The World of Wedgwood hosted a wonderful weekend and collectors fair on June 1 and 2 where Louise Irvine introduced WMODA to a new audience. Specialist dealers presented choice pieces of Royal Doulton, Wedgwood, and Moorcroft art pottery to eager collectors, including several who had traveled from the USA.

Caroline D’Antonio, one of the museum’s main benefactors, chose some beautiful pieces to display at WMODA. She had been taking a vacation in Britain and came shopping at the fair. An impressive Doulton Burslem vase by Rowland Holdcroft caught her eye as it reminded her of the rural countryside she had been exploring with Jeff Niquette from the Whitley Collection.

A highlight of the event was the Paper to Pottery exhibition celebrating the Royal Doulton archives curated by Christopher Evans. It was wonderful to see the archive on display as it has been hidden away in storage for many years. Now it is part of the Stoke-on-Trent city archives and is accessible to the public once again. Among the special guests at the celebration dinner hosted by Michael Doulton were former Royal Doulton archivists who worked tirelessly over the years to preserve the history of the company, including Louise Irvine, Valerie Baynton and Les Smith.

Coincidentally, it was 40 years almost to the day that The Doulton Story exhibition opened at the Victoria & Albert museum in London celebrating the extraordinary diversity of Doulton’s rich history. Christian Balcher, the VP of Fiskars now owners of Waterford Wedgwood and Royal Doulton, was fascinated to hear about the extraordinary Doulton legacy and is looking forward to discovering more during his visit to WMODA this summer.

Read Louise’s Doulton Story

Read more about Louise’s trip Across the Pond