We were invited to visit World of Wedgwood to see what they had to offer. We were guests of World of Wedgwood for this adventure.
When we arrived we were greeted by the very friendly reception staff who explained the activities we would be taking part in. As we had, had a long journey to get there we were directed to the toilets and then told where to go for our first activity which was pot throwing.
This first activity was the one I was looking forward to most as its something that I have always wanted to do but never had the chance. The kids were also very excited. My son initially thought we were going to be throwing pots around but once I explained what pot throwing actually was, he was looking forward to it a lot.
We went upstairs and were each given aprons to wear for the activity. We were able to throw a pot each. The helpful and very patient staff showed us how to work the clay on the wheel. They demonstrated and helped us at every stage of the pot throwing, giving good clear instructions for everyone.
The kids were surprisingly good at the activity and enjoyed the sensory aspect of it. I, on the other hand, took three attempts to make something that resembled a pot. Fortunately the lady helping me was very patient and didn’t mind every time I needed to start again! We really enjoyed pot throwing, it was great fun, we didn’t feel at all rushed and due to the fact you need to book a time slot to do the activity, it wasn’t at all busy.
After we had made our pots we were offered the opportunity to go on a nature trail in the grounds. The children were given maps with words they had to find along the trail and off we set into the woods. It was a nice walk and as it hadn’t rained the path was dry. Using the maps it was easy to navigate. The trail took us about half an hour and when we were finished, the children were each given a small prize for finding the answers.
Our next activity was plate decorating. On the way to the art room we were shown the shop and tea room where it’s possible to take afternoon tea.
Walking through the shop was like walking through an art gallery, the displays were so good and intricate that even the children enjoyed it. The favourite was a giant dragon made of cups and plates!
Once we were in the art room, the plate decorating was explained to us. We were to design our plates on paper and then our designs would be transferred to plates and sent to us at a later date. We had the choice of designing our plates from scratch, using light boxes to trace designs or colouring in pre-drawn designs. Between us we did a mixture of all three.
The more artistic of us were taking a little longer to colour their designs in, so me and my son went to explore a little while they finished up. We discovered the tea tasting station and enjoyed trying all the different teas before we went back to find the others.
After plate designing it was time for lunch and we headed over to the dining room which is housed in the building opposite.
We were greeted and seated quickly. I was desperately in need of a cup of tea by this point and the one that came didn’t disappoint, the pot was huge!
The dining room food was more upmarket than your usual attraction cafe. The restaurant itself was welcoming and family friendly. The large windows gave plenty of light and in the corner of the room was the entrance to the pottery painting studio, a cute room where supervised children could paint pots to take home.
My son chose a chicken and bacon caesar salad. This was a large portion and it was a really fresh and good salad.
My daughter opted for the Fillet of Sea Bass which came with charlotte potatoes, rocket, sun blushed tomatoes, olives and green beans. Again the portion was a good size and the meal freshly prepared.
I decided on the fish finger bap. The fish fingers were homemade cod goujons and the bap was served with a delicious tartar sauce and watercress salad.
We also ordered a cheese and potato pie, which was again home made and served with gravy and vegetables. This meal was gorgeous. Lastly we ordered a children’s meal,which was chicken breast goujons, chips and beans.
Desserts sounded too delicious to pass on so we ordered a selection. I chose the bitter chocolate tart which did not disappoint, it was very rich and gorgeous and I ate far too much of it!
We also ordered the Snugbury’s ice cream sundae and an Afternoon Cream Tea sunday, both of which were huge and well liked. The Afternoon Cream Tea sunday was very creative with a lot of complementing flavours.
The children’s meal came with a desert so we chose the chocolate brownie which came with ice-cream and just happened to be gluten free. It was absolutely delicious. Excuse the bite mark and used spoon in the picture, I didn’t take it quick enough!
The food was all really nice and well presented and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal. We left the restaurant feeling very full indeed.
After lunch we headed back over to the main building where the children were given museum trails to complete as we looked round the Wedgwood museum. There were two different trail sheets to choose from, one was a hunt for letters hidden round the museum to form the name of a dog. The other was harder with questions and puzzles to complete whilst finding the answers in the exhibits. The trails were well made and all the children enjoyed them. Doing the trails also helped focus their attention to some of the designs and made the experience more enjoyable and interesting. When we had finished looking round the museum we handed the completed trail sheets in and the children each received a small prize which, along with the one from the nature trail, made great souvenirs to take home.
There was a small gift shop for souvenirs at the exit of the museum.
We had a really good time at World of Wedgwood and enjoyed it even more than we thought we would. It’s a brilliant attraction with lots of activities to do that appeal to all ages and it is well worth a visit. You can pay extra for each of the activities and can pick and choose what you do on the day, or you can get a ticket that includes them all plus a meal. There is also a factory tour which we didn’t do as the factory is not open to the public at the weekends. You could easily spend a whole day at World of Wedgwood if you did all the activities and stopped to eat.
Taking an autistic child to World of Wedgwood?
The museum was peaceful, we visited on a Saturday and arrived as World of Wedgwood opened when it was quiet. However we stayed until the afternoon and it didn’t ever seem particularly busy or feel crowded.
You book time slots for the pot throwing so there is no need to wait in a queue. The staff helping with the activity are incredibly patient and helpful. They give clear instructions and help when necessary.
Maneuvering the clay proved to be great sensory fun and the kids felt like they had achieved something when they were done. It may be useful to pre-warn your child that they won’t get to take the pot home. It needs to be fired and sent in the post.
The plate decorating was great. For children that may get easily frustrated or find choices hard then I would suggest using one of the pre-drawn designs that they can colour in. Again pre-warning may be needed that the plate will stay there and then arrive in the post at a later date.
The plate decorating studio is through the shop with impressive displays, some of which are extremely expensive and highly breakable.
There is no loud music anywhere and generally it was very peaceful.
Depending on your child’s tolerance to noise it may be an idea to take ear defenders incase they don’t like the noise of the pottery wheels. You shouldn’t need them anywhere else.
The nature trail is a great way to take a break outside.
Staff at World of Wedgwood were cheerful, friendly, and understanding. They provided help when needed.
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