WEDGWOOD CENTRE - SHUGBOROUGH - BATH
Masonic Jewels Tour - UK Day 15 - POTTERIES TO BATH
Food For Thought
Queen Anne pattern jug, A bowl with the very famous Blue Jasperware patter, and a blue pattern dinner service
The intricate designs and patterns would be replicated time after time, so to the untrained eye the articles would all look perfect. The original Queen Anne pottery (left) and the famous blue Jasperware (centre) above is especially representative of the skill that Wedgwood brought to Pottery.
And after walking through the factory and the displays no trip to Wedgwood can be complete without a trip through the Wedgwood and Royal Doulton factory shop. Where the vast range of products can be appreciated if not purchased. Unfortunately since the time of our visit in 2006, there has been a massive change in fortunes of the Wedgwood empire.
Wedgwood's founder wrote as early as 1774 that he wished he had preserved samples of all the company's works, and began to do so. The first formal museum was opened in May 1906, with a curator named Isaac Cook, at the main (Etruria) works. The contents of the museum were stored for the duration of the Second World War and relaunched in a gallery at the new Barlaston factory in 1952. A new purpose-built visitor centre and museum was built in 1975 and remodelled in 1985 with pieces displayed near items from the old factory works in cabinets of similar period. A video theatre was added and a new gift shop as well as an expanded demonstration area where visitors could watch pottery being made. A further renovation costing £4.5 million was carried out in 2000, including access to the main factory itself, following which the visitor centre complex won multiple awards.
Adjacent to the museum and visitor centre are a restaurant and tea room, serving on Wedgwood ware. The museum, managed by a dedicated trust, closed in 2000 and on 24 October 2008 reopened in a new multimillion-pound building.
Wedgwood's founder wrote as early as 1774 that he wished he had preserved samples of all the company's works, and began to do so. The first formal museum was opened in May 1906, with a curator named Isaac Cook, at the main (Etruria) works. The contents of the museum were stored for the duration of the Second World War and relaunched in a gallery at the new Barlaston factory in 1952. A new purpose-built visitor centre and museum was built in 1975 and remodelled in 1985 with pieces displayed near items from the old factory works in cabinets of similar period. A video theatre was added and a new gift shop as well as an expanded demonstration area where visitors could watch pottery being made. A further renovation costing £4.5 million was carried out in 2000, including access to the main factory itself, following which the visitor centre complex won multiple awards.
Adjacent to the museum and visitor centre are a restaurant and tea room, serving on Wedgwood ware. The museum, managed by a dedicated trust, closed in 2000 and on 24 October 2008 reopened in a new multimillion-pound building.
A group of visitors watch the consumate skill of the artist, The factory shop with shelves laden with their awres
One of the many water features, the Grecian Temple facade and the Chinese
The grounds contain a number of follies, many of which, such as The Chinese House and two Chinese-style bridges, have a Chinese theme, in honour of Admiral George Anson. Admiral Anson, who had visited Canton, left a considerable sum of money to his brother Thomas Anson when he died, which was used to develop the hall and estate. The Chinese House and the red iron footbridge are both grade I listed.
In 1760, Classical architect James Stuart was employed to design a number of monuments. Stuart had visited Athens in the early 1750s, and Ancient Greek influences are obvious at Shugborough. Staurt designed for Anson a copy of the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates and a grade I listed triumphal arch based on the Arch of Hadrian in Athens.
However, a press reports of a supposed Knight's Templar inscription at Shugborough, made this a must stop for the Masonic Jewels Tour.
SHUGBOROUGH AND THE HOLY GRAIL
In the depths of the 900-acre Shugborough estate lies a mysterious 250-year-old stone tablet. It contains an enigmatic ten letter code along with a sculpted marble relief.
The meaning of the code and depiction have baffled some of the world’s greatest minds for centuries - most recently those of World War II codebreakers, Bletchley Park. It has been traditionally said to lead to the location of the Holy Grail.
The estate, near Stafford, is managed and financed by Staffordshire County Council and a plethora of potential solutions have been received by council officials since a world wide appeal was launched to break the cipher two years ago.
In 1760, Classical architect James Stuart was employed to design a number of monuments. Stuart had visited Athens in the early 1750s, and Ancient Greek influences are obvious at Shugborough. Staurt designed for Anson a copy of the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates and a grade I listed triumphal arch based on the Arch of Hadrian in Athens.
However, a press reports of a supposed Knight's Templar inscription at Shugborough, made this a must stop for the Masonic Jewels Tour.
SHUGBOROUGH AND THE HOLY GRAIL
In the depths of the 900-acre Shugborough estate lies a mysterious 250-year-old stone tablet. It contains an enigmatic ten letter code along with a sculpted marble relief.
The meaning of the code and depiction have baffled some of the world’s greatest minds for centuries - most recently those of World War II codebreakers, Bletchley Park. It has been traditionally said to lead to the location of the Holy Grail.
The estate, near Stafford, is managed and financed by Staffordshire County Council and a plethora of potential solutions have been received by council officials since a world wide appeal was launched to break the cipher two years ago.
The Welsh Slate Quarry museum, some examples of work, and the lake Llyn Peris
We left our hotel with the statue of Josiah Wedgwood outside for a visit to the Wedgwood Visitors Centre. It was only a short distance from the hotel, and the centre welcomes one with another statue of its founder Josiah Wedgwood. At the time of the tour many websites had Josiah Wedgwood as a Freemason, but that appears to have been incorrect.
According to Dr. David Harrison on his blog http://drdavidharrison.blogspot.co.nz/2016/04/etruria-wedgwood-freemasonry-and.html
“Though Josiah Wedgwood was not a Freemason, he was an erstwhile member of the Lunar Society and knew many Freemasons, such as Erasmus Darwin and Benjamin Franklin. Wedgwood was also a Dissenter and an abolitionist. His son, Josiah Wedgwood II, was a Freemason, being a member of the Etruscan Lodge which met at the Old Bridge Inn at Etruria.”
Wikipedia confirms that, as do many eminent masonic websites nowadays. Wikipedia also gives an excellent explanation of the Lunar Society, which begins
“The Lunar Society of Birmingham was a dinner club and informal learned society of prominent figures in the Midlands Enlightenment, including industrialists, natural philosophers and intellectuals, who met regularly between 1765 and 1813 in Birmingham, England. At first called the Lunar Circle, "Lunar Society" became the formal name by 1775. The name arose because the society would meet during the full moon, as the extra light made the journey home easier and safer in the absence of street lighting. The members cheerfully referred to themselves as "lunarticks", a pun on lunatics. Venues included Erasmus Darwin's home in Lichfield, Matthew Boulton's home, Soho House, Bowbridge House in Derbyshire, and Great Barr Hall.”
Josiah Wedgwood, for example, is described by some commentators as being one of five "principal members" of the society. There is no doubt that he circulated in the company of many Freemasons at the time, and that mistakes in identifying him as one would be natural as his son of similar name was a member of the Craft.
According to Dr. David Harrison on his blog http://drdavidharrison.blogspot.co.nz/2016/04/etruria-wedgwood-freemasonry-and.html
“Though Josiah Wedgwood was not a Freemason, he was an erstwhile member of the Lunar Society and knew many Freemasons, such as Erasmus Darwin and Benjamin Franklin. Wedgwood was also a Dissenter and an abolitionist. His son, Josiah Wedgwood II, was a Freemason, being a member of the Etruscan Lodge which met at the Old Bridge Inn at Etruria.”
Wikipedia confirms that, as do many eminent masonic websites nowadays. Wikipedia also gives an excellent explanation of the Lunar Society, which begins
“The Lunar Society of Birmingham was a dinner club and informal learned society of prominent figures in the Midlands Enlightenment, including industrialists, natural philosophers and intellectuals, who met regularly between 1765 and 1813 in Birmingham, England. At first called the Lunar Circle, "Lunar Society" became the formal name by 1775. The name arose because the society would meet during the full moon, as the extra light made the journey home easier and safer in the absence of street lighting. The members cheerfully referred to themselves as "lunarticks", a pun on lunatics. Venues included Erasmus Darwin's home in Lichfield, Matthew Boulton's home, Soho House, Bowbridge House in Derbyshire, and Great Barr Hall.”
Josiah Wedgwood, for example, is described by some commentators as being one of five "principal members" of the society. There is no doubt that he circulated in the company of many Freemasons at the time, and that mistakes in identifying him as one would be natural as his son of similar name was a member of the Craft.
The consumate ease at which the skilled workers turned out their wares seemingly identical one after another, how the potter moulded the clay, how jasperware had its figures placed on the clay, and the artist decorated a plate before its final firing, all were inspirational to the spectators, who were engrossed in watching such supreme human craftsmanship.
Statue of Wedgwood at entrance to the Wedgwood Centre, An early Wedgwood masonic jug
However, our visit to the Wedgwood factory proved stimulating and well worthwhile even without its founder being a Freemason. It has been specially laid out with public access in mind. There were displays about the manufacture of Wedgwood designs through the ages, and even a superb factory shop to finish one visits, but the most special feature is the route that is laid out for visitors to walk through the factory and see the craftsmen at work. Owing to circumstances describe later the visit that our party made no longer exists, but that which replaces it today is even better.
Skilled craftsmen - working the clay, embellishing the Jaspwerware and painting the plate
Unfortunately the Wedgwood Collection has had to be sold since our visit to the centre. However the story has a happy ending.
Why was it sold? - The Collection was the major asset of the Wedgwood Museum Trust, which inherited £134m of pension debt as a result of the UK subsidiary of Waterford Wedgwood Plc going into administration in 2009. The debt transferred from company to Trust because the two had been linked through a shared pension fund. The Pension Protection Fund had a duty to claw back as much as it can from sale of assets. In December 2011 the High Court ruled that the Wedgwood Collection was indeed an asset of the Wedgwood Museum Trust that should be sold in order to repay some of the debt owed, and in March 2012 the Attorney General upheld this ruling. The Art Fund and other partners looked at all options to prevent the Collection from being broken up and sold on the open market. Several avenues were explored including the setting up of a new Wedgwood Museum Trust but this was a complicated and expensive option, not possible in the time given. So the V&A (Victoria & Albert Museum) agreed to take ownership to secure the Collection in perpetuity, as per the Art Fund’s conditions of Gift, with the collection remaining in Barlaston.
Our next stop was Shugborough Hall, a lovely stately home a short drive from Wedgwood Centre.
Why was it sold? - The Collection was the major asset of the Wedgwood Museum Trust, which inherited £134m of pension debt as a result of the UK subsidiary of Waterford Wedgwood Plc going into administration in 2009. The debt transferred from company to Trust because the two had been linked through a shared pension fund. The Pension Protection Fund had a duty to claw back as much as it can from sale of assets. In December 2011 the High Court ruled that the Wedgwood Collection was indeed an asset of the Wedgwood Museum Trust that should be sold in order to repay some of the debt owed, and in March 2012 the Attorney General upheld this ruling. The Art Fund and other partners looked at all options to prevent the Collection from being broken up and sold on the open market. Several avenues were explored including the setting up of a new Wedgwood Museum Trust but this was a complicated and expensive option, not possible in the time given. So the V&A (Victoria & Albert Museum) agreed to take ownership to secure the Collection in perpetuity, as per the Art Fund’s conditions of Gift, with the collection remaining in Barlaston.
Our next stop was Shugborough Hall, a lovely stately home a short drive from Wedgwood Centre.
More shelves stocked in the factory shop, and even the young can take joy in the experience
Shugborough Hall is set in lovely parkland and gardens
The Shugborough estate was owned by the Bishops of Lichfield until the Dissolution of the Monasteries around 1540 and thereafter passed through several hands until it was purchased in 1624 by William Anson, a lawyer, of Dunston, Staffordshire for £1000. In 1693, William Anson's grandson, also called William, demolished the existing manor house and constructed a three story building which stills forms the central part of the hall.
William's elder son, Thomas Anson MP (1695-1773), would further extend the house in the 1740s, adding two pavilions flanking either side of the central block. It was Thomas's younger brother, however, that would fund these changes; Admiral George Anson, created Lord Anson in 1747 and First Lord of the Admiralty in 1751, amassed a great fortune during his naval career and when he died without issue he left the majority to his elder brother. Thomas also died childless and the estate passed to his sister's son, George Adams, who adopted the surname Anson by royal licence.
The estate remained in the Anson family for three centuries.
Following the death of the 4th Earl of Lichfield in 1960, the estate was allocated to the National Trust in lieu of death duties, and then immediately leased to Staffordshire County Council. The estate is now open to the public and comprises the hall, museum, kitchen garden and a model farm.
Like many landowners of his time, Thomas Anson took a keen interest in the landscaping of his parkland. The land around Shugborough was largely flat which ensured that tress, follies and water would play an important role in shaping the landscape.
William's elder son, Thomas Anson MP (1695-1773), would further extend the house in the 1740s, adding two pavilions flanking either side of the central block. It was Thomas's younger brother, however, that would fund these changes; Admiral George Anson, created Lord Anson in 1747 and First Lord of the Admiralty in 1751, amassed a great fortune during his naval career and when he died without issue he left the majority to his elder brother. Thomas also died childless and the estate passed to his sister's son, George Adams, who adopted the surname Anson by royal licence.
The estate remained in the Anson family for three centuries.
Following the death of the 4th Earl of Lichfield in 1960, the estate was allocated to the National Trust in lieu of death duties, and then immediately leased to Staffordshire County Council. The estate is now open to the public and comprises the hall, museum, kitchen garden and a model farm.
Like many landowners of his time, Thomas Anson took a keen interest in the landscaping of his parkland. The land around Shugborough was largely flat which ensured that tress, follies and water would play an important role in shaping the landscape.
The inscription that has yet to be deciphered
Now Canadian cryptanalyst Louis Buff Parry claims to have cracked the code and asserts that it points to the location of part of the Holy Grail. He says the Grail is in fact a carved stone tablet of immense religious importance and he feels that this object now lies hidden somewhere on the Shugborough estate.
Shugborough General Manager Richard Kemp said: “We are of course very excited by Louis’ theory, and are desperate for it to be true. Just imagine the importance of this discovery if it were proved. It would not just revolutionise Shugborough’s fortunes, but has the potential to make the UK Midlands into a major world pilgrimage the size of Mecca or Lourdes.”
“In the meantime we hope that people across the world will continue to ponder on our enigmatic code and perhaps come up with their own theories - many have done this already with solutions arriving daily.”
“My own personal View is that the code does contain a message of some importance and intrigue, but that all the evidence needs to be rigorously analysed and explained - whether that leads to the Holy Grail or records a much more local event, object or person, we still don’t know. However, it is nice to think that Shugborough may hold the key to one of the world’s greatest and most romantic mysteries, and the whole thing is certainly putting Shugborough on a world stage which we feel is where it deserves to be.”.
Shugborough General Manager Richard Kemp said: “We are of course very excited by Louis’ theory, and are desperate for it to be true. Just imagine the importance of this discovery if it were proved. It would not just revolutionise Shugborough’s fortunes, but has the potential to make the UK Midlands into a major world pilgrimage the size of Mecca or Lourdes.”
“In the meantime we hope that people across the world will continue to ponder on our enigmatic code and perhaps come up with their own theories - many have done this already with solutions arriving daily.”
“My own personal View is that the code does contain a message of some importance and intrigue, but that all the evidence needs to be rigorously analysed and explained - whether that leads to the Holy Grail or records a much more local event, object or person, we still don’t know. However, it is nice to think that Shugborough may hold the key to one of the world’s greatest and most romantic mysteries, and the whole thing is certainly putting Shugborough on a world stage which we feel is where it deserves to be.”.
Part of the largest ewe tree in the background, the stables and model farm buildings
As well as the follies in the extensive gardens is a yew tree that is supposed to be the largest in England, covering over an acre of land. Also as one would expect from a model farm and magnificent country house, there are very well built stables, with their walls covered in ivy.
However, it is inside the house that shows its magnificence with a very different décor to those castles and houses that we have visited so far..
However, it is inside the house that shows its magnificence with a very different décor to those castles and houses that we have visited so far..
The dining room with gilt frieze, and two blue jasper Wedgwood ceiling panels
The interior of the house was sumptuous and elegant and featured many rooms with lavish gilt trimmings, and Wedgwood panels in the famous blue Jasperware pattern. Some of the modern versions of these panels we had seen earlier on that morning.
We then made our way to Bath, first by crowded motorway, and then a short trip on country roads, finally reaching our destination in downtown Bath. The view from our hotel was of this lovely church, which had a pair of peregrine falcons nesting on the steeple. It was magnificent seeing them flying, but no-one saw them make a kill on the pigeons and doves that also made this square their home.
After dinner we visited the Masonic Hall in Bath. The doorway is unimposing, and hides a treasure. The Hall had been a theatre and a Roman Catholic church Brian Wootton informed us in the huge Ante room.
After dinner we visited the Masonic Hall in Bath. The doorway is unimposing, and hides a treasure. The Hall had been a theatre and a Roman Catholic church Brian Wootton informed us in the huge Ante room.
On the motorway to Bath, the countryside around Bath, and the church outside our hotel
The Lodge room is large with a magnificent backdrop in the East, the painted Master's pedestal shows the great use it has had, and his chair is almost a throne. The back drop in the East has three paintings of King Solomon, Hiram King of Tyre and Hiram Abif.
The Main Entrance to the Lodge,the East of the Lodge Room and the magnificent backdrop
In the South there are two rows of separated wood pews, on the northern wall a multitude of coats of arms hang - note the bridge builder. In the West a huge painting over many framed certificates. The huge Tracing boards were laid out on the pavement and a foot shows just how big they are. Upstairs on the third floor there is a museum. .
The Exotic Masters chair in the East, The South wall and Junior Warden's pedestal, and a view of the South West
NEXT: Back to London: The Roman Baths, Stonehenge and Hampton Court
Few solutions (including those of Bletchley Park) make sufficient use of (or indeed explain) all the evidence. These are namely, the code’s content and form and juxtaposition of all the code’s letters and enigmatic punctuation, the pictorial evidence and particularly the changes from Poussin’s painting, the form of the wider monument (its immediate surroundings), and the position of this monument in relation to other contemporary monuments and features (in the house for example) at Shugborough. Note needs too to be taken of the other works and influences of the Architect Thomas Wright, sculptor Peter Sheemakers, and the Anson family at the time.
As we left, at the top of the stairs their was a display of several famous freemasons' aprons which we passed on our way down. In the basement were the catacombs from the Roman Catholic church and one part that had been made into a small Lodge room for Royal Arch . Before leaving we took the opportunity to have a photograph of the group, and some of our hosts.
The Museum on the third floor, with a huge collection of jewels including many made by Napoleonic prisoners of war
It is filled with a myriad of jewels, a huge number of them having been produced by French prisoners of war in Napoleonic times who were allowed their own lodges. Some were even crafted by prisoners on the prison hulks. Again the craftsmanship was much to be admired, especially as the jewels were made out of what they could scrounge at that time.
The collection of old aprons, the catacombs and the tour group and hosts
As one lay awake that night one could but only ponder on the history of the Lodges in Bath and this building and its artefacts, so brilliantly told to us by Brian Wooton. But shining bright in our heads was that memorable and unique item, the first portable gas appliance - the Eastern Star, which predates the bunsen burner by 25 years. We even saw the actual receipt of its purchase to prove it.
Part of the notes of Brian's speech in which he introduced us to William Murdock, provided the background to this artefact.
“William Murdock was born in Auchinleck Ayrshire in 1754 - died 1839.
In 1777 he walked all the way to Birmingham (236 miles) and asked Matthew Boulton for a job. Boulton was intrigued by the oval wooden hat Murdoch was wearing and asked where he had got it. When Murdoch replied he had made it himself on a lathe of his own design, the job was his.
In 1779 he was sent to Cornwall to supervise the erection of Boulton & Watt steam engines in the Cornish tin mines.
In 1792 at his house in Cross Street, Redruth, Cornwall he placed coal in a kettle and placed the kettle on the fire. The gas and smoke escaping through the kettle’s spout, which he lit with a taper and from this idea he built a steam boiler, filled it with coal and piped the gas 17 feet to light his home.
In 1802 the first ever public display of gas lighting was the illumination of the outside walls of the Soho Foundry in Birmingham, which displayed “God Save the King” and “Fleur de Lys” to celebrate the signing of a peace treaty with the Frech at Amiens.
In 1808 Murdoch read a paper before the Royal Society detailing his discovery.
An associate of Murdoch was Richard Lovell Edgeworth who was born in Bath in 1744. Edgeworth was instrumental in forming the Bath Coal, Coke and Lighting Company in 1812. Both Murdoch and Edgeworth were Lunar Society members and Freemasons. In December 1819 the first Masonic Hall in Bath was built and it was lit by gas in 1820.
In 1825 the “Bright Morning Star” was in use in the 3rd Degree Ceremony.
“………. and lift our eyes to that bright morning star, whose rising brings peace and salvation to the faithful and obedient of the human race.”
This gaslit Bright Morning Star was in use 25 years before the invention of the Bunsen burner in 1850 and 60 years before the invention of the gas mantle by Carl Auer in 1885. This is therefore the world’s first portable gas appliance sold!
Part of the notes of Brian's speech in which he introduced us to William Murdock, provided the background to this artefact.
“William Murdock was born in Auchinleck Ayrshire in 1754 - died 1839.
In 1777 he walked all the way to Birmingham (236 miles) and asked Matthew Boulton for a job. Boulton was intrigued by the oval wooden hat Murdoch was wearing and asked where he had got it. When Murdoch replied he had made it himself on a lathe of his own design, the job was his.
In 1779 he was sent to Cornwall to supervise the erection of Boulton & Watt steam engines in the Cornish tin mines.
In 1792 at his house in Cross Street, Redruth, Cornwall he placed coal in a kettle and placed the kettle on the fire. The gas and smoke escaping through the kettle’s spout, which he lit with a taper and from this idea he built a steam boiler, filled it with coal and piped the gas 17 feet to light his home.
In 1802 the first ever public display of gas lighting was the illumination of the outside walls of the Soho Foundry in Birmingham, which displayed “God Save the King” and “Fleur de Lys” to celebrate the signing of a peace treaty with the Frech at Amiens.
In 1808 Murdoch read a paper before the Royal Society detailing his discovery.
An associate of Murdoch was Richard Lovell Edgeworth who was born in Bath in 1744. Edgeworth was instrumental in forming the Bath Coal, Coke and Lighting Company in 1812. Both Murdoch and Edgeworth were Lunar Society members and Freemasons. In December 1819 the first Masonic Hall in Bath was built and it was lit by gas in 1820.
In 1825 the “Bright Morning Star” was in use in the 3rd Degree Ceremony.
“………. and lift our eyes to that bright morning star, whose rising brings peace and salvation to the faithful and obedient of the human race.”
This gaslit Bright Morning Star was in use 25 years before the invention of the Bunsen burner in 1850 and 60 years before the invention of the gas mantle by Carl Auer in 1885. This is therefore the world’s first portable gas appliance sold!
Brian Wooton welcomes the Tour Party with the history of the Lodges in Bath, The Eastern Star both paraffin, and the first portable gas appliance ever.