The Burton at Bideford has been awarded a grant of £86,500
from The DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund to help transform
public access to one of the leading ceramic collections in the South West of
England.
The funding is part of the £4 million contributed by the
Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Wolfson Foundation in
2025-27 to support museums and galleries across England to improve displays,
protect collections and make exhibitions more accessible to visitors.
Due to open in Spring 2027, The Ceramic
Futures project will see The Burton’s collection of over 1,000 ceramic
works moved to a new bespoke gallery space on the ground floor of the building.
The improved facilities will significantly increase public access to the
collections, bringing important works out of storage to tell the story of
Bideford’s ceramic heritage and future.
Bideford’s pottery heritage is central to the town’s
identity, with North Devon known as one of England’s most important locations
for slipware – a style recognised for its warm glazes and intricate sgraffito
designs scratched into white slip over red clay.
As The Burton celebrates its 75th birthday
in 2026, Ceramic Futures is part of a series of projects that
aim to reimagine how collections can be shared with and used by current and
future communities in Torridge. It will create new accessible resources for
schools and community groups, and include a space for contemporary commissions,
exhibitions and acquisitions that connect The Burton’s historic collections to
vital conversations today.
Warren Collum, Exhibitions and Collections Manager at The
Burton at Bideford said:
“Receiving this funding is essential to enabling us to
present the story of North Devon ceramics with the depth and clarity it
deserves. Not only will it strengthen our ability to communicate the
significance of The Burton’s collections and their place within a wider
cultural and historical context. It also provides a valuable opportunity
to bring important works out of storage and into public view, ensuring they can
be properly seen, studied, and inspire the next generation.”
Harriet Cooper, Director at The Burton at Bideford said:
“This exciting gallery improvement is a catalyst for how
we can transform our local community’s relationship to our collections,
creating a new context to explore the relevance these objects have to life
today. We aim to celebrate Bideford’s ceramic heritage while also looking to
the future and our aspirations to support new acquisitions, ambitious
partnerships and creative skills opportunities for young people in the town.”
The Burton’s ceramic collections include the RJ
Lloyd Collection of North Devon slipware which comprises over 500
works spanning 300-years, and the Christine Halstead Collection of over 400 pieces of
studio ware, providing an insightful introduction to the South West region’s
ceramic heritage. Since 2020 an annual Artist in Residence programme has
supported contemporary artists like Connor Colston, Florence Dwyer and Simon
Bayliss to make new work in response to these collections.
If you would like to stay up to date about Burton
2101: Ceramic Futures please sign up to The Burton’s newsletter at www.theburton.org.
North Devon Harvest Jug, Robert Fishley, 1837
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The Burton at Bideford, Kingsley Road, Bideford EX39 2QQ
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10am–5pm - Sunday 11am–4pm
Free entry
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