Save the Wedgwood Museum - Urgent Call for Action

An appeal from Dr Alan Wedgwood, Thomas D Wedgwood and Alison Wedgwood

The origins of the modern Wedgwood Museum can be traced to Josiah himself. On 3rd September 1774, he wrote:

‘I have often wish'd I had saved a single specimen of all the new articles I have made, & would now give twenty times the original value for such a collection. For ten years past I have omitted doing this, because I did not begin it ten years sooner. I am now, from thinking, and talking a little more upon this subject ... resolv'd to make a beginning.'

That beginning saw the gradual formation of a large informal collection of wares and other historic items which was finally organised into an official museum in 1906. Wedgwood managers of the 20th century kept remarkably few of the wares they produced or inherited, preferring prestige pieces to be held by the museum so that they could be shared with the public.

The Museum was made into a trust in 1962, specifically to prevent it being used as a realisable asset by any future predator. Josiah Wedgwood and Sons became a listed company four years later.

In 1986 when Waterford took over Wedgwood the enthusiasts around the world were reassured that the Museum was protected by the force of law and could not be lost. With this reassurance, many people continued to donate generously with both cash and collectors' items. When the Museum gained Charitable Trust status in 1998, its long term future seemed absolutely guaranteed. And it was on this basis that an ambitious plan to create a new building to house the collection received financial support from all sides. The Millennium Lottery Fund contributed £5m, and a further £4m came from other granting bodies, businesses and individuals. This resulted in a magnificent new museum which opened to the public in 2008 and in 2009 won the Art Fund Prize for Best Museum.

However, what the Museum Trustees were not aware of was that in 2005 a new pension law was slipped in, with little fanfare, resulting in the Museum being held responsible for the £134m deficit of the Wedgwood Pension Plan simply because five of the museum's staff are among the 7000 members of the original Wedgwood pension fund. This law had the laudable objective of preventing companies from concealing assets. It was not intended for charities – but charities are suffering the unintended consequences.

The Wedgwood Museum is now under administration. It cannot be emphasised strongly enough that this is simply the result of the 2005 legislation and for no other reason. In October, there is to be a court case to decide whether or not the assets of the Museum Trust can be appropriated by the Pension Protection Fund. If the ruling goes against the Wedgwood Museum the unthinkable would happen. The Wedgwood collection would be auctioned off and scattered around the globe – this would be a national tragedy.

The museum collection houses evidence of a significant part of England’s great social history. It is not just about ceramics, but science, engineering, craftsmanship, social and political evolution - the birth of the industrial revolution. A story of canal building and inventions, of the Lunar Society, of grand artists such as Reynolds and Stubbs, of Catherine of Russia, Coleridge and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Intimate letters from Charles Darwin to his Wedgwood wife, Aunties and Uncles; between Erasmus Darwin and his friend Josiah. A story of liberal traditions, of the anti-slavery movement; of supporting Thomas Clarkson; dining with Wilberforce, of political crusades, the Reform Bill, of MPs and Lord Mayors and of hard working folk in the Potteries.

Selling off this collection would not help the Pension Protection Fund. Pensioners will receive a statutory amount and will receive no more if the museum is sold off. The managers of the PPF are only following the letter of the law by placing the museum in administration but they know, as we do, that it is all simply bad legislation.

We urge the new Government to amend the shoddy legislation immediately and thus protect the museum and other charities which have suffered from its enforcement. It is not reasonable to use the Wedgwood Museum as a test case in law – this approach risks the whole Wedgwood collection if the Judge is forced to rule against the Museum because of a poorly written law. Supporters of the museum from all around the world, and members of the family who have invested so much in it, appeal to the Government to take action.

What you can do:

Write to your MP:

Search for your MP here: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/

Write to the Ministers:

Ed Vaizey Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

E-mail: vaizeye@parliament.uk

Post:

House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

Steve Webb, Minister for Pensions

E-mail: steve@stevewebb.org.uk

House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

Support the Wedgwood Museum by visiting or becoming a friend:

http://www.wedgwoodmuseum.org.uk/

WEDGWOOD FAMILY PRESS RELEASE: - Wedgwood Family reject CEO claim

Issued by Alison Wedgwood

The Head of the Wedgwood Family has expressed his anger at the
comments made by the new CEO of Waterford Wedgwood Pierre de
Villeméjane who was reported in national newspapers as saying " that
the deal even had the blessing of the Wedgwood family, who had told
him that they were thankful that the brand would continue. "

The new CEO of Wedgwood has not spoken to Tom R (former Director of
Asia Pacific), Tom D Wedgwood, Sir Martin Wedgwood or Alison Wedgwood
who have been instrumental in fighting to keep the Brand's key
manufacturing base in the UK. He also has not spoken to Dr Alan
Wedgwood, a former non-executive Director of Waterford Wedgwood and
the Head of the Wedgwood Family, or his wife Janet Wedgwood.

Tom D Wedgwood said today: 'The Wedgwood family would like to make it
very clear that it does not support any plan that moves manufacturing
of Wedgwood from Barlaston to Indonesia. We are particularly hurt by
KPS's claim that their bid has "our blessing". This is fundamentally
untrue and is directly against everything we have been fighting for in
the last three months.'

Dr Alan Wedgwood said: 'The Wedgwood family would be happy to offer
support only if they could be assured that production and jobs are
secured in Barlaston and the brand remains true to the spirit and core
values of Josiah Wedgwood.'

Wedgwood Company Future

KPS Capital have succeeded in buying Wedgwood, all links with the
founding family have now been completely severed. Alison Wedgwood,
wife of Thomas D. Wedgwood who, with his cousin Thomas R. Wedgwood led
the Family Consortium which attempted to "Save Wedgwood", has asked me
to forward this message to you all with their THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

"Our Fight, Hopes and Fears for Wedgwood"
A Personal View by Alison Wedgwood – March 27th 2009

I just wanted to share with readers and the numerous employees and
ex-employees that have been in contact me my thoughts on what has
happened with regard to the Wedgwood family bidding for Waterford
Wedgwood. We made a non-binding indicative bid on 13th February. This
was co-ordinated by Wedgwood Partners Ltd, a consortium comprising the
Wedgwood family and a number of talented ex-employees, supporters and
professionals plus one regulated firm of professional advisors and one
FSA regulated fund management and corporate finance firm.

Due diligence had been taking place since the end of January, and was
ramped up in February when over a dozen legal, financial and corporate
specialists were in process of analysing all aspects of the potential
purchase. Rob Flello, MP and the union Unite have been very helpful
throughout this process.  The investors were gathered, but there were
barriers to finding all the information because certain aspects of
Waterford Wedgwood were NOT in administration and so data about these
firms, their role and their contracts with the rest of the group was
not available.

We spoke to staff in Peter Mandelson's Ministry, the Department for
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform but they were unable to
assist in accessing this information because most of it was offshore.
The investors therefore could not proceed and make a binding offer on
large portions of the business they had not analysed and we could not
produce contracts and discuss heads of terms with the investors. I
cannot discuss any details of the contents of the bid because
non-disclosure agreements between Deloittes and bidders ensure that
everything that happens with regard to bidding stays out of the public
domain.

KPS announced they had come to a deal with Deloittes on Friday 27th
February due to "completion of overseas transactions". This has now
taken place and just as we feared it looks like KPS will move most of
the production, except prestige, to Indonesia.

Tom and Tom, the professional advisers, ex-employees, legal experts
and financiers worked weekends and through nights to try and secure a
deal that would ensure Wedgwood stayed in Stoke, producing outstanding
pottery for export around the world. We still believe passionately in
this goal and like the rest of Stoke, wait and see what an American
private equity firm working with many of the original senior managers
and Board of Waterford Wedgwood that brought Wedgwood to it's knees
can possibly do now.

For the real people in Stoke, the suppliers and sub-contractors owed
money, and the workers who signed legal contracts for enhanced
redundancy packages with the management in November last year, I feel
angry. They will be at the back of the queue when it comes to dishing
out any cash from the sale. I can only hope that we don't have even
more redundancies and, God forbid, if there are please can they be
done with dignity, not just a line of people left standing in the rain
waiting to be lead to the chamber/room.

It would seem that, just as in banking, reward for failure, a culture
of entitlement and managers who never accept responsibility is the way
of business and proves again the distorted global capitalist model
that has grown like an out of control monster these last 10 years. The
tragedy is that it's the workers who've put in 30 years of hard work,
growing a business, actually making real things out of the minerals
and clays of the area that really suffer.

The KPS business model will see many businessmen nodding their heads
in agreement: cut costs, streamlining, labour that is 85% cheaper in
Indonesia. Ironic when you consider that Deloittes admin staff are
charged out at £220 an hour and partners at £745 an hour and they've
earned over £3 million in fees over 3 months.

But will the KPS model work? I know that consumers in Japan are
dismayed to find out that the Indonesian factory even exists; I know
of an American who smashed his purchased item in the showroom when he
found out it was made in Indonesia. I know the owner of the only
Indonesian showroom didn't want to stock Wedgwood sourced from the
factory just down the road from her.  I know that Steelite and Dudson
produce outstanding ware in Stoke competing head on with low cost
producers overseas and winning outright. I know that the real pottery
craftsmen and women and their commitment is only found in Stoke. The
clay and bone ash is sourced around Stoke, and it has to be
transported to Indonesia. The skilled craftsmen are not expensive; the
pound is low. Anyway, the labour costs have not been part of the
problem, the supply chain and distribution networks organised by the
senior management are more to blame.  Tom D spent a month on the
production line in 2005 and knows full well where the wastage and
inefficiencies are.

I'm sure KPS know all this as well, and they are hoping that less
discerning buyers won't care about country of origin, won't care about
the 250 years of heritage, excellence, design and Josiah's legacy as a
marketing pioneer.  They're not proud of the Wedgwood history in
Staffordshire how it is intertwined with the Darwin's, the industrial
revolution, the Lunar Society, the strong Wedgwood women who were
instrumental in the abolitionist fight and the daughter of Josiah who
gave birth to one of the world's greatest scientists Charles Darwin.
But they should care, because they may find out that the Wedgwood
Collectors Societies and all the discerning consumers who aspire to
purchase exquisite china that represents 250 year of this heritage -
they really do care. Then what happens to global sales?"

-------- End-----

REMEMBER to continue to support the Wedgwood Museum, managed by an
independent trust. They have just re-opened a state-of-the art museum
at Barlaston. It contains one of the finest collections of Wedgwood in
the world, new research facilities and 85,000 archival items -the
Wedgwood Manuscript collection dating from the sixteenth century.

http://www.wedgwoodmuseum.org.uk/

The Wedgwood Spirit

Text from a piece by Alison Wedgwood for The Staffordshire Sentinel:

 

Darwin's and Stoke – Our Heritage

 

A wonderful new book  Darwin's Sacred Cause (Adrian Desmond and James Moore) gives a fascinating incite into the relationship between the Darwin's and the Wedgwood's.  The book reveals that the Wedgwood/Darwin family played an enormous role over 70 years, fighting for the abolition of slavery and suggests that this had a profound influence on Charles Darwin's thinking. The Wedgwood/Darwin grandparents, aunts, uncles and his wife were his "moral anchorage". Charles Darwin, Josiah's grandson, spent many happy years growing up with the Wedgwood cousins at Maer Hall.   He watched Uncle Jos Wedgwood sell the London Wedgwood showroom and give the proceeds to the abolition cause; he knew that Aunty Sarah Wedgwood gave more to anti-slavery causes than any other female. He grew up within an anti-slavery axis stretching from Shrewsbury to the Wedgwood's in Staffordshire"

 

Darwin's thesis on evolution traced all life to one common ancestor. Darwin detested slavery, the slavers desire to "make the black man sub-human", he believed in racial unity and brotherhood. Josiah Wedgwood was one of the first on the Committee for the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade founded in 1787. He produced the iconic slave medallion, "Am I not a Man and a Brother". It was produced in its thousands at Josiah's expense, it wasn't for sale, but became a must have item, worn as hair pins, broaches, mounted on snuff boxes. The medallions are generally seen as instrumental in the swing of popular feeling against slavery and in favour of the Abolition movement. They were an 18^th century version of the campaign bracelets worn today, Josiah funded the leaflets which led to the global consumer boycott of slave plantation sugar.  Josiah funded Thomas Clarkson and worked closely with Wilberforce who described the Wedgwood's as "a fine, sensible, spirited family, intelligent and manly in behaviour". Interesting.

 

As suggested in the many book reviews of "Darwin's Sacred Cause" the Darwin's and the Wedgwood's did spend generations interbreeding. I am happy to report that although I come from Stoke on Trent, my meeting and subsequent marriage to Tom Wedgwood (direct descendant) was purely coincidental, we were not related, although I believe my husband was related to his Grandmother Sally Wedgwood in three different ways. We met at University and our shared passion for skiing was the starting point. We also share a passion for pottery and for ensuring manufacturing of the iconic and ethical brand stays in Stoke On Trent, England. We are working hard to save Wedgwood from those who believe it can be produced in Indonesia and back-stamped with Wedgwood. Consumers in Asia, the US and Europe are not gullible. They will only buy Wedgwood fine bone china if it's made in England. Wedgwood cannot continue it's slow death,  lost in the reaches of Indonesia, to inept design, manufacturing and marketing by people who are not passionate about the original values set out by its founder.

 

The Wedgwood family come from a long line of freethinking, spirited, individuals and we're not giving up – it's a David and Goliath battle against big US private equity firms – but our sense of passion for a cause that drove the Wedgwood's to fight for 70 years against slavery is the driving force behind our battle to keep Wedgwood alive.  Tom hasn't had a day off since the 5^th January. Wedgwood must be made in England, it must represent exquisite design, exemplary manufacturing and a modern ethical brand that consumers aspire to. Something that will last another 250 years.

 

Alison Wedgwood

Stoke on Trent