Lichfield architect draws on expertise for £34m Wedgwood facility

A LICHFIELD architect is bringing its expertise to a £34m project to redevelop the global headquarters of one of Britain’s most famous manufacturers.

Brownhill Hayward Brown (BHB) designed the master plan for the 281-acre Wedgwood estate in Staffordshire, including the creation of a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, contemporary company offices and a significant expansion of the Wedgwood Visitor Centre, which includes a new partnership with the Wedgwood Museum.

As part of the plans, the majority of the existing pottery factory will be demolished while the remaining factory and outbuildings will be refurbished before three extensions are added to accommodate the new visitor facility.

The state-of-the-art ceramic manufacturing facilities will enable significant increases in capacity to help secure future growth.

A corridor between the museum gallery and the new extension will ensure that the anticipated 100,000 visitors each year can take in the whole Wedgwood experience under one roof, including a flagship retail concept store, tea rooms and a restaurant serving locally sourced produce.

Funding for the project has been assisted by a grant of £5.1m from the Regional Growth Fund, whilst a residential development of 209 houses will be built by David Wilson Homes.

Andrew Hayward, director at BHB Architects, said: “Wedgwood is one of the most iconic and legendary names in the history of British ceramic manufacturing, so to help them redesign their factory and visitor attraction was an exciting project.

“As well as the designs, we have helped our client Waterford-Wedgwood-Royal Doulton (WWRD) secure planning approval for the work, which is on designated greenbelt land. This was the result of extensive consultation with the Local Planning Authority, English Nature, British Waterways, Staffordshire County Council and the West Midlands Regional Growth Fund.

“One of our primary aims was to ensure that the facilities were designed with efficiency and sustainability in mind – whilst also making the finished site a real destination for the plethora of visitors and tourists that Wedgwood attracts every year.”

Work on the site is expected to be completed by early 2015, with the Wedgwood visitor experience fully open by Easter 2015.