A show garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May will be among the special events helping to celebrate Wedgwood’s 260th anniversary this year.
The Wedgwood Garden, designed by award-winning UK designer Jo Thompson, reflects the entrepreneurial, innovative and creative spirit of the company’s founder Josiah Wedgwood (1730 – 1795).
With soaring pavilions a key focus, the company says that the garden will bring Wedgwood’s 260 year history to life by setting its foundations in Etruria, an 18th century Staffordshire village that Josiah created for his workers. Built in 1769, it was known as ‘the factory in the garden’, featuring green space alongside a canal. The Wedgwood Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show will be referencing this with a watercourse flowing through multiple levels.
“We are extremely proud to be marking our 260th year with this magnificent garden,” says Christian Bachler, Wedgwood’s senior vice president. “Jo has spent a considerable length of time exploring the many strands of our rich history and will be bringing them together with an original arrangement of space and dynamic planting. The plans look inspiring, and we are excited to see the final result.”
Inspiration for Jo’s design was drawn from a trip to the Wedgwood museum in Staffordshire where she discovered not only a fascinating and extensive ceramics collection but also learned about Wedgwood’s pioneering creation of Etruria. She also drew on her own experience of living in Rome, which ignited her career in garden design.
“The opportunity to create a garden that celebrates 260 years of Wedgwood and champions the innovative and creative spirit of Josiah Wedgwood is utterly compelling,” comments Jo. “There’s a certain irresistible magic and nostalgia associated with such an incredible past and I welcome the opportunity to apply a modern interpretation to the garden and to draw visitors’ attention to Wedgwood’s pioneering and positive force in corporate responsibility. It’s been a joy to create a second garden for Wedgwood in a landmark year, and to honour its past while looking to its future.”
In fact, Wedgwood has long had close links with the RHS. John Wedgwood, Josiah’s son, first came up with the idea of the RHS, suggesting a horticultural society in a letter to George III’s head gardener, William Forsyth.
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show takes place from May 21-25.
Top: A statue of Josiah Wedgwood greets visitors to the company’s Visitor Centre at Barlaston, Stoke on Trent.
