Making East London Porcelain Exhibition

Bow Newham Science Analysis

It is now over 250 years since the earliest dated pieces of Bow porcelain were produced in London. The success of the Bow porcelain factory, which was located in the vicinity of the current site of the QE Olympic Park, reminds us that Newham was a global centre for experimentation and creativity during the middle of the 18th century. As part of our Making London Porcelain Project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), scientists and curators at the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Ashmolean Museum have been researching 15 objects owned by London Borough of Newham. Using scientific analysis, we have been trying to better understand the materials and processes used to create such incredible works of art.

Making East London Porcelain is part of a collaborative science-led heritage project between the V&A Museum and Newham Borough of London, which has been made possible by the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s (AHRC) Capability for Collections Fund. Focusing on the celebrated Bow Porcelain Factory, once located in the vicinity of the QE Olympic Park, this project brings communities together to explore Newham Borough as a place of creativity, experimentation and entrepreneurship in the mid-eighteenth century. Co-curated with sixth-form students from Chobham Academy (Newham) and Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School (Chelsea), the exhibition explores how heritage science and re-making practices can help us better understand the places we live today and inspire us to innovate and experiment tomorrow.

No registration necessary.