Family Day Out – World of Wedgwood

When we were invited along to visit the World of Wedgwood, Staffordshire – I won’t lie – I was a little bit excited. I have been wanting to visit for some time now, and I was looking forward to seeing what family fun could be had.

It is February half term, and the weather has been far from nice. With Mr S having a day off work we decided to introduce a little bit of culture to the kids and head over and explore. The World of Wedgwood is well signposted from the main roads, and we arrived early, around 10:30am (before all of the coaches of visitors arrived) and we were pleased to find ample car parking.  The car park is free, and within walking distance of the attraction.

The girls were bursting with excitement as we headed straight to the welcome area. The first thing I noticed was how accessible everywhere was for pushchairs and wheelchairs. There is a wonderful well designed courtyard and this is home to the large reception area. We were greeted by friendly reception staff who were happy to help, and direct us to get the most out of our visit.

Master Craft studio

We headed straight to the master craft studio as M was super eager to get her hands in the clay. We were again greeted by really friendly staff who explained how  the craft studio worked. Luckily there was no wait time but I can imagine this area does get busy. The girls were supplied aprons, they rolled up their sleeves and M tried her hand at the potters wheel, under the guidance and supervision of a wonderful lady. Lil_E was a little bit too young for the wheel, but the staff were quick to provide her with some clay and a rolling pin so she could still be part of the experience. We were given the option to have our creation ready to take home that day, or fired. We chose to have the pot fired.

• Finished pots can be posted to your home at an additional cost.

The Design Studio

We then headed on to the  design studio. This is an interactive experience, demonstrating the individual Wedgwood approach to design.

Decorating Studio

The decorating studio is also in the same area as the design studio. Here the girls were able to design an image on paper, that will then be transferred to pottery. We spent quite a while here, as it takes time to get those creative juices flowing 🙂 There was lots of pottery and sizes to choose from, but both the girls chose to have their designs put on a medium cup and saucer. There is also the opportunity to put details of names, date and child ages on a stamp that is transferred on to the bottom of the pottery – this is such a lovely keepsake – something to cherish for years to come. In the decorating studio visitors can also choose  to decorate pottery using chalk, paint and crayons. Again – finished items can be posted to your home, we live close enough to enable us to collect their pieces of art. I can’t wait to see how these turn out.

Shopping

While the girls were designing their images for their pottery, I took a quiet walk around the beautiful flagship store. I have to say, I was amazed by the wonderful design and by the beautiful and inspiring displays of wedgwood and designer partners. I also popped into the factory store across the courtyard, which offers great discounts on end of line products and seconds and is well worth a mooch.

Dining

Once the girls had completed their designs we decided to head to the dining hall for a bite to eat.  The dining hall is just across the courtyard, and appeared really busy so we were so lucky to be given a table as we hadn’t booked. Here there is a fairyland lustre themed indoor play area for 5’s and under, which is named after the Wedgwood collection. The playroom has a large ball pit and ride on toys, books, toadstool tables, and it occupies the little ones and gives the adults much needed time to enjoy a coffee or two in the family-friendly dining hall. I was unable to capture any photos here as it was busy with lots of other children around. The dining hall supports local produce and there is a great choice of menu, and staff do try to offer choices for those with intolerances/allergies.

Mr S chose the fish and chips, and I chose a ploughman’s lunch. There was also a separate menu for children and the girls had chicken goujons and chips and battered fish and chips, followed by local Snugbury’s ice cream for desert. Oh I forgot to mention the tea and coffee…..we enjoyed many a cup throughout the day and don’t you find it always tastes all the better out of a bone china cup??

After lunch the girls worked off their lunch at the outside play area. It is a lovely design of giant interactive pottery themed willow installations, and made for lots of fun (even when M fell over in the mud !)

Museum

Before we left I took the girls into the museum, while Mr S sat down with the little man in the Wedgwood Tea Emporium to drink more coffee (are you sensing a theme here??) The museum has interactive areas for the children and M really enjoyed it. She enjoyed learning about the Wedgwood family, and really seemed to be interested in the displays and archives – particularly the fashion archives and all that sparkled 🙂

Need to Know

Opening Times – Monday to Sunday – 10am to 5pm

The Dining Hall opens at 9:30am
Wedgwood Tea Room opens at 12 noon

Prices

Please visit the website for individual prices

Events

During the school holidays the World of Wedgwood run a variety of events for families – please do check the website for details

Unsurprisingly we really did enjoy our day of craft, creativity, shopping and culture. We would love to return another day and sample the afternoon tea. Our top tip is to get there early, as it really does get busy, particularly the craft studio and the decorating studio. – oh and enjoy the coffee and choice of over 50 speciality blends of tea….

**Disclosure – We were provided with complimentary admission to the World of Wedgwood. As always, all opinions and thoughts are of mine and my family. **

Photographs – copyright Otis and Us