NEVER mind tea for two, a teapot that will hold enough tea for two hundred and more will be unveiled on Saturday (Sept 16) in tribute to Worcester’s porcelain heritage.

The giant sculpture will take pride of place in the courtyard of the Museum of Royal Worcester and the Royal Porcelain Works in Severn Street, with the ceremony being carried out by the mayor Councillor Louis Stephen as part of the regeneration of the city’s porcelain quarter.

Supported by the Kildare Trust and Bransford Trust and created by artists Ron Thompson and Julie Edwards of Planet Art, the design was shaped by workshops involving pupils at local primary and high schools, as well as community groups and residents living on the regenerated factory site.

The unveiling comes with an invitation for everyone to go along to see the teapot sculpture and join in the free all-ages celebration on the day from 11am-3pm.

Museum director Sophie Heath, said: “We warmly welcome people to come and meet our teapot sculpture artists, get hands-on with artist-led creative activities in our Pop-up Museum, such as making a clay teapot and decorating a coaster. Visitors can also enjoy free tea-tasting and refreshments.

“We’re really keen to meet and involve city residents and former Royal Worcester workers and their families on the day. Everyone is invited to contribute a memory or story about ‘The Porcelain’.”

The celebration event includes a talk, 12.30-1.00pm, in Henry Sandon Hall, by oral history producer Julia Letts, on Anecdotes from the Archives, sharing stories and memories from former Royal Worcester workers’. Julia led extensive interviews with porcelain workers just before the factory closure. Worcester City Council’s Life Stories team will also be on hand, sharing photographs and memories from ‘Know Your Place, Worcester’, the interactive website platform.

Author and local historian Colin Millett will also be in Henry Sandon Hall on the day launching and signing his new book on Royal Worcester painter Harry Davis, widely regarded as one of the greats of the twentieth century.

Worcester Mela will be part of the event with family crafts and talking about their new Melting Pot project, which aims to capture shop floor stories at Worcester’s factories and how migrant communities were involved.

Kathy Leather, general manager of the Bransford Trust, added: “We are delighted to support the creation of the teapot sculpture with the Kildare Trust, to celebrate the porcelain heritage of the site. As an independent grant-making charity, we have invested in the multi-million pound redevelopment of Worcester’s historic Royal Porcelain Works. We are thrilled to celebrate the regeneration of this ‘porcelain quarter’ to residential homes, arts and entertainment facilities and business.”

At the event the artist who has been selected for a brand-new public art commission and heritage interpretation for the porcelain factory site will be announced and will be present to chat about their ideas.

The funding for the new artist commission and heritage interpretation project has been provided by Berkeley Homes as part of a planning contribution for its Waterside residential development.