About

Find out about the extraordinary stories of the workers and artists who skilfully made the objects and the celebrity customers who enjoyed them, with our audio guide, listening points, Family Explorer backpacks and fun children’s trails.

Explore stunning galleries and exciting exhibitions where you’ll see some of the earliest porcelain made in England and iconic objects like Admiral Lord Nelson’s breakfast teapot, the 1865 exquisite Earl-of-Dudley tea-service, painted fruit and famous Evesham oven-to-tableware.

Family Fun

Enjoy quality time with family and friends, with our fun Family Explorer backpacks and trails. Find Pudding the factory cat or paint your own pot in our ceramic studio.

Events and Exhibitions

There are so many fascinating themes to highlight within our collections. With funding support, we aim to develop an annual themed exhibition and creative programme of workshops, talks and events.

Group Visits

Groups can book ahead to enjoy entertaining talks or demonstrations by our passionate experts or former Royal Worcester workers that give a fascinating insight into the collections and life at the ‘The Porcelain’. Or get creative in our Paint-Your-Own-Pottery studio.

Location

Located next to the regenerated Royal Worcester factory site, and popular GoodRoots Café, we are close to parking, including Blue Badge, the City centre, Cathedral and beautiful riverside walks.

About The MUSEUM OF ROYAL WORCESTER

We are an independent charitable trust, founded in 1946 by Charles Dyson Perrins, to care for and connect people with the largest collection of Worcester porcelain in the world, together with our unique factory and design archive, in the place where it was made from 1751 to 2008. Our small experienced team helps make our collections accessible for all and connect communities with this shared interest. 

Through partnerships with organisations such as the Gloucestershire Society for Botanical Illustration (GSBI) we bring to life collection themes, such as celebrating the fruits and flowers on Worcester porcelain, alongside over 70 contemporary botanical illustrations by GSBI artists, the Botanical Treasures exhibition was a highlight of 2021.
 
In 2020, Worcester Porcelain and the Arts of Islam: Creativity, Commerce and Exchange featured a creative programme and display, online talks and local community engagement. Expert Fuschia Hart translated Arabic inscriptions, to enrich collections records with the specific context of designs inspired by the arts of Islam and connections with archive material.
 
In 2019, the Arts Council England funded ‘The Precious Clay’ exhibition featured artists’ workshops and performances, with Meadow Arts. Contemporary artists inspired by porcelain responded to our historic collections in lively and inventive ways
Museum of Royal Worcester - About - Carol Hardie of Gloucestershire Society of Botanical Artists private view of archive
Museum of Royal Worcester - About - Pop Up Museum

During the COVID-19 pandemic we worked hard to achieve emergency funding to sustain the Museum. In May 2021, we reopened with a new Paint-Your-Own-Pottery studio introducing creative engagement for visitors. We launched the ‘Pop-up Museum’ to take the Museum out into our local communities to involve under-represented audiences, children, families and younger adult visitors, widening our reach and inspiring the next generation of creatives. 

The Museum of Royal Worcester holds a collection of national significance. Dr Wall’s 1751 pioneering Worcester porcelain manufactory was one of the earliest and first commercially successful in England – crucial in the history of transfer-printing and the Midlands industrial revolution. Read more about the history of Royal Worcester in our archives. 

 

OUR JOURNEY

‘The Porcelain’, as the factory was affectionately known, closed in 2009.  We transitioned from being part of a factory experience to a stand-alone museum in the regenerated Royal Porcelain Works site now comprising residential, business premises and independent arts venue. Our 2016-18 National Lottery Heritage Fund-supported refurbishment was crucial for re-display and re-interpreting the collections beyond the factory closure, giving insight into 250 years of skill and innovation and the people behind the porcelain. 

Each year we welcome thousands of visitors, and engage with many communities and groups who share in the enjoyment, discovery and exploration of the stories behind our fascinating collections, archives and industrial heritage of national importance. Thank you to all those who visit, participate and support us.

 

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