[42980] Welbeck : Harley Gallery - Made in China

Harley Gallery, Welbeck Estate, Nottinghamshire.

Made in China.

An installation by Claire Twomey.

These 1.5m high ceramics were all made in China, but while 79 of them were decorated at the factory using transfers, one was hand decorated by Royal Crown Derby using 18 carat gold. The latter took longer to complete than the 21 days it took to complete the 79. They were made in Jingdezhen, China's leading porcelain production city. Porcelain goods have been produced here for nearly 2,000 years.

 

The Harley Gallery was constructed within the ruins of the Welbeck Estate gasworks in 1994. The gasworks were originally built c1870 by the 5th Duke of Portland to light his network of underground tunnels and apartments. They finally closed in 1928 when the Estate moved over to electricity, and the building was then used as storage until 1990 when The Harley Gallery project began.

 

Taking inspiration from the industrial history of the original building, local architect Leo Godlewski created a building that reflected its industrial past, captured the grandeur of Welbeck and provided a beautiful backdrop for exhibitions.

 

This is the only space dedicated to showcasing ceramics, furniture and silver from the historic Portland Collection of fine and decorative arts for over 400 years. A new gallery dedicated to the Portland Collection opened in 2016.

 

The Harley Gallery is part of The Harley Foundation, a charitable trust set up in 1977 by Ivy, Duchess of Portland.

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