Businessman buys former Wedgwood estate

An entrepreneur has announced he has bought a Grade I listed Georgian house, once owned by pottery firm Wedgwood.

Mo Chaudry and his wife Ann have taken on Barlaston Hall in Staffordshire, near Stoke-on-Trent, for an undisclosed fee.

The hall, set in nine acres (3.6 hectares) of land, also has a former church within its grounds and was put on the market by its previous owners for £3.5m in 2024.

Chaudry said he intended to make it his family home and pledged to restore it to its former glory - including establishing a Georgian-style garden.

Barlaston Hall was built between 1756 and 1758 for a local lawyer and was designed by architect Sir Robert Taylor.

In 1937 it was bought by Wedgwood and was used by the firm for administration.

During World War Two it was used by the War Office and Army units.

From 1945, it became the Wedgwood Memorial College, a residential adult college but by the 1960s the building was suffering from mining subsidence and fell into disrepair.

In 1981 it was sold for £1 to SAVE Britain's Heritage, having previously been threatened with demolition.

Several years of restoration were carried out before it was sold on by the group with interior repairs continuing.

"We had no plans to move and were in the process of upgrading our current home, but the opportunity arose when a buyer for the Hall failed to proceed and the opportunity only knocks once," Chaudry said.

"I am absolutely thrilled to be able to call Barlaston Hall our family home – it feels like everything has come full circle.

"To own such an incredible piece of Staffordshire history, which has deep ties to Wedgwood, is genuinely special.

"It's especially poignant because my former business, Waterworld, was also on Wedgwood land."

Chaudry sold the waterpark to the Looping Group last year.

As well as being his family home, he said he planned to open the grounds to the public and hold charity events there.

He said he also wanted to see the former church hired out for events and workshops.

Existing wedding bookings would also be honoured, he said.

Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.