Shop move could break the mould at pottery site
A NEW shop is set to open up inside a Derbyshire landmark in a bid to reverse its low visitor numbers.
The hope is that by changing the layout of Sharpe’s Pottery, it will improve footfall at the Grade II-listed building in Swadlincote.
A report commissioned in January 2020 by Sharpe’s Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust, with a view to securing funding from the National Lottery Heritage fund, revealed the museum had low visitor numbers and there was a weakness in the current layout.
The report said: “The temporary exhibition space is a dead end, away from the main circulation route and therefore will be missed by many visitors.
“The main exhibitions are located on the first floor, some distance from reception. They are very static and offer little to families or repeat visitors.”
In light of the report’s findings, plans have been submitted by South Derbyshire District Council, which is involved in the venue’s trustees, to its planning department for permission to turn the existing lobby into a shop.
Part of the plans would involve the removal of a staircase and installation of a new floor at first-floor level and associated repairs to the walls and repairs following the removal of a toilet.
A decision is due to be made in the next few months.
Sharpe’s Pottery was founded in 1821 by Thomas Sharpe and started with the manufacture of functional wares, teapots and pie dishes, before making ceramic sanitary wares.
It closed in 1968 and the Sharpe’s Pottery Heritage and Craft Centre opened in 2003. The kiln is one of the oldest remaining bottle kilns of its type and is one of two kilns originally on the factory site.
During the early 16th century the rich clay deposits of South Derbyshire attracted many entrepreneurs.
The high content of alumina, or aluminium oxide, made local clay suitable for salt glazing, giving an almost indestructible finish to sewer pipes, which were produced in around 1900 and are still in use today.
The varied collections at the museum include an intriguing array of Sharpe’s world-famous toilets, including the artistically decorated Victoria toilet, rare examples from the Bretby Art Pottery and the well known TG Green’s blue and cream striped Cornishware.