Spode Development

About

On 6 November 2008, the doors closed at the Spode Works factory in Stoke town centre – resulting in the loss of hundreds of jobs.

The operating company, Royal Worcester and Spode, had become the latest victim of the global economic downturn, citing adverse trading conditions as one of the reasons behind its collapse, as it fell into administration.

But 10 years after the event, Spode is coming back to life and is now home to almost 50 artists’ studios, a 26-room hotel that is fully occupied most nights, a popular café and a revamped and extended visitor centre. The China Halls, a vast space which acted as the factory’s main production area where 250 people would once work, is now being used as a unique venue for private events, the latest being the 38th Stoke-on-Trent Beer Festival which attracted thousands of visitors over three days. Other events hosted at Spode this year have included dance music nights, theatre productions, a custom motorcycle show, graduation ceremonies and a black-tie charity ball.

The transformation and ongoing regeneration of the site as a Creative Village branded as  “Spode Works” has been led by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, which bought the site in 2010. In the last three years, the council has invested more than £3 million in conversion works and with the demolition of nine buildings that were in poor condition and had no historic value, to improve circulation within the site and enhance the setting of the remaining listed buildings. External funding bodies have provided a further £1 million and the council’s approach to attract investors to this 10-acre site is clearly paying off.

Cllr Daniel Jellyman, cabinet member for transport, regeneration and heritage, said: “This is a site steeped in our city’s industrial heritage and past. A key priority of the current administration has been to invest time and money into bringing the site back to life with a modern day purpose, and we’re really pleased with the progress made over the last three years with the creative village concept.”

The council worked with educational charity ACAVA (the Association for Cultural Advancement through Visual Art) to bring 46 artists’ studios to the site. The studios, which opened in 2016, are self-contained, with excellent natural light from large factory windows and overhead skylights, and are home to a range of artists and designers. Last year saw the opening of a hotel with café, conference and wedding facilities, and the extension of the Spode Museum to include retail and gallery space.

Cllr Jellyman added: “The focus of our work has been to establish Spode as a thriving centre for arts and culture in the city, building on the name and reputation it has built for itself since the late 18th century. Spode has so much potential to be a catalyst for regeneration – not just in Stoke town but across the whole city – and we are starting to see that potential being realised. The owner of the hotel tells me they are pretty much at 100 per cent occupancy in the week with guests ranging from tourists to working professionals, and they are currently finishing off a suite on the top floor which will give the hotel a honeymoon suite with stunning views across the site and the city.

“We’re pleased with the success so far of the creative village concept, and that is something we will continue to push forward with. Long-term, the site has to re-connect to the rest of the town centre, and that is something we are currently looking at.”

In the last 12 months, the iconic China Halls has hosted three dance music nights, attracting thousands of revellers to the site. Potteries-born DJ and promoter Lee Fredericks, who has been involved in promoting the events, said: “Spode is such an incredible, atmospheric space for the type of event we put on and it’s great to see the site coming back to life. We’ve staged three dance events in the China Halls so far, which have been attended by more than 6,000 people in total, with interest from all over the country. Huge credit to the council for having the vision and appetite to use the venue in this way and the support we have received from them has been crucial in making the events possible.”