The Spode Rose Garden is located on Kingsway facing the large car park and close to the Kings Hall.
"The Garden attached to the Spode Factory's China Hall was first developed in the 1950's and for many years was a beautiful outdoor space, where workers and residents enjoyed some fresh air in beautiful surroundings. In recent times the garden had become overgrown, and in need of attention."
The Garden was renovated by AirSpace Gallery, the Friends of the Spode Rose Garden and Stoke-on Trent City Council and is free for all to enjoy its peace and tranquility.
The garden is inspired by classic Spode plate patterns which are set into the planting around the garden.
The centrepiece of the garden is circular raised bed, built with bricks that were salvaged from the Spode factory site. In the middle of the raised bed is a plinth, holding a glass dome. The glass dome houses an artwork: The Spode China Rose - a beautifully crafted, bone china rose, that forms the crux of the Spode Rose Garden project.
"During the British Ceramics Biennial 2013, AirSpace Gallery renovated a slice of the garden, attached to the Spode China Hall, off Kingsway, Stoke, to act as a physical proposal for the renovation of the entire space. Then, in 2015, we returned to renovate a new segment, plus introduce over 30 newly developed real Spode China Roses to the site. The proposition's intent was meant as an example of what could be the future for the space, and was meant as a way of gathering support and interest to raise the funding and resources and build the necessary partnerships to see the full space renovated by 2017."
The Spode China Rose is itself, an idea. It is a promise of new life, development, and the future. The Victorian Language of flowers rather aptly, saw the giving of a China Rose as a symbol of beauty, always new. The physical proposition, made through the renovation of the garden, is underlined by the bone china rose, which is a representation of the real Spode China Rose now populating the Garden.
They collaborated with Ceramic Flower maker, Rita Floyd, in the creation of the design for the Spode China Rose. A prototype was then taken to a series of meetings with lots of rose breeders. At one of those meetings they struck lucky. Gareth Fryer, whose family has been breeding roses for over 100 years, had a very similar rose in development - an old-type rose, fragrant and pure white.
This project is an experiment in people power. We hope that our renovation of the garden will act as inspiration for others to adopt neglected green spaces in cities, and we hope to see if there is enough support from the public to have a stake in developing a brand new breed of rose, and seeing this once beautiful space brought back to life."
SOURCE: More information and photographs showing the development of the garden can be seen at the following link: (
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An interview with artist Glen Stoker at AirSpace Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent about The Spode Rose Garden project can be seen at the following YouTube link: (
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The garden was officially opened on 24th September 2016.