Pottering in the Potteries: exploring the museums and ceramics studios of Stoke-on-Trent

The Guardian

02-01-2025

As a lump of damp clay spins frantically on the potter's wheel, I tentatively ease my fingers around it, hoping it will soon resemble a pot. Thankfully, there are two instructors leading the six of us on this hour-long taster session, to offer guidance and, in my case, rescue a collapsing pile of clay. I glance at the others' creations – elegant vases and bowls – and then at mine, which looks more like a volcano. Still, I'm impressed with myself for creating something resembling pottery, and it's been fun to get stuck in.
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I've wanted to try throwing a pot since moving to Stoke-on-Trent 14 years ago, and here at World of Wedgwood, I've finally given it a go (taster session £32.50). Channel Four's The Great Pottery Throw Down is filmed at Gladstone Pottery Museum in Longton, one of the six towns that make up Stoke-on-Trent. World famous for its ceramics, Stoke was awarded World Craft City status last July, and 2025 brings a year of events to celebrate 100 years since it became a city. As an honorary Stokie, it seems like the perfect time to discover more of my adopted hometown.
World of Wedgwood is one of the city's leading attractions, and still produces Wedgwood ceramics. I join a guided tour of their V&A Wedgwood Collection, where our guide, Julia, talks through some of the key items of the 3,000 on display. 'Born into a family of potters, he was a local lad,' she says of Josiah Wedgwood, who set up the Etruria Works in the city, revolutionising how factories created products on a mass scale. Naturally, there are lots of ceramics on display, such as the distinctive neoclassical designs in blue jasperware and the First Day Vase that Wedgwood himself made.
There's a local joke that you can tell someone's from Stoke if they lift up crockery to check the stamp on the base to see where it was made. 'Yep, it's a Wedgwood,' says my husband as he checks his plate after we've finished our gnocchi in the Lunar restaurant. A large moon hangs in the centre of the elegant room – Wedgwood was part of the Enlightenment group known as the Birmingham-based Lunar Society.
Emma Bridgewater is a contemporary example of Stoke ceramics, with the brand making pottery since the 1980s. In the busy public decorating studio, I choose a half-pint mug to paint. Over 90 minutes, I delicately paint a floral design, and by the end I'm mostly happy with my creation. Afternoon tea in the cosy cafe (light sandwiches and scones slathered in cream) is a nice way to unwind afterwards.
Factory tours are a staple Stoke attraction. Middleport Pottery is home to Burleigh Pottery and offers guided tours of the factory that's been in continual use since 1889. It's fascinating to watch potters still using processes from more than 100 years ago, my guide explaining each step. I'm amazed at the underglaze tissue printing, where ink designs on tissue paper are transferred directly onto pottery by hand. This is the only place still using this technique, and I'm transfixed as I watch a room of people at work.
After a hearty plate of Staffordshire oatcakes (like crepes, but made with oats and served with savoury fillings) in the Packing House Cafe, I join a heritage trail of Middleport Pottery. Best of all is getting to step inside an old bottle oven. Used to fire pottery, there were once thousands of these towering structures punctuating the city's skyline. Today, about 47 remain.
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The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Hanley is where I take friends visiting the area – the ceramics gallery brilliantly explores the history of pottery, while other collections include fine art and local history. It's in my favourite part of the city centre, with the pedestrianised Piccadilly lined with places to eat and drink (Bottlecraft is highly recommended), and independent shops such as Drop City Books that bring a sense of community to the area.
This year is set to be full of events to celebrate the city's centenary. Feasted Chef's Table will launch its centenary menu in February, with dishes drawing on the heritage of Stoke's six towns. Led by local chef Cris Cohen, Chef's Table sees 12 people dine together in a repurposed room in the Spode Works – a Victorian pot bank that's now host to dozens of creatives. The popular Trentham Gardens – my go-to place for an afternoon stroll – has announced a special music festival in May. The first weekend in June will see a Celebration Weekend throughout the city, and in September the British Ceramics Biennial will hold its next festival celebrating contemporary ceramics. I'm excited to see how Stoke-on-Trent marks this milestone, and what the next 100 years will bring for the place I call home.
The new series of The Great Pottery Throwdown starts on 5 January at 7.45pm on Channel 4. Gladstone Pottery Museum will reopen to the public on 2 January as part of Stoke-on-Trent's centenary celebrations. Activities organised with support from Stoke100. For more information, see visitstoke.co.uk