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Sharpes Pottery Museum

Sharpes Pottery Museum

Sharpe’s Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust (Sharpe’s) is a local charity, situated within a Grade II listed heritage building (which is a Registered Museum) in Swadlincote, Derbyshire. The Trust supports local history (including a wide range of artifacts on display), hosts community events, offers conference room space, and works with partners within the cultural centre of Swadlincote. All the partners are committed to outreach work, using the resource centre as a base from which to serve the whole of the area. Sharpe’s Pottery was founded in 1821 and made a major contribution to South Derbyshire’s pre-eminence in the supply of sanitaryware in the 19th century throughout the UK and world-wide following major advances in public health. The local clay was suited to making sanitary ware and local coal fuelled the industry. Ceramic production ceased on the site of the Museum in 1966 and the building was then largely unoccupied, although remaining in the ownership of the original company. The key buildings are Grade II listed and include one of the area’s few remaining bottle kilns.