Gladstone Pottery Museum

The Gladstone Pottery Museum is a working museum of a medium sized pottery, typical of those once common in the North Staffordshire area of England from the time of the industrial revolution in the 18th century to the mid 20th century.It is located in Longton, Staffordshire.It is an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage.

History of Museum

A pottery factory first opened on the site in 1787.The museum first opened in 1974, the buildings having been saved from demolition in 1970 when the pottery closed (some ten years after its bottle ovens were last fired). The museum has shown its commitment to industrial heritage by continuing to be a working pottery, but production has had to be curtailed for financial reasons.

Each year, the museum holds seasonal events - the most popular being the annual Christmas Carol Festival/Concert and the Halloween night. Visitors are lead around the bottle kilns and factory rooms by a guide who relays tales of yesteryear.

Media Interest

Gladstone has seen its share of celebrity interest, from Tony Robinson filming for a BBC documentary 'The Worst Jobs in Britain' and from Alan Titchmarsh. It also has regular visits from the "Blue Peter" crew, and numerous children's TV programmes. In the early 1990s it was featured on "Noel's Houseparty" with a live 'gunging' outside of the bottle kilns.

Gladstone pottery museum was recently featured on Living TV's popular series, "Most Haunted". Renowed to be a site full of paranormal activity, Gladstone has seen a recent surge in amateur and professional paranormal groups/mediums visiting the museum. The current Operations Manager, Ian Watson was featured on the programme.

Celebrations and Events

The Museum holds annual events from Halloween ghosts walks and tours, to Christmas Carol Concerts and seasonal festivals. It also caters for children with Egg Easter Hunts and Summer Pottery workshops. In the last few years, the Museum has opened 'Flushed with Pride' a toilet exhibition featuring a Japanese imported toilet, and toilets dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries.

External links

* [http://www.stoke.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/leisure/museums/gladstone-pottery-museum/ Welcome to Gladstone Pottery Museum]
* [http://www.stoke.gov.uk/ccm/museums/museum/2006/gladstone-pottery-museum/information-sheets/the-history-of-gladstone.en A history of Gladstone]
* [http://www.search.exploringthepotteries.org.uk/engine/theme/default.asp?theme=676 The Gladstone China backstamp]