A local television celebrity has become the latest person to throw their weight behind a bid to save a major part of South Derbyshire's history.
Etwall-based auctioneer Charles Hanson, famed for his appearances on Bargain Hunt and the Antiques Roadshow, helped hold an antiques valuation day in Swadlincote Town Hall in the latest bid to restore the Bretby Art Pottery showroom.
Residents flocked to The Delph to reveal hidden treasures that had been gathering dust in the attic and have them appraised by Mr Hanson, of Hanson's Auctioneers. Those attending were asked to make a donation to the Bretby Art Pottery showroom project.
It was revealed last year that the pottery building was given a lifeline with a £10,000 National Lottery grant to launch a feasibility study into the appropriate use of the Grade II listed pottery building, in Swadlincote Road, Woodville, as well as further community consultation.
The Heritage Trust, which has acquired the building that has stood derelict for 20 years, hopes the building could be revamped to help the local community and those from further afield to experience and learn many traditional crafts and skills including pottery.
It is hoped this will provide training and employment opportunities for all ages and abilities with links being established through education and communities.
Mark Slack, of The Heritage Trust said: "We raised more than £150 from donations and a large proportion of that was thanks to one of the stallholders who donated half the raffle income to us.
"We bought along some of the prizes but it was a very nice and very generous gesture on their behalf. The event was primarily about raising the profile of the building and our wish to save it from its current rather sad and derelict state after it has been empty for so long.
"We have been conducting a consultation, and still are, with not only the local community but also other stakeholders in the area from community organisations to businesses and local authority partnerships.
"A lot of work is needed on the building but before we calculate estimated costs we have to establish the most likely viable and sustainable use for the building.
"Funders, whether trusts, Heritage Lottery Fund or the public at large will want to know what the most likely use for the building will be before committing funds. Only fair when you think about it and some trusts have specific rules about what they will and will not fund.
"Our aim is to try and preserve the historical ethos and structure of the building and irrespective of the final use make every effort to provide some degree of public access."
The project will allow for the continuation of pottery production on the site and allow for the retention of traditional skills which face the ever present danger of being wiped out.
The Heritage Trust is a Building Preservation Trust aimed at protecting and conserving the historic environment. It revolves around acquiring historic buildings, obtaining grant funding and fund-raising in order for historic buildings to be reused and continue to play a role within the community. Its latest project involves obtaining a new use for Bretby Pottery Showroom.
Bretby Art Pottery: A history
Bretby Art Pottery was an art pottery studio more properly known as Tooth & Co Ltd, and was started in 1883 by Henry Tooth and William Ault. Ault left after four years to set up his own pottery at Swadlincote.
Within a year they had won a gold award at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in 1884, the same year that the famous 'Sunburst' trade mark was registered. The partnership was dissolved on January 1, 1887 when William Ault set up his own pottery Ault and Co, in Midland Road, Swadlincote.
The company produced both inexpensive pressed wares and more costly thrown art pottery. Bretby stayed in the hands of the Tooth family until 1933, and after the Second World War became known as Tooth and Company Limited Bretby Art Pottery.
Marks include the familiar rising sun over the name Bretby, a stylised HT for Henry Tooth, and the brand names Clanta and Clanta Ware.
