Removal work on the bronze statue of Josiah Wedgwood that stands outside Stoke-on-Trent station will start on 1 July.
This will coincide with the 6-week closure of Station Road which will begin on 27 June.
Work began on the £9 million revamp of Stoke-on-Trent station and Winton Square on 20 May. A lot of work still needs to be done, including the repositioning of the statue and the renovation of the front of the station.
The Wedgwood statue will be removed from its current location between the station and the North Stafford Hotel and put in a more prominent position directly in front of the station.
The bronze statue will also undergo restoration work during this time. The council hope that it will be in its new position by autumn 2025.
A spokesperson said: “Its new position will work with the design of the station gateway for a sense of arrival and meeting space.”
They continued: “The bronze statue is a symbol of civic pride and its more prominent position will allow people to better appreciate one of the city’s greats and the unique heritage of the city as a global centre of ceramics production.”
Wedgwood was a central figure in the 18th-century Staffordshire pottery industry.
He was famed for his reproduction of the Portland Vase, a Roman cameo glass vase which dates back to the 1st century. In 1790, Wedgwood produced 50 copies of the vase and launched the Wedgwood style.
The statue outside Stoke-on-Trent station depicts Wedgwood holding one of his reproductions.
Experienced writer and journalist James McKean leads the daily editorial output at StaffsLive. To contact him, email news@staffslive.co.uk
