Petit Fours
(5 January 2026)
𧢠City launches its âLiving Heritage Trailâ
Stoke-on-Trent has started the new year in the same way it ended its centenary year as a city - by announcing another visitor experience for 2026, at the same time it reveals its plans for âFUTURE100â. Steel plinths featuring bronze casts of ceramic pieces are now being added to key locations to help guide visitors along the new Living Heritage City Trail, celebrating the cityâs world-famous ceramics history. Designed and developed by Professor Neil Brownsword, the trail and its striking new waymarkers help highlight the cityâs industrial past and cultural landmarks that have often been forgotten. The trail can also be explored using a new digital App. The marker sites include: Church Street, Stoke - the starting point of the trail, near the gates to the former Spode Works site; Cauldon Park, College Road, Shelton - close to the old Cauldon Pottery Works and key industrial transport routes; Lawrence Street, Shelton - near former factory sites and early pottery communities; and the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Hanley - the trailâs end point, celebrating the cityâs world-renowned ceramics collections and design legacy.
𧢠This weekâs âTop Pickâ @WeightmanPR: David Parr House, Cambridge
A little of what to look out for in 2026, at David Parr House, in CambridgeâŚ
David Parr House has had a theme for every year (a different lens, through which the house and its contents are viewed). In 2026, that theme will be Maps, Travels & Journeys. While never ignoring other aspects of the property, the programme of events for 2026 at David Parr House will reflect that theme. David Parr and F.R.Leach both travelled widely in their work, by canal, rail and on foot.
Artist and craftsman Richard Hopkins Leach, father of F.R.Leach, took a pre-wedding trip with his soon-to-be brother-in law. That adventure in 1814 - a walk from Windsor to Cornwall - was written-up and amply illustrated by R.H.Leach in a journal, which still survives to this day. The journal, still in the possession of the Leach family, will be the focal point for an exhibition at David Parr House in 2026.
A new Town Trail of Cambridge, giving visitors to the city a chance to follow in the footsteps of the Leach firm will be published in booklet form in 2026. It will be available from summer onwards, with copies for sale in the David Parr House shop.
A complete programme of events and exhibitions at David Parr House for the year ahead will be available soon.
David Parr House, Cambridge. Image credit: Holly OâBrien.
𧢠Wright on paper
An exhibition exploring the life and work of one of Britainâs best loved artists returns to Derby from 14 March to 17 May. In 2022, Derby Museums made its most significant acquisition in twenty years, with a remarkable self-portrait of Joseph Wright of Derby. Completed around 1772, this was the first and only occasion that Wright depicted himself as an artist. Curiously, it was with the specific trappings of a draughtsman - rather than a painter - that he pictured himself. Inspired by the self-portrait, Joseph Wright of Derby: Life on Paper explores the role of drawing within the story of Wrightâs life through 50 works on paper from Derby Museumsâ collection. Rarely before seen outside Derby, they include early works made in training to remarkable âone-offâ productions, such as his self-portrait in pastel. Studies of the works of the Old Masters, and classical statuary provide a glimpse of his interests and influences. Elsewhere, illustrated letters reveal a collaborative side to his practice, as he sought advice from friends concerning subjects as diverse as chemical experiments and scenes from Shakespeare.
𧢠In the name of LemmyâŚ
Plans to transform the Queenâs Theatre in Burslem into a leading music and arts venue, celebrating MotĂśrhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister, have taken a major step forward. IFK Legacy CIC was set up to create a memorial to Ian Fraser âLemmyâ Kilmister in his hometown of Burslem. The Queenâs Theatre was completed in 1911 and served as a concert venue and theatre for Burslem. Spiralling repair costs forced closure to the public in 1998 and the building has remained vacant ever since. The plans build on the momentum from the unveiling of the Lemmy statue in Burslemâs Market Place in May 2025. The statue - created by Andy Edwards, who also created the world famous Fab Four Beatles statue in Liverpool - has brought visitors from across the globe to the Mother Town. The ambition is to restore the Queenâs Theatre as a music and arts venue serving the community, providing access to music skills development and showcasing new talent while celebrating Burslemâs rock heritage.
