Sculptor's widow unveils repaired Wedgwood statue

An unveiling ceremony for the restored Capo sculpture was held for invited guests on Sunday

A rebuilt sculpture of world-famous potter Josiah Wedgwood, which was inadvertently demolished two years ago, has been unveiled by the sculptor's widow.

The brick-built head, known as Capo, was installed at Etruria Hall in Stoke-on-Trent and officially revealed during a ceremony on Sunday.

It was reduced to rubble in 2023 during works to regenerate Etruria Valley, sparking the resignation of former deputy council leader Daniel Jellyman who gave the go-ahead for the demolition.

Chloe Chard, widow of sculptor Vincent Woropay who died in 2002, said he would have been been "so delighted, and touched, and relieved," to see his work restored.

The restoration had been done "very well, by people who had great attention to detail and to reviving the sculpture as it was," she said.

She said she came up in February and June to see work progress, and was "rather overwhelmed" to have been consulted on issues such as the plinth the sculpture would sit on and the planting around it.

Lord mayor of Stoke-on-Trent Steve Watkins and Chloe Chard, widow of sculptor Vincent Woropay, unveiled the sculpture on Sunday

She said her late husband created "quite unconventional" sculptures, that were not simply straightforward portraits but in some way honoured the careers of the people they represented.

He opted to use clay to create the bricks for the Josiah Wedgwood sculpture, she said, as a reference to his work in the pottery industry - but that this had not turned out as expected.

"In order to ensure even firing, presumably, some of the bricks came back with circular holes in them which you can see in the sculpture. It wasn't really the look he'd envisaged," Ms Chard said.

She said he thought about filling in the holes but decided to keep the bricks in their fired state.

"This was an intervention in the process that was totally unpredicted but that had its own interest," she said.

The Capo sculpture was inadvertently demolished in 2023 but has now been restored

Catrin Jones, chief curator of the V&A Wedgwood Collection, said Josiah Wedgwood was a pioneer and an innovative businessman who played an important role in the area's history.

"Seeing Wedgwood's legacy being celebrated with his portrait, but also through contemporary sculpture, it's an important thing to celebrate," she said.

Josiah Wedgwood not only lived and built his factory in Etruria, but also named the area of the city - inspired by Etruscan pots - and Ms Jones said it remained strongly associated with him and his company.

Capo was created by artist Vincent Woropay for the 1986 National Garden Festival and was installed at Etruria Hall in 2009.

After it was demolished, the structure was restored by Hanley-based heritage construction firm Alliance Technical Services, using many of the original bricks.