Wednesday, November 07, 2018

A Sudden Appearance

Beautiful red poppies have appeared recently on a wall of the Old Phoenix Works just off the main road on King Street, Longton, not far from the station


The site of the old Phoenix works has, over the last few years, undergone renovation work and some areas have been turned into shops and offices.


The factory was built around 1879 - 1881 by Thomas Forester and Sons pottery manufacturers who specialised in producing Earthenware and Majolica.  In 1881 Thomas Forester is said to have received the largest order for the very popular Majolica Wares ever received by a Staffordshire Pottery.
Above The Glost House Cafe Bar


Above The Portmeirion Pottery Factory Shop and the Period Property Store.

Anyway, back to the poppies.  This work was commissioned for the centenary of the end of WWI and was produced by the  Entrepreneurs Network over a few days last week.  I wish I'd have seen them working on it.


It's rather beautiful.

36 comments:

  1. It looks amazing, a beautiful sight.

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  2. The poppies are so beautiful and poignant.

    I am so envious of you having a Portmeirion Factory Shop locally! I love their stuff. In fact was only thinking recently I wished I had started to collect it after we got married - say a few pieces a year as presents!

    It is good to see an old factory being renovated and put to new use.

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    1. Thanks, RR. There are two Portmeirion factory shops a huge one in Stoke and the smaller one down on King Street which is my favourite of the two. We have quite a bit of their table ware just edged in the green leaf bought for very little in their seconds shops, now some of the wares are made abroad you don't really get the factory seconds anymore:)

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  3. What a lovely idea and something that can still adorn the wall for years to come. :)

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    1. Thanks,I hope the poppies stay around for a while:)

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  4. It's very beautiful!!!! A lovely piece of Art.

    Sunday is Poppy Day in the UK, I think.

    Have you been in The Ghost House Cafe Bar???? Oh that's sounds very interesting. :-)))))

    ✨🍁✨🍎✨🍁✨

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    1. Yes, Sunday is Armistice Day here extra special this year as it is 100 years since the end of WWI. We have been in the Glost House Cafe for morning coffee a couple of times:)

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  5. It looks great, so pleased they have re-used the old building and not pulled it down for houses. Were I live was full of old mills when I first came, most of them still been used, all but a few are houses now.
    Amanda xx

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    1. Thanks, Amanda. Some of the factory sites have been used for housing or retail/industrial parks. I hope people support the shops so they stay open as many shops are closing in the town centre:)

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  6. That's brilliant & reminds me a bit of the Barn Art you see in the USA. Seeing them working on it would have been great, but it's a delight anyway. Thanks for sharing & take care.

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    1. Thanks Susan, I've seen a photo of the two artists working on the poppies, up in a cherrypicker the Glost House shared it on facebook, it looks like very taxing and intricate work:)

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  7. It is quite impressive. I know Thomas Forrester, I collect his Phoenix wars and it's really hard to find. My last piece came from Australia and the postage was horrible.

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    1. How wonderful Janet, so now you can see where the wares you collect came from. Apparently his pottery was a very successful and popular. I bet it would cost a huge amount to pack and ship a delicate piece of pottery:)

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  8. The poppies certainly are beautiful.

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  9. Oh I love that, what a fantastic idea and so well painted!

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    1. The artists really did a good job didn't they? I hope it stays around for a while:)

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  10. Beautiful poppies, how lovely to see them close up. Whoever painted those is very talented

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    1. Thank you Julie. The artists do quite a lot of street art around the area:)

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  11. That's gorgeous, what a great use of the space especially at this time of year. 😊

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    1. It seems just right doesn't it? It's uplifting on a dull day yet thoughtful too:)

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  12. I love the way that the artist has chosen a style that reminds me of the illustrations in old flower identification books; the kind of books that were produced about a hundred years ago.

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    1. It does seem as if they decided to do just that as much of their other street art is very modern. I love the delicateness of it:)

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  13. The painting has been done beautifully. The image of poppies is such an emotional one for many people. It's good that these talented artists have produced such a sensitive image in time for Armistice Day. I hope the renovated Phoenix Works does well especially the retail outlets. I wish it was nearer to where we live. I treasure the pieces of Portmeirion I bought many years ago or have inherited from my mother. I started collecting pieces and then stopped, but I love those I do have.

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    1. Thank you Linda. It is a wonderful painting isn't it? Perfect for this weekend although I hope it remains there for longer. There are two Portmerion shops in the city the one closest to where we live is the smaller of the two although there is a third at Trentham Gardens. Portmeiron now own the Spode brand too. I hope you have a lovely weekend:)

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  14. Nov. 9th

    Thank you so much, for your Congratulations, on our 60th Wedding Anniversary!

    Hugs..

    ✨🍁✨🍎✨🍁✨

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    1. You are very welcome, so wonderful to be together for 60 years:)

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  15. Thank you for the write up Rosie.

    We are very proud of our poppies and plan to keep them for some time. Rob and Tom did a superb job, and we have to thank the local authority for their contribution.

    To learn more about the site, and its founder:
    http://www.phoenix-works.co.uk
    http://thomasforester.com

    Anyone visiting who would like to take a sneak peek at the bottle ovens, please feel free to call in to Period Property Store and ask for Mark.

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    1. Thank you for your comment. The work your artists have done is amazing. I hope you can see from the comments on just this one post how much the poppies are appreciated:)

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  16. They have done a great job with the poppies - vibrant colour with a delicate botanical touch. Much nicer than the slogans and 'street art' that often inflicts the walls! Have a great weekend Rosie. x

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    1. Thank you Simone, it is a lovely piece of street art and echoes the style of 100 years ago. Hope you too have a lovely weekend:)

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  17. Oh nice...being an artist I love when you see paintings and things like this on bldgs. Thanks for sharing. I come over from Corners of My Mind blog.

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    1. Thank you Pam, glad you like the wall paiting, thank you for visiting:)

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