Townsville Brewing Co’s Restaurant 1889 hosts Wedgewood Dining Experience

Visitors to the Australian exclusive Wedgewood exhibition in Townsville’s CBD are sticking around to enjoy a specially curated lunch or afternoon tea served with the fine china. See where.

Restaurant 1889's Wedgewood Dining Experience serves diners with fine wedgewood china. Picture: Supplied.

A special dining experience is delighting visitors to Townsville’s city heart who have travelled from far and near to view the world-famous Wedgewood exhibition currently underway.

Launched at the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery in April, Australian exclusive Wedgwood: Artists and Industry exhibition showcases hundreds of rare pieces, highlighting over 200 years of Wedgwood ceramics and design – straight from the UK’s Victoria and Albert Museums.

Before the exhibition commenced, the gallery approached Townsville Brewing Co’s Restaurant 1889 across the road to collaborate on a Wedgewood Dining Experience, which enhanced the visitor experience and ensured a convenient dining option was nearby.

Usually only open for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays, Townsville Brewing Co event manager Alexandra Lindsay said the restaurant was able to curate a menu that was being welcomed by gallery visitors hailing from places like Brisbane and Japan.

Bringing a touch of timeless elegance, the “visually stunning” menu includes a choice of five different lunch dishes, while the afternoon tea offers several high tea themed options, with both washed down with a beverage of your choice.

Townsville City Galleries director Holly Arden is excited to host the landmark Wedgewood: Artists and Industry exhibition. Picture: Evan Morgan

Menu for the Restaurant 1889 Wedgewood Dining Experience. Picture: Supplied.

“The response has been awesome. People are being reintroduced to our food and what we can offer at 1889, and all of the crockery that we (serve with the meals) is fine Wedgwood China,” Ms Lindsay said.

“It’s a great vibe. There were 10 ladies that came in last weekend dressed up in beautiful floral dresses, heels, and hats for the exhibition, and then came over for a very long lunch.

“We’ve also had (retired footballer) Sam Thaiday and his family come through for lunch also, which was really cool.”

Townsville Brewing Co’s Restaurant 1889 has been buzzing with activity since launching the Wedgewood Dining Experience. Picture: Supplied.

Having previously worked with her mother for the flagship Wedgewood store in Sydney, Ms Lindsay was enthused about the exhibition taking place on her doorstep.

“It has a very rich history. People that love Wedgwood have often grown up with it, or their parents had it, and they know that it’s fine, they know it is artwork, and know there’s so much that goes into the creation of it,” she said.

“The city in Townsville hasn’t been activated in this way for quite some time, so midweek and Saturdays, which were usually historically quite quiet for us, we’re getting a lot of people come through for this exhibition, and then to come over to 1889, so it’s a good thing for the city centre.”

Both the exhibition and dining experience will conclude on August 24.

Visit the council’s website for information on the exhibition, and restaurant1889.com.au for the dining experience.

Originally published as Townsville Brewing Co’s Restaurant 1889 hosts Wedgewood Dining Experience