A History of Stoke-on-Trent in 8 Places

In the 18th century, the ceramic industry was essential to industrial Britain’s development.

Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire played a key role in the pottery industry for over 300 years, gaining its affectionate nickname ‘The Potteries’.

The Potteries encompassed the towns of Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton, Stoke, and Tunstall. Together, these towns created the world’s leading centre for ceramics production, with famous names such as Wedgwood, Royal Doulton and Spode centring their work there.

The necessity to transport these fragile ceramic goods across England to ports contributed to the development of the canal network. This fashionable pottery was then shipped across the world, transforming brands like Wedgwood into household names.

This consequently made The Potteries the leading pottery manufacturer in the world, with its iconic bottle ovens defining the area’s skyline.

At the time, hundreds of people in the area were employed in ceramic production, as well as other industries such as iron and coal mining as Staffordshire grew to be one of the country’s leading producers of coal in the 19th century.

Stoke-on-Trent officially became a city in 1925 after incorporating the 6 towns.

Within 100 years, the decline in British manufacturing changed everything for Stoke-on-Trent, and the ceramics industry contracted dramatically. In the 1970s, 200 factories were still operating in the area, while now there are around 30. The steelworks closed in the 1980s, and the last mines and the Michelin tyre factory shut down in the 1990s.

In recent years, the rise of brands like Emma Bridgewater, Burleighware and Stokieware have seen a small resurgence in the local pottery industry in the area.

Discover the history of Stoke-on-Trent through these 8 places.

1. Middleport Pottery, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire

Middleport Pottery was built in 1888 by pottery businessmen Frederick Rathbone Burgess and William Leigh, and it has been producing its world-famous blue and white Burleigh Pottery ever since.

As the pottery was built beside the Trent and Mersey Canal, goods were moved by crane to the packing house, then moved directly onto the barges on the canal, where they were transported to the coast of England, ready to be exported internationally.

The whole factory used a steam engine designed by engineer William Boulton to power the machinery.

Many talented artists and designers have worked for Burleigh over the years, including Harold Bennett, Charles Wilkes and Charlotte Rhead.

In the 2010s, the building underwent a substantial restoration to repair its buildings and preserve its historic significance. The buildings still feature an active pottery, which continues to use the same techniques as it did when it first opened in 1889.

2. Chatterley Whitfield Colliery, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire

The coal seams in the Chatterley Whitfield area may have been worked from the medieval period, but the development of the present colliery site did not begin until the mid-19th century, following the opening of the North Staffordshire Railway’s Biddulph Valley line.

By this time, 23% of all coal mined in England was produced from pits in Staffordshire, making it an essential centre for the mining industry.

Chatterley Whitfield Colliery was the largest pit in Staffordshire. At its peak, it employed over 4,000 men, and the site featured several pits and sunk multiple shafts between the 1870s and 1910s.

It is considered the most comprehensive survival of a deep mine site in England from the industry’s peak production period. In 1937, it became the first colliery to extract over 1 million tonnes of coal in a year.

Production ceased in the 1970s, but it is possible to visit the site thanks to the Friends of Chatterley Whitfield, who have opened a heritage centre.

3. Bethesda Methodist Chapel, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire

Fondly known as ‘The Cathedral of the Potteries’, Bethesda Methodist Chapel is one of the largest nonconformist chapels outside London.

The first Methodist chapel was built on this site in the late 18th century, but it soon became deemed too small for its growing congregation. As a result, the building that stands today was constructed in 1819, with the plans provided by local schoolmaster J H Perkins. There was now seating for around 2,500.

Local architect and congregation member Robert Scrivener then added the fashionable stuccoed Italianate frontage with its Corinthian columns in 1859.

The population of The Potteries increased from around 54,000 to 88,000 between 1831 and 1851. With this, many new nonconformist churches were established in the area to meet this rise.

However, as congregation numbers declined during the 20th century, this impacted the maintenance of the building.

The building closed in 1985 after falling into disrepair, and Historic Chapels Trust took over the ownership in 2002. New owners Re-Form Heritage now have plans to transform the building into a centre for education and events.

4. The Former Wedgwood Institute, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire

Built as a library, art school, and night school in 1869, the Wedgwood Institute’s original plans were prepared by G B Nichols, with the Venetian Gothic design modified by Robert Edgar and John Lockwood Kipling.

Built of brick with terracotta dressings, the building is named after local potter Josiah Wedgwood and was constructed on the site of the former Brick House pottery works that Wedgwood rented in the 1760s.

Wedgwood was a leading figure in the industrialisation of European pottery, constantly inventing and improving ceramic production, creating different lines of products that appealed to all classes.

The building’s foundation stone was laid by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, William Gladstone, and is decorated in ornate sculptures and ceramics, including ones of sculptor John Flaxman, scientist Joseph Priestley, and Wedgwood’s business partner Thomas Bentley.

Art students used it until 1905, while the library was housed here until 2008.

The building is on our Heritage at Risk Register due to its poor condition, and we have provided a grant of £300,000 to the local council for urgent safeguarding works.

5. Trentham Mausoleum, Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire

Trentham Mausoleum is the only Grade I listed building in the whole of Stoke-on-Trent. It was built in 1808 for George Leveson-Gower, the future Duke of Sutherland.

Designed by architect Charles Heathcote Tatham out of ashlar stone in the Neo-Egyptian style, this may have been influenced by Heathcote Tatham’s time travelling in Europe, where Egyptian motifs were becoming popular during the late 18th century.

It can be found directly opposite the entrance to Trentham Gardens, a landscaped park dating back to the 16th century, which was reworked and enlarged by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown in the 18th century.

The mausoleum’s vaulted tunnels were originally designed as the final resting place for the Duke of Sutherland’s family. In 1907, the bodies of a number of the duke’s family members were removed from the catacombs and reburied in another plot in the cemetery.

6. Hanley Park, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire

Opened in 1897, Hanley Park was designed by Thomas H Mawson, who was becoming established as one of England’s leading landscape designers at the time.

Much of the park’s design remains unchanged from how it was in the late Victorian period. The park became an important green space for local industrial workers to exercise and socialise with their families and friends, and it became the centre of many entertainments such as fêtes, horse parades and flower shows.

At around 63 acres in size, the park is registered Grade II* and features many Victorian structures, such as its pavilion and boathouse. The Caldon Canal divides the park into 2, and there are 4 bridges throughout the park to move easily from one side to the other.

7. Stoke-on-Trent Town Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire

The first town hall in Stoke-on-Trent was built on the Market place in the late 18th century.

However, following the area’s significant growth due to the ceramics and coal industries in the early 19th century and the increasing local population, the authorities decided a larger building was needed to meet the area’s demands.

Henry Ward designed the new town hall in the neoclassical style in 1834, and it was extended in 1842 and 1850 to incorporate the police headquarters and justice courts. The ground floor was then remodelled in the 1880s to convert the market into municipal offices, a Mayor’s parlour and a council chamber.

To mark Stoke-on-Trent’s advancement to city status and the town hall’s new position as the county borough’s headquarters, King George V and Queen Mary visited the town hall on 5 June 1925.

The building continued as the centre of local government until 1974, following the formation of the Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

8. Price and Kensington Teapot Works, Longport, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire

This teapot pottery works, which dates mostly from the early 19th century, is sandwiched between the nearby road and canal.

The canal network was fundamental for safely transporting ceramics across England during the Industrial Revolution. Constructing a pottery works beside the canal in Longport was an ideal location to transport these heavy goods.

Used as a factory until 2003, it is now listed on our Heritage at Risk Register.

The Grade II listed pottery works’ warehouse was built in the early 19th century and was recently repaired and restored.

Discover your historic local heritage

Hidden local histories are all around us. Find a place near you on the Local Heritage Hub.

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Further reading

• Stoke-on-Trent Centenary celebrations
• 10 Places with Coal Mining History
• Stoke-on-Trent: Restoring Buildings at Risk
• Burton upon Trent: The Beer Capital of England
• What Does the Staffordshire Hoard Tell Us?

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