In this episode, I talk with ceramics expert Paul Crane FSA about the early years of Worcester porcelain. Paul is a consultant at the Brian Haughton Gallery, St James’s, London, and a specialist in Ceramics from the Medieval and Renaissance periods through to the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries. He presently sits as a Trustee of the Museum of Royal Worcester and is also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, an independent historian and researcher and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Art Scholars.
Our conversation was recorded in person at the Museum of Royal Worcester. If you want to see the pieces we discuss, you should do one of two things: go to the website where I’ve added images of the majority of the items discussed to the accompanying blog post for this episode. OR go to the YouTube channel where I’ve lined up the images with our discussion. Paul and I really do our best to describe the pieces, but of course, it’s best if you can see them for yourself.
We talk about Dr Wall and how he got the Worcester manufactory up and running, the importance of seeing porcelain by candlelight, asparagus servers, the first piece of porcelain you see when you walk into the museum, the Royal Lily service and how Worcester porcelain attained the Royal warrant, amongst any other things.
Those listening to the secret podcast can hear more about the early blue and white pieces, including a rarebleeding bowl, the first commemorative coronation porcelain mug and the stunning Nelson tea service, plus much more.
Remember: Fruit Pig are sponsoring the 9th season of the podcast, and Grant and Matthew are very kindly giving listeners to the podcast a unique special offer 10% off your order until the end of October 2025 – use the offer code Foodhis in the checkout at their online shop, www.fruitpig.co.uk.
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This episode was mixed and engineered by Thomas Ntinas of the Delicious Legacy podcast.
Things mentioned in today’s episode
Accompanying blog post with images of the porcelain discussed
YouTube video of the episode with images of the porcelain discussed
Museum of Royal Worcester website
Paul’s YouTube talk called ‘Nature, Porcelain and the Enlightenment’
Paul’s YouTube talk called ‘Early Worcester from Dr Wall to James Giles’
My museum talk about Worcester porcelain and 19th-century dining
The Natural History of Uncommon Birds by George Edwards
A video about the first project Neil took part in with the Museum of Royal Worcester
Serve it Forth website - You can still receive 25% off the ticket price using the code SERVE25 at the checkout!
Serve it Forth Eventbrite page
Previous pertinent podcast episodes
18th Century Dining with Ivan Day
Neil’s blogs and YouTube channel:
The British Food History Channel
Neil’s books:
Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper
Knead to Know: a History of Baking
Don’t forget, there will be postbag episodes in the future, so if you have any questions or queries about today’s episode, or indeed any episode, or have a question about the history of British food please email me at [email protected], or on twitter and BlueSky @neilbuttery, or Instagram and Threads dr_neil_buttery. My DMs are open.
You can also join the British Food: a History Facebook discussion page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/britishfoodhistory
Mentioned in this episode:
The British Food History podcast is currently sponored by Netherton Foundry
Season 10 of The British Food History Podcast is sponsored by Netherton Foundry, producers of top-quality, British-made cookery equipment. Nestled in rural South Shropshire, Netherton Foundry is a family-run business, headed by husband and wife team Neil and Sue Currie, which takes inspiration from the local iron masters of the 18th and 19th centuries to craft traditional cookware from iron, oak and copper using non-toxic materials. Their cookware is built to last, whether it be their famous prospector pans (of which I am a proud owner), crumpet rings or their impressive range of outdoor cookware. Netherton Foundry ships to several countries outside of the UK, including the USA and Canada. Visit netherton-foundry.co.uk to find out more about their wonderful products – approved not just by me but by folk such as Tom Parker-Bowles, Diana Henry and Nigella Lawson.
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