The Comprehensive Guide to Discovering The Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent

Last updated: 30 July 2023

The name Stoke-on-Trent is intimately bound with that of the ceramics industry; this area is generally known as the Staffordshire Potteries, or to those in the know, it’s simply The Potteries. Any visit to this region is incomplete without discovering the Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent, with a rich industrial heritage spanning 300 years, it has respectfully claimed the title of world Capital of Ceramics. 

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Where is Stoke-on-Trent

Stoke-on-Trent is a city in England. Situated less than 50 miles south of Manchester, and almost the same distance north of Birmingham. 170 miles north-west of London, roughly 3 hours by car or less than 2 if you take the train. 

If you want to visit the Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent it is easier to navigate from one factory, museum and outlet to another with the use of a car.  If you’re arriving by train, you can hire a car locally from any of these outlets:

• Avis
• Budget
• Holiday Autos

What’s in a Name?

The name Stoke-on-Trent is a conurbation. An amalgamation of six nearby towns of with Hanley, Tunstall, Fenton, Longton and Burslem to form the county borough of Stoke-on-Trent in 1910. 

Hanley is the main City Centre, with a wide variety of cultural attractions including The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery; Regent Theatre & Victoria Hall; AirSpace Gallery, B-Arts and Mitchell Arts Centre based in the Cultural Quarter.

For the purposes of this post we use Stoke and Stoke-on-Trent interchangeably. 

History of Stoke-on-Trent

The production of pottery in Stoke-on-Trent dates back to at least the 17th century. What may have started as a small-scale cottage-based industry in the mid 17th century, the abundance of natural and necessary resources of clay, water, salt, and lead for glazing; and coal, used to fire the bottle kilns, hundreds of which once dotted the skyline.

Accessibility to these essential ingredients, and the revolutionary changes in manufacturing by Stoke-local Josiah Wedgwood, saw the pottery industry quickly expand to a factory-based industry. This transformation put the Potteries at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution supplying a variety of locally produced earthenware and stoneware to the World under names such as Burleigh, Wedgwood and Spode. 

The Potteries

Pottery and ceramics put Stoke-on-Trent on the map. A city and an industry built around a world-renowned reputation which then developed the region in innovation, science, art, and culture. 

A visit to Stoke-on-Trent is incomplete without learning about bottle kilns, moulds and historic pottery collections that kept this part of England with a booming economy for centuries. Even today, the city remains a must-visit destination for lovers of pottery. 

Stoke has, or has access to, all the necessary ingredients for the perfect recipe for ceramics. A city built on a base of clay, coal from the nearby coal quarries, access to the waterways via canal boats distributing product to other English industrious cities of Hull and Liverpool.  

With so many factories, museums and opportunities to explore the Pottery industry of Stoke-on-Trent, it’s not possible to do it all in a short visit. 

For a weekend in Stoke, visitors can expect to choose from a comprehensive visitor centre and a number of museums, tours of ceramics factories or trying hands-on opportunities including throwing a pot on a potter’s wheel, making it impossible to avoid, or escape, the history and tradition of this time-honoured craft.

And of course, a trip to The Potteries wouldn’t be complete without a visit to one of our many factory shops and outlets which present exclusive pieces at special prices from a huge collection of china on offer.

World of Wedgwood 

You can easily spend an entire day discovering the World of Wedgwood.

Home to the comprehensive Wedgwood Museum which houses a vast collection of ceramics covering more than two centuries, visitors can tour the factory behind this world-renowned brand, and partake in hands-on activities. While all this sounds fantastic, be sure to leave time to shop up a storm in the flagship store and score some end-of-line bargains at the onsite factory outlet. 

Visitors to the World of Wedgwood can freely enter and explore the museum, discover the story behind Josiah Wedgwood and home to one of the finest collections of ceramics in the world, following 260 years of design, innovation and production in the industry. 

For an even better experience, part with £5 and take a guided tour of the museum.  Knowledgeable guides will walk you through all aspects of bone china, iconic Jasperware, production processes of casting, firing, glazing and decoration along with personal stories of the individuals behind the brand. 

Factory Tour

To see and experience first-hand the skills, talent and knowledge that goes into every Wedgwood product and learn about the production processes, then book onto a 45-minute self-guided and guided tours of the factory floor.  However tours are only available on weekdays when the factory is in operation. Weekend visitors can see the factory at a standstill. 

Decorating Studio

The Decorating Studio is an opportunity to create your own piece of Wedgwood. The hands-on experience gives visitors the opportunity to create a treasured keepsake by selecting a piece from a range of plates, mugs, cups and saucers and create your own design.  A great activity for adults and children alike. 

Master Craft Studio 

Here you can throw a pot. No no, you’re not smashing plates in the time-honoured Greek tradition, this term comes from the Old English word, thrawan, which means to twist or turn. 

Our experience was quite literally throwing clay onto a potters wheel, and having our very own Ghost moment shaping the clay. 

Transforming the clay proved tricky but equally fun. With a little care whilst holding and working the clay on a potter’s wheel, and a lot of guidance from our tutor yielded satisfying results. If you’re interested in having your own 30-minute personal pot throwing tutorial, be sure to book. 

After your workshop, your creation is fired, packaged and posted to you. Arriving in your mailbox in about a fortnight. We were delighted to receive ours in the post!

Dine at the Tea Conservatory

Relax and indulge in a wide range of dining experiences, the gorgeous Tea Conservatory is a must visit for those wishing to take a taste of Wedgwood home with them. Dedicated tea sommeliers will be on hand to help you taste from over fifty different tea blends or help you find the perfect gift. 

Brunch and lunch is served in the Tea Conservatory, but afternoon tea is where it’s at. The ornate three-tier tea tray with finger sandwiches on white and malted farmhouse bloomer, with quintessentially British fillings of ham and mustard, salmon, egg and cress, cucumber and roast chicken, apple and sage remoulade. 

Cranberry and plain scones with clotted cream and preserve, and sweet fancies of lime posset, gateaux opera, chickpea pavlova all served on Wedgwood tableware. 

Artisan Market

From February to December, on the second Sunday of every month, 50 stalls full of fine foods from local producers and hand crafted products. While some stall holders do have card payment facilities, be sure to bring cash too. 

Gladstone Pottery Museum

Quite unassuming from the outside, Gladstone Pottery is actually the last complete Victorian Pottery factory from the era when coal-burning ovens made the world’s finest bone china.

Home to four bottle ovens, two biscuit and two glost, which dominated the Stoke-on-Trent skyline in the thousands during the 19th and 20th centuries. Today there’s less than 50 left in the region.

Exploring the Museum is labyrinth of original workshops, some of which showcase how potters would have prepared, made and decorated pottery. From the slip room with a generator, saggar making, to colour gallery covering storing paint and glazes, the entire process is covered end to end. 

saggar  /ˈsaɡə
noun
a ceramic boxlike container used to enclose ceramic ware while it is being fired

Multimedia exhibits bring to life the harshness of this profession, and the likelihood of death or severe injury as a result of the duties. Re-enactments also take place where visitors can meet ‘Toby Jugg’, the costumed storyteller, and listen to him recount tales about what it was really like to work in the  bottle ovens. 

Throughout the maze of workshops, hands-on activities are available with volunteers of Gladstone.  Get your hands dirty and try your hand at pot throwing, pottery painting and decorating and bone china flower making with experts on hand to demonstrate piece-work and timing.

Most, not all, of the activities at Gladstone have a pottery theme. There are hands on workshops to make your own bath bomb or picture frame too. These are drop-in style workshops and are all available for small surcharges. Workshops may vary from day to day so check before visiting if there’s something specific you want to try. 

If you happen to be in Stoke on 29 August, be sure to pop into Gladstone. 29 August is Bottle Oven Day, with a special event to discover more about these impressive structures and how they were fired. The date coincides with 29 August 1978, the day that a traditional Potteries bottle oven was kindled and fired for the very last time.

Galleries – Tiles & Toilets

The tile gallery is one of the best collections of decorative tile in the country. Pop in to discover the history of tiles and how tiles are made and decorated. 

It’s easy to lose hours or spend an entire day at Gladstone. Be sure to save time to discover Flushed With Pride, covering the history of toilets. With one of the best collections of Victorian decorative toilets, there’s even an immersive experience of a Victorian slum with all the sights, sounds and smells for a rather authentic encounter of life in this era. 

 Trust me, you want to lift the lid on this essential component of modern life, and I can assure you it’s WAY more interesting than it sounds.   

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Middleport Pottery

In 2019, the Middleport Pottery factory celebrated 130 years of continuous uninterrupted production of Burleigh Pottery providing local jobs, craftsmanship and keeping expertise of this trade in the region.

However it almost never made it to this milestone anniversary.  In 2011 Middleport Pottery was at serious risk of closure because of the dilapidated state of the Grade II* listed buildings factory buildings.

Only after a lengthy £9 million renovation project, partly funded by United Kingdom Historic Building Preservation and The Princes Regeneration Trusts, Middleport Pottery was reopened to visitors in 2014 and has become a destination of choice for visitors winning eight awards and been the filming location for two seasons of The Great Pottery Throw Down! Talk about a recovery! 

If you visit both Gladstone and Middleport, the first thing one will notice is the layout.  Unlike the haphazard design of Gladstone, Middleport Pottery was a model of linear organisation and scale all designed to streamline production and improve conditions for the workforce. 

With cobblestone passageways wide enough for a cart, finished pottery earmarked for international export was placed loaded straight onto narrowboats and barges on the Trent and Mersey Canal which Middleport backs onto.  

Middleport’s unique visitor centre allows you to step back in time to explore and learn all about the history of pottery.

Take the time to walk around the original Victorian offices, handle a ledger from a century ago, and speak to many of the volunteers who keep Middleport running, bring history to life and answer any questions. Two such volunteers were Glenise Hall and Kath Beeston who just made our visit to Middleport by using the lively art of personal storytelling to bring their firsthand experiences in the Potteries to life. 

On weekdays, it is possible to tour the working factory and discover the process behind Burleigh pottery factory which uses the same handcraft techniques which has changed very little in 130 years. One thing I was sorry to miss was the the highly specialised ’tissue transfer’ decoration method which cannot be seen in production anywhere else! 

If you’re visiting Middleport, try and get to see the mould store.

Home to Europe’s largest collection of ceramic moulds, roughly 15000 moulds dating back to the 19th century and Victorian era. These moulds have financial and historical significant value so much so that John, the head mould maker at Middleport won’t use them! 

The quaint onsite Tea Room is a great place to stop for lunch and rest those weary feet. While it’s easy to be distracted by the ceramic teapots for lampshades, it’s the walls that you want to notice.  Decorated by local artist Joyce Iwaszko, the murals mirror the design of some Burleigh pottery best loved patterns. Cute! 

Don’t skip the Clay College. Operating in one of the buildings within the historic Middleport, Clay College offers skills-based ceramics courses taught by potters who make a living through ceramics, something unique in the UK. There is a small gallery and shop where visitors to Middleport can take home a students work. We snapped up a small handcrafted mortar and pestle which sits proudly in our kitchen and gets plenty of use! 

Events at Middleport Pottery – Past & Present 

British Ceramics Biennial (BCB) is the UK’s premiere contemporary ceramics festival and the single largest ceramics event in the UK. In 2019, it celebrated 10 years with five-week festival of exhibitions, installations and events in the home of British ceramics in the home of ceramics in Stoke-on-Trent. The next British Ceramics Biennial is in September 2023. 

With an ambitious programme, the BCB looks to present new ideas, new works, new forms of expression with clay, and extend our understanding and appreciation of contemporary ceramics.

Visitors to the BCB can expect to see exhibitions, site-specific installations, events and hands on activities at six iconic cultural venues across the city, one of which is Middleport. 

Weeping Window

01 August 2018, Middleport was home to the moving installation Poppies: Weeping Window. 

During the First World War demand for the ceramics goods greatly increased. Tableware for the military, hospitals, and homes; propaganda-ware, including small ceramic tanks and battleships; patriotic plates; and ceramics to mark both the early stages of the war and the Armistice at the end.

Weeping Window contained 888,246 ceramic poppies, one for every British or Colonial life lost in WWI, cascading down an iconic bottle kiln at the factory. Extra significance for this area is that just under half of the handmade ceramic poppies were created here, and the city also provided the clay that the poppies were created from. The installation visited 19 locations around the UK and made a final stop at Stoke-on-Trent before the final presentation at the Imperial War Museum in London.

Emma Bridgewater

If you love Emma Bridgewater pottery a visit to the factory is a must in Stoke-on-Trent. Over the last three decades, Emma Bridgewater has combined a range of beautiful and unique yet practical pottery for your home. 

Known for their quirky collections like Toast and Marmalade and cheery Polka dot design colours with that are a nostalgic nod to 1960s, it specialises in pottery with motifs drawing on techniques stretching back over 200 years.

Producing  1.7 million pieces of pottery each year and employing 230 people, Emma Bridgewater is one of the largest pottery manufacturers based entirely in the UK with most of its products are made in the onsite factory which was opened by the Meakin brothers in 1883. 

Things to do at Emma Bridgewater

It is possible to visit the factory and meet some of the people such as the fettlers, casters and decorators behind this iconic brand.  A minimum of three tours per day are run on weekdays only. Wheelchair accessible and tours are completely free of charge.  

To create your very own piece of Emma Bridgewater, pop into the Decorating Studio where you can select from an array of pottery you’d like to paint with prices starting at £7. Paint and decorate to your heart’s content with all materials provided for a small fee. After you’ve completed your masterpiece it will be glazed, fired and ready in a fortnight. With collection or postage options also available. 

For the ultimate Emma Bridgewater experience opt for an Afternoon Tea Experience Day and experience a behind-the-scenes tour of the Victorian factory, decorate your own unique piece of pottery in the Decorating studio and a relaxing afternoon-tea lunch in the onsite cafe for £40. 

If all of this seems too much, you can pop into the Outlet to snap up a bargain from discontinued items remembering that each piece of pottery is touched by 30 pairs of hands before it reaches a customer and the range has expanded beyond pottery. Designs you’ve come to know and recognise are also now available on glass, tins, picnicware, as well as a collection of candles and home fragrances.

If you want more heritage attractions and Pottery related experiences you can head off to:

Dudson Museum

Situated just a mile from the Dudson Factory Outlet, the Dudson Museum is housed in an atmospheric, original Grade II listed bottle oven. 

Discover the company’s heritage from 1800 until the present day over two floors and learn about the oldest surviving family business in the ceramic tableware industry. 

Ford Green Hall

Discover this Grade II* listed example of a 17th century timber-framed farm house.

Run by local volunteers, visitors to Ford Green Hall can expect an insight into the life of the 1600s with the 17th-century yeoman farmer’s house and the museum brilliantly furnished to include a number of original textiles, ceramics and pieces of furniture, as well as some reproductions.

Love Clay

Family-run clay manufacturer, Valentine Clays, opened Love Clay a Ceramics Centre in the heart of the Potteries to help promote the importance of clay and ceramics in Stoke-on-Trent.

Comprising of a contemporary gallery showcasing the wonderful ceramics that Valentine Clay’s customers produce with a bit of clay. Open to the general public, the aim is to promote the importance of clay and the amazing works that can be created using it.

The onsite workshop facility offers a suite of courses from beginner to professional with special classes for children and boasts special themed nights like Ladies Evening which is all about combining fizz, facial techniques and advice, and an opportunity to throw your very own pot.

Moorcroft Heritage Visitor Centre 

The Moorcroft Heritage Visitor Centre, under the vast shadow of the colossal Moorcroft Grade II Listed Bottle Oven, includes a fascinating tour of the factory built in 1913, and was a forerunner of the safe working environments we have today.

The Moorcroft Museum offers a fascinating glimpse into the design history of this unique Art Pottery, which has been made by hand for collectors around the world. The Museum takes a journey through Art Nouveau, and Art Deco to the designs of today showcasing hand-made processes that have remained unchanged for over 100 years.

Spode Museum Heritage Centre

The Heritage Centre tells the story of Spode and its importance to Stoke over the 230 years of its operation.

Spode is one of the greatest names of the Industrial Revolution. Establishing his own company in 1776 in Stoke and, like friend Josiah Wedgwood, concentrated on the production of fine quality porcelain which he first called Stoke China but shortly afterwards renamed to the name we use today, Bone China.

Be sure to pop into the Blue Room which contains almost certainly the largest and most important collection of Blue and White printed ceramics on public display in the world, including hundreds of blue transfer-printed pieces made at Spode between 1790-1847. 

How to Get to Stoke-on-Trent

Stoke-on-Trent is well connected.  Accessible by car, coach and by train, Stoke-on-Trent is less than 60 miles (96 km) from Liverpool on England’s west coast and 158 miles (254 km) from London.

Drive

If you have your own vehicle, or prefer to hire a car for independent travel. The city can be accessed via the toll free M1 motorway and the journey takes roughly three & a half hours.

Train

Direct trains to Stoke are available via Virgin Trains with the journey taking about two hours from London Euston.  Book your train tickets early to get the best price. 

Coach

National Express Service (540) runs a non-stop service from London Victoria Coach Station direct to Stoke-on-Trent. This is by far the most affordable option with tickets as low as £5.50 one way, the direct journey takes just under five hours. Routes requiring changes can add an hour or more to the journey.

Map of Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent

To design your own trip or for more ideas on Stoke-on-Trent, please visit Visit Stoke.

Final Thoughts

We didn’t know what to expect from a weekend break in Stoke-on-Trent but it surpassed any and all expectations and we will be returning again for another visit soon. We still happily recommend a visit to the Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent to everyone because there is truly something for everyone to enjoy. Let us know how you go when you visit because we definitely want to hear all about it.