Report - Wedgwood Memorial College, Barlaston, Staffordshire – December 2021

[MotionlessMike]

Wedgwood Memorial College was a residential college which was owned & operated by Stoke-on-Trent Council until its closure in 2012. After originally operating from nearby Barlaston Hall It moved to its current site and comprised chiefly of 2 manor houses, one a Victorian villa called ‘The Limes’ and the other a large 1920s property called ‘Estoril House’. There is also a sort of gatehouse / lodge with a nice old bit and a cupola which I didn’t get to see and a small bungalow which contained absolutely nothing.

The college offered short courses in literature, language, political science, art and architectural history. The Esperanto Association of Britain is also based at the college, at the still live Esperanto House.

The Limes

All the rooms are named after pottery manufacturers

Can you tell I really liked the room names?

Estoril House

This place has a bit of a dark history really, with a pretty nasty murder taking place inside in 1952. This article by the Stoke Sentinel is well worth a read.

https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/grisly-murder-pottery-magnates-wife-5475007

Meissen are a German manufacturer of ceramics

Nice Minton floor & glazed tiles

There were some nice Art Nouveau tiles in this bathroom but I apparently didn't take a picture of them

That was about it, hopefully both of these places can survive the future residential development of the site and be sympathetically restorted.​

 

[Humpa]

Nice pics and write up mate! You named it wrong though...... mUrDeR mAnSiOn

 

[jtza]

Lovely tiling in parts. Those bathrooms are mint!

 

[Mikeymutt🐶]

Nice mate, love them signs on the doors.

 

[Bikin Glynn]

Really nice building that cant beat a bit of tiling!

 

[KPUrban_]

Echoing the replies before, that tile work is a tad nice.

 

[raisinwing]

I'd assumed the "murder mansion" story was just completely made up, unusual for the Sentinel to actually produce an interesting article.

Shame that those bathrooms will inevitably be ripped out!

 

[MotionlessMike]

You named it wrong though...... mUrDeR mAnSiOn

Forgive me.

I'd assumed the "murder mansion" story was just completely made up, unusual for the Sentinel to actually produce an interesting article.

I know right? Probs used all the pictures without permission mind

 

[Wally_urbex]

Nice work mate. Not sure about that green bathroom though

 

[Calamity Jane]

This is a bit nice. Great signage on the doors. Ive a bit of Spode, Crown Derby etc. Lovely place, very clean. Not for long. Lovely tiles, mosaics and fireplaces. Nice

 

[MotionlessMike]

Nice work mate. Not sure about that green bathroom though

The green bathroom is my favourite bit I think!

 

[JakeV50]

The windows in the bathroom in the last picture are lovely! Nicely done

 

[Fordy365]

Great post, although a bit of a shame considering the place has since been ransacked (not pointing the finger by the way) I know the owner of the property quite well and this was a hidden gem for some time. There's an abandoned pub not far away that I can't see anybody has posted on here.

 

[mingerocket]

Some nice tiles in there. Can't beat a green bathroom suite