Stoke-on-Trent

…and look at the bottom. You’ll probably find a maker’s mark with the manufacturers name. If you are holding a piece from the 1700’s- 1950 it was likely made in Stoke on Trent.

At the height of production there were over 2000 bottle ovens that would fire once or twice a week and burn up to 30 tons of coal in each kiln. Millions of ceramics pieces were churned out.

By 1956 the Clean Air Act ended the use of coal fired kilns and today less than 50 remain standing but unused. (You can visit a fully intact Victorian Factory Museum at Gladstone Pottery, pictured left.) After the closure of most of the kilns, Stoke began a slow decline. Where there were once up to 100,000 people employed by ceramics manufacturers, numbers today hover around 10,000.

The artistry, skill, and advancements in technology that came out of a six town area in England are undeniably important to ceramics history, and Stoke-on-Trent is working hard to revitalise and capture the excitement surrounding all that there is to offer for ceramics lovers.

Wedgwood, Emma Bridgewater, Burleigh, Moorcraft, Portmerion, Spode and other big names continue to have production facilities, headquarters, and/or museums in Stoke-on-Trent today.

I feel proud to say I have had a tiny part in the history of this amazing place. The pieces you see on this site have been made by me at facilities in Stoke-on-Trent.