Portmeirion Pottery Chelsea porcelain factory's "botanical" designs of the 1750s. It was launched in 1972 and, with new designs added periodically, is still made today, the most successful ceramics series of botanical subjects. More recent designs have included Sophie Conran's "Crazy Daisy" and "Dawn Chorus". On 23 April 2009, Portmeirion Potteries Ltd purchased the Royal Worcester and Spode brands, after they had been placed into administration the previous November. Portmeirion Potteries has since changed its company name to Portmeirion Group to reflect this acquisition. The purchase did not include the manufacturing facilities of Royal Worcester or Spode. The manufacture of much of
The Village (The Prisoner) the "Tales of the Shadowmen" anthology series, Xavier Mauméjean's short story "Be Seeing You!" describes the origin of The Village. It was established in 1912 by Winston Churchill, the original Number 1, to interrogate his enemies, including Sherlock Holmes. In the science fiction TV series "Babylon 5", the culture of the Psi Corps organization pays homage to aspects of "The Prisoner", including a modified salute and use of the phrase "Be seeing you". The Village (The Prisoner) The Village is the fictional setting of the 1960s UK television series "The Prisoner" where the main character, Number Six, is held with