Potty about pottery?
The production of Staffordshire pottery used to centre around the six
separate towns of Burselm, Fenton, Hanley, Longton, Stoke and
Tunstall. The six have now combined into one and are known as
Stoke-on-Trent . Meanwhile the industry is a shadow of the pottery
powerhouse that had grown up back in the 1700s. Staffordshire’s
abundance of clay and the availability of lead, salt and coal had made
it the perfect place for the production of pottery for several
centuries. The area once supported hundreds of manufacturers and has
been the home of such great names as Aynsley, Doulton, Minton , Spode ,
Twyford and Wedgwood.
The skyline would have once been dominated by more than 4,000 bottle
kilns that once stood during the heyday of the Potteries. You can
still see the unique profile of bottle kilns at places like Gladstone
Pottery Museum . Now home to the only complete Victorian pottery
factory still in existence, Gladstone's famous bottle ovens are a
legacy of Stoke-on-Trent's industrial past. At the museum you can
learn how the kilns were prepared for firing and see the skills needed
to ensure the ware was in perfect condition when it emerged from the
heat. The Doctor’s House at the museum is preserved to tell the tale
of the hazards faced by those working with pottery and coal. In the
waiting room today you can learn about diseases such as potters’ rot
before exploring the doctor’s consulting rooms and private kitchen.
The museum boasts some amazing collections, including one titled:
Flushed With Pride. This is a remarkable gallery dedicated to the
history of the toilet. The display includes a magnificent collection
of decorative Victorian toilets as well as a 1970s avocado bathroom
suite. There’s even an area designed to give you an idea of the
sights, sounds and smells of a Victorian slum. The museum is open
every day from 10am to 5pm, except over the christmas period. The
attraction appeals to both children and adults alike and bills itself
as the place to start any visit to Stoke-on-Trent’s pottery history.
There’s a busy calendar of organised activities for kids there,
including half term spooky pottery painting days and skull hunts
around the museum. Adults aren’t neglected, with the likes of haunted
tours and Christmas lunches on the menu! Groups are well catered for
with organised tours and even workshops in subjects such as bone china
flower making and art deco pottery painting. The Gladstone Tea Room
serves a range of refreshments and even offers a pre-booking service
so you can avoid queuing for your food.
Gladstone Pottery Museum is on the A50 trunk road just to south-west
of Stoke-on-Trent’s town centre. An ideal place to stay overnight when
visiting the museum would be the George Hotel in Burslem, in the
centre of Stoke-on-Trent. The George has a wealth of history behind it
and a restaurant is on hand there to relax in after a busy day. In
nearby Basford, Haydon House Hotel is an independent family run hotel
that offers three star accommodation. Complete with an award-winning
AA Rosette Restaurant, Haydon House is another ideal base for a short
tour of Staffordshire .
Finding places to explore and learn more about the rich history of
Staffordshire Pottery isn’t going to be the difficult part of planning
your trip, it’s deciding which to choose that is the tough part.
Staffordshire is rich with attractions for the pottery lover and those
interested in antiques and Victorian history, but venues such as the
Potteries Museum and Art Gallery still manage to stand out. At the
Potteries Museum you’ll find what is billed as the world’s greatest
collection of Staffordshire ceramics. Perhaps not what you’d expect to
find next to all that pottery is the museum’s display of a fabulous
Castle Bromwich -built Spitfire. The World War II fighter isn’t the
only non-pottery treasure at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery
though. The museum is also home to the world famous Staffordshire
Hoard, the largest ever find of Anglo-Saxon gold that was valued at
over £3million. The museum is of course complete with a place to relax
and refresh, the café Museum, as well as a foyer shop for picking up
some mementos.
A visit to the potteries wouldn’t be complete without taking in the
Wedgwood Museum , the home of one of the most interesting ceramic
collections in the world. The museum’s galleries tell the story of
Josiah Wedgwood , his family, and the company he founded two-and-a-half
centuries ago. The museum is home to the Wedgwood Museum Trust
collections. These are unique in that they include not just ceramics
but a huge range of manuscripts, documentation, correspondence,
factory equipment, trials and original models. This is all in addition
to the collection of fine art and, of course, ceramics. The museum
claims that no other collection has the diversity and depth possessed
by their collections. The Wedgwood Museum works hard to operate a full
learning program including museum visits, education workshops, museum
loan kits, assembly talks, teacher previews, downloadable resources
and activities and archive and research facilities.
Aynsley China is one of the best-known names in the Staffordshire
Potteries, with a history reaching back to 1775. You can take a tour
around the factory and witness one of the last bone china factories in
England still working. Aynsley has supplied specially commissioned
tableware to Royalty, governments and companies all over the world and
the factory in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent should be on your list of
places to visit during your short break in Staffordshire’s Potteries .
If access to the internet back at your hotel is high on your
priorities then the North Stafford Hotel on Station Road in
Stoke-on-Trent is worth considering as a place to stay. It offers free
Wi-Fi in the public lounge as well as on-site parking. The hotel
features Jacobean-style architecture and well-equipped en suite rooms.
If you prefer to play it safe and go for a well known hotel chain then
check in at the comfortable and informal Express by Holiday Inn on Sir
Stanley Mathews Way. It offers modern facilities in a convenient
location and there’s satellite TV in all rooms.
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