Master potter. Born in Burslem, Stoke, Staffordshire, into a potters family. Married his cousin, Sally. Childhood smallpox left him with a limp. His inability to operate the potters wheel meant he turned to design and management instead. It is said he often used his stick to smash items that he felt were not good enough. Contacted the Cherokees Indians to find a source of the whitest possible clay. His London showrooms became a fashionable place to visit. Flaxman, Stubbs and Lady Diana Beauclerk all provided designs for him. Promoter of social reform and active in the fight against the slave trade. Wedgwood is nowadays compared with Henry Ford for his innovative introduction of methods of mass production.
This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Josiah Wedgwood
Commemorated ati
Spirit of Soho Mural
Interesting that Coca Cola are specifically mentioned on the panel but not as...
Other Subjects
Phineas Pett
Master Shipwright. Born at Deptford Strond (a parish in Deptford). First Resident Commissioner of Chatham Dockyard, he designed and built several ships including the 'Prince Royal' which he built i...
3 memorials
Thomas Tompion
F.R.S. "the father of English clockmaking". Buried in Westminster Abbey.
4 memorials
Bernard Schmidt
Organ builder. Born Germany. Came to England in about 1660. Known as Father Smith.
1 memorial
James Purdey the younger
Gunmaker, built premises in 1880 to house his new showrooms and workshops, James Purdey & Sons Ltd. The Picture Source website has a short on-line history and also informs about a book on the s...
1 memorial
William Caslon
Caslon came from the West Midlands. Created the Caslon typeface, first used in 1726. Caslon Old Face was used for printing the American Declaration of Independence. Working in Aldersgate Caslon was...
3 memorials
Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in to see them