. See the before and after photos below.

Georgian Oak Dressers purchased by the Friends for £737 in 2024 now in place in the Blue Room.

FOSM continues with its aims to support the Spode Museum Collection with restoration, conservation and preservation of items of historic importance for the benefit of the public and, if required, with provision of display cabinets/material to assist in the display of this collection.

You can help by making a donation (click onto the PayPal link below) and/or become a member of Friends of the Spode Museum for just £5 per annum by printing off and completing a copy of the Membership Application Form.

GIFT AID IT! you can Gift Aid your donation, contact the Friends for a form:  friendsofspodemuseum@gmail.com

Overseas members can also renew their membership by clicking onto the Donate via PayPal link below.