Stoke on Trent
Stoke on Trent
The town of Stoke on Trent is really a combination of six other towns into what today we call the potteries but referred to administratively as Stoke on Trent. Towns such as Hanley, Burslem, Tunstall and Fenton, although part retain their own individuality and character.
The town is not the type of place that you send a postcard from but the beauty lies in the museums and the legacy of this the most famous pottery centre in England with a history that goes back 3500 years. Roman and medieval kilns were also operating here as the local marl clay and mineral deposits were used to make the pottery and the glaze. Production was later revolutionized by the addition of dried animal bone that was used to give strength and a translucent quality that made bone china sought after. These days the ingredients are sourced further afield.
The history of the region includes great names like Wedgwood, Spode and Minton, today visitors can visit the Wedgwood museum and its modern production centre, which tells the story of the porcelain empire created by this remarkable man who not only designed and made beautiful pottery but also helped develop canals and opposed slavery. The museum is full of beautiful items including the signature blue and white jasper ware,
The Potteries museum and Art Gallery has an extensive display of ceramics and pottery as well as archaeological finds such as the Staffordshire hoard. Reginald Mitchell the designer of the spitfire fighter plane was born in Stoke and there is a Spitfire on display as well as some fine paintings.
The Gladstone pottery has a complete Victorian pottery complete with giant bottle kilns and documents the terrible conditions endured by the workers who worked in a deadly smog of lead, silica and clay dust daily, no wonder very few lived to a ripe old age.
Memorials to Josiah Wedgwood can be seen outside the station and in the church of St Peter and vincula.
Activities in Stoke on Trent
Family Fun
Monkey Forest - Monkey Forest
Visitor Attraction
The World of Wedgewood - Visitor experience and Museum
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