It is from our growing social enterprise that we are able to design, prototype and perfect our Portland Pigeons, with the help of local residents.
THE PORTLAND
PIGEON
The social enterprise is one element of our busy programme – and it will eventually run from the workshop space at the old pub building on Portland Street.
We work with community members to create bespoke ceramic products that we sell from our social enterprise. The money we make goes back into the project and the building – supporting a wider programme of developmental, social, creative and educational activities.
The Portland Pigeon is a bespoke ceramic piece, created in collaboration with local residents of Portland Street, Stoke-On-Trent. Like many of our projects, it started when we noticed something that needed doing. Our building had a hole in the roof – we needed a ridge tile to fix the hole – and we thought about making it a decorative one – adorned with a pigeon!
Homing pigeons are our inspiration. They travel long distances, through treacherous weather conditions to come home. Stoke-On-Trent is home to a lot of pigeon fanciers and racers – so it seems fitting that this working pigeon be The Portland Inn Project mascot.
We have created two type of ceramic pigeon products. A round pigeon (sculpture) and a ridged pigeon (ridge pidge) which can fit neatly on your existing roof ridge tile.
These images show prototypes for the pigeon and the final pigeon products, created with residents as part of the development of the product.
How are they made?
Our Portland Pigeons are handcrafted in Stoke-On-Trent, by members of our weekly Pigeon Club, led by Team Member and ceramic artist, Alice Thatcher.
Our birds are press moulded, hand fettled and feathered with traditional sgrafitto mark-making using bespoke coloured slips created in collaboration with artist Sarah Fraser. Members of our Pigeon Club are local residents who have developed so many ceramic related skills as part of the process, guided by Alice.
The pigeons are first biscuit fired to 1000C, and then glazed and fired a second time at 1220C. The process means that each Pigeon is unique, and hand crafted at each stage of the making process. Even our packaging is hand screen printed, and the artwork created in collaboration with our young members! Our pigeons are available on our online shop, where up to twice a year we have an online ‘pigeon drop’. We have also been taking our social enterprise products to
Ceramic fairs, pop up shops and some of our wares are available in the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery shop. Please keep an eye on our Instagram for updates on where we will next be coming with our pigeons!
Selling these pigeons helps us raise funds that can go towards the renovation of the building. You can purchase by going to our shop!