News & Events

Free Emma Bridgewater tea towel for every Mail on Sunday reader

6th May 2012

Emma and Matthew have designed this exclusive Diamond Jubilee tea towel especially for the Mail on Sunday - Every reader will be able to order their very own gorgeous tea towel for free in this Sunday’s Mail on Sunday, 6th May, simply collect the 3 consecutive vouchers in the next 3 issues to redeem.

Sunflowers at the Stoke Factory

19th April 2012

Matthew is transforming the disused land next to our Stoke Factory into a sea of colourful sunflowers, inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's famous sunflower painting - so we thought we’d share the slightly unglamorous images of the planting process.

One million sunflowers, along with plants that attract insects and birds, are currently being sown on the five-acre site beside the factory.

It will provide a slice of the countryside on the edge of the city centre, and will flower throughout the summer months – creating a beautiful abundance in a space that would otherwise be waste land.

Matthew says: "We can make it look lovely. People could walk their dogs there.

"I hope families will also have picnics and children will walk past the flowers on their way to school.

"It will be something for the general public to enjoy. It will be like a painting on the hillside.

"We are going to have flowers where there used to be homes."

We are hoping for blooms in May.

The land will return to its empty state once the flowers come to the end of their flowering cycle, ready for its eventual redevelopment. Matthew: "It's going to be a present for Stoke-on-Trent. The open ground in the city is an opportunity, and it's about finding imaginative ways of using it."

The Yellow Book 2012

2nd April 2012

This year see’s the 85th anniversary of the NGS and the 80th edition of its famous Yellow Book. From cottage gardens to grand stately homes, the book also contains details of a variety of new gardens across the country, as well as 120 gardens from the first year of the NGS, some of which have been part of the scheme since the very first year. This means there are now over 3,800 beautiful gardens around the UK for you to enjoy, thanks to the Yellow Book.

Not only does The Yellow Book provide a wealth of information and inspiration to garden visitors, it also delivers significant funds for charity. This year alone it will be distributing £2.6 million to a range of charities including Macmillan, Marie Curie and Help the Hospices this year.

The NGS holds a special place in Emma and Matthew’s hearts. The Yellow Book is a great way to keep informed of new garden openings – a great chance to enjoy beautiful horticulture mixed with the all important tea and home-made cake, which is available at most gardens, with the family.

The Yellow Book 2012 costs just £9.99 and is available online from www.ngs.org.uk and from most leading booksellers.

To receive regular news about the NGS and get the stories behind the gardens, please go to www.ngs.org.uk to sign-up to their e- newsletter.

Kitty's New Tea Towel for Giffords Circus

12th March 2012

Kitty , Emma and Matthew's daughter has just designed three special Tea Towels for Giffords Circus and so become , perhaps the first third generation designer of dishcloths in history! Kitty is at art school in London and we hope you agree has created some wonderful designs.

The 3 designs are hot off the press and available NOW at the Gifford Circus Shop www.giffordscircus.com for £6.50 each or a Special Offer of all 3 (1 of each design) for £15.00.

Giffords Circus, loved by locals and Londoners, artistes, rock stars, poets and families, has toured the villages of Gloucestershire and beyond every year since the shows began in 2000.

Wild and magical, every element of the show from the vintage costumes to the handsome burgundy Showman’s wagons are designed and handmade on Nell and Toti’s Cotswold farm.

Matthew's account of the Royal Visit

12th March 2012

There was excitement all round for the Royal visit last Thursday, heralded by the arrival of first of dozens of school children who packed the factory yard, followed by Sir James Hawley, the Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire in spotless cavalry uniform, and the High Sheriff, in velvet breeches and silver filigree buttons, as well as the Lord Mayor and Mayoress of Stoke. The Duke of York's arrival was announced by flashing outriders, but since dawn Eastwood works had been literally crawling with over a dozen policemen - some with climbing equipment scaling the lift shaft, and another with a springer spaniel with a keen nose for explosives and a very waggy tail. Emma and I introduced HRH to various members of the Bridgewater team, before sitting down by the Aga to talk about business. He recognised the 1986 commemorative mug made to record his own wedding and was introduced to our Jubilee Range for 2012. The Duke, Emma and I went round the factory and he presented Bill Malkin with a silver mug to mark 50 years in the pottery industry. A smiling throng of decorators filled the room where Prince Andrew met Cher and Clare, which was appropriate as the visit focused on the issue of finding jobs for young people. He left bearing a two cup Union Jack Tea Pot and was waved off by the entire factory as he proceeded to the Michelin Tyre factory. History does not relate whether he left there with four nice retreads for his Rangerover... With the sun shining and whole factory ship shape, I felt very proud of the whole company. It was a lovely day.

Diamond Jubilee Launch

27th February 2012

There has been much anticipation and a lot of press coverage for our new for Spring, Diamond Jubilee Range. We had a great day at the Collector's Club Diamond Jubilee Day on Friday 24th Feb and so many of our collectors came along and spent the day with Emma and Matthew at the factory site, seeing how each piece is made, having a go at decorating, ordering Jubilee personalised (with exclusive backstamp) and enjoying a delicious lunch of shepherd's pie and roast vegetables. As well as our bright and bold Diamond Jubilee range, we have re- released an old favourite; Sweet Pea, and already this is proving to be a fantastic favourite with all of you and is our new Classic pattern. We also have a delightful new pattern especially for Eater; Sampler Hen- if you are a fan of the blues, then this pattern is for you.

Emma Bridgewater on Community Matters.

16th February 2012

Emma spoke last night at a Community Matters talk with Tomax Talks at The Doodle Bar in London and had a great night discussing community matters with the other speakers and the audience.

"Emma Bridgewater reflects on her experience at her factory in Stoke- on- Trent and talks about the idea of 'a workforce'. William Alsop, the mind behind many of Britain's controversial modernist buildings, will talk about the influence a building can have on community, while Naomi Colvin will voice the concerns of the Occupy Movement and explain why Britain is not as democratic as it claims."

Thank you to all of you who were able to come along, we hope you had a wonderful time too.

Photographs taken by Lea Minshull

Matthew’s notes from a snowy Suffolk weekend.

13th February 2012

We are in Suffolk near Dunwich staying in an extraordinary house called the Balancing barn . It is owned by Living Architecture. They are a group of architects who have produced three houses to rent . They are uncompromisingly modern and are supposed to make us fuddy duddy English abandon our pine dressers and turkey carpets, our farmhouse kitchens and our cosy sofas. We are encouraged to live the modernist dream, and then, when we build a house, to remember this and go all steel and glass. Well it is lovely in many ways . Stylish and cool with very comfortable beds from whose sheets it was hard to drag myself this morning The cooker is so far beyond our technical abilities that we didn't eat until 11pm on Friday as we battled with the fighter jet level controls. But cantilevered out over this pretty snowy valley I feel very snug and pro modernism - at least for a weekend.

Emma and I drove off to Blythburgh. This huge fifteenth century church is always beautiful but with crystal bright sunlight, snow and a brilliant sky it is breathtaking today. The chalky pale interior is lit by 56 clear glass windows and the floor, at least at the back of the church, has no pews or seats just pale cream and apricot bricks. Above, the wooden roof has lime-white and painted rafters and at each truss two angels, gold bands in their hair and with their wooden feather wings 6 feet across, look down. Lastly the pews at the front of the church have a remarkable series of carvings at each end. As well as the familiar monks, bishops and lions one set depicts the deadly sins. Best, a male figure, sloth, is seen endeavouring to prize himself from the runckled Oak sheets of his bed. It is me...

Alice's New Mug

26th January 2012

Last year we were really pleased to work with 15 year old Alice Pyne, who contacted us about designing a mug as part of the “bucket list” of wishes she’d drawn up following her diagnosis of terminal cancer. The lovely mug she created featured a beach hut in Torquay where Alice had spent some happy holidays thanks to the help of the charity Torbay Holiday Helpers Network (THHN), along with her Labrador Mabel.

£10 from the price of each mug was donated to this charity, and Alice has now set up a charity of her own, Alice’s Escapes, which will do work similar to THHN, providing free, relaxing holidays for seriously ill children.

To celebrate this new charity, Alice has designed a sweet new mug, which has the same summery theme to her last mug, and features lots of sunshine and a sailing boat in the Cumbrian Lakes and the mountains. We will continue to donate £10 from the sale of each mug to Alice’s Escapes.

To get your Alice's Escapes 1/2 Pint Mug click here

Alice

8th June 2011

Many of you have read about Alice, a 15 year old girl with terminal cancer who’s made a bucket list of things she’d like to do in her life - read here. Emma and Matthew were really touched that she included designing an Emma Bridgewater mug on her list. Matthew emailed Alice late yesterday evening and is making plans to meet her to start designing her special Alice mug soon.

Emma's Top 5 Patterns

09th March 2011

1. Figs
This pattern dates from 1986, and was first produced in 1987 (I think) this most closely resembles the idea of everyday pottery which jumped into my head at the beginning of it all.

2. Toast
Matt's writing, is endlessly satisfactory - I always love it. We have a good time bickering over and refining the wording for each piece. I especially love the 'Cambridge Blue' colour, from way back - perhaps 1995?

3. Eggs & Feather
Mary Fedden's pattern is one I go back to again and again. I love her colours (we matched her painted designs pretty perfectly) and I always love using this design.

4. Polka Dots
This pattern came out of a flurry of samples produced in the studio one day, at a moment when I was really thinking a lot about the visual elements of my early childhood - I'd re- discovered the delights of ladybird books and this reminds me of 'shopping with mother' or 'The Party'. It mixes well with all sorts of unexpected patterns - I especially like it with 'Birds'. It always raises my spirits. Do you notice how the many imitations always mimic our colours?!

5. Oh, how to choose the last...
Is it Gold Spots? Or Charm Bracelet? or LOVE? OR Bird & Worm? There are all patterns which I love to come across at the back of the cupboard. But I think I'd choose Veg Border, because I love the colour combination.