Spode is an English brand of pottery and homewares produced by the company of the same name, which is based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Spode was founded by Josiah Spode (1733–1797) in 1770, and was responsible for perfecting two extremely important techniques that were crucial to the worldwide success of the English pottery industry in the century to follow. In 2008 the Copeland Spode company went through some financial troubles. Later the company was picked up by the Portmeirion group. The famous Spode company was saved from possible extinction.