2026 England Tour

SAVE THE DATES: Transferware Collectors Club A Tour to England including the Newark Antiques Fair accompanied by Patricia Halfpenny

Please join us on a ceramic study tour to England where we will visit both public and private collections. This one-week tour will introduce you to some of the most significant collections of earthenware found in and around London and Staffordshire — including special access at private homes and museums that is not possible on your own. We will be accompanied by Patricia Halfpenny, born in Staffordshire, a former curator of ceramics at The Potteries Museum in Stoke for 28 years. Pat then served as Curator of Ceramics & Glass, at Winterthur Museum, retiring with honors as Curator Emerita in 2009. Her invaluable contacts will allow us to draw on the expertise of knowledgeable authorities and collectors who have generously offered to make the best collections available.

Highlights

• Factory tours at Middleport (the oldest working pottery in Staffordshire) and Duchess China 1888 (maker of fine bone china for more than 135 years)
• Handling sessions at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Keele Hall’s Mason Raven Collection, Spode Museum, and the V&A East Storehouse  Treasure- and bargain-hunting at the Newark International Antiques & Collectors Fair, as well as shopping opportunities at factory and museum shops
• Evening lectures by Patricia Halfpenny and Dr. Richard Halliday, as well as a ‘Transferware Quiz Night’ for all to enjoy
• Demonstrations by master craftsmen of transfer printing at Spode Museum and hand painting at Duchess China 1888
• Access to two private collections not available to the public
• Visit to the V&A East Storehouse, which opened on 31st May 2025, and houses over 250,000 artifacts, 350,000 books, and 1,000 archives in a four-level complex with 16,000 square meters of floor space

To register, click GO TO ENGLAND to download the full Itinerary and to register and secure your place with a $1,000 per person deposit.