This site was created to recognise the remarkable achievements of Gladstone Working Pottery Museum following the rescue of the original derelict factory from the bulldozer in March 1971 and the museum's opening by The Duke of Gloucester on 24th April 1975.
This is an independent and amateur site with no association with the official Gladstone Pottery Museum website, here>
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| This site was archived for preservation by the British Library The UK Web Archive is a consortium of the six UK legal deposit libraries which aims to collect all UK websites at least once each year |
Contact? terry.wool@proton.me
Why Blogspot Blogger?
Why have I used Blogspot and not created a full-blown dot-com website?
Well, first off, Blogspot is free and does the job well. Furthermore, it will still be here after I've popped my clogs! ;)
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| Gladstone Logo from the 1975 Souvenir Booklet |
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| Gladstone Pottery Museum Story - an iconic photo Kevin Millward in the cobbled yard |
This museum is unique. It was founded by Potteries people with a vision. Through thick and thin it has grown to be a museum of international importance. At the time of its foundation it was a new concept in the way a museum should operate - a living and working museum. It was the second one of its kind, after Ironbridge Gorge Museum.
From the start, volunteers have been an essential and integral part of the operation of Gladstone and that's how I got involved, fresh out of college, in the 1973.
From the start, volunteers have been an essential and integral part of the operation of Gladstone and that's how I got involved, fresh out of college, in the 1973.
- It's where I met my wife, Pam Bott, another volunteer who became one of the Museum's first curators. She wrote the original 'Bottle Ovens' leaflet. more>
- It's where my mother Millie Woolliscroft worked as a volunteer free hand paintress demonstrator.
- It's where my sister Kathy Niblett created the Sampy Exhibition in 1976. more>
- It's where my brother-in-law, Paul Niblett, has worked tirelessly as a volunteer since 1971. more>
- It's where my sister-in-law. Val Bott, now an independent museum consultant, advised on displays in the early days of the museum, especially in relation to tiles. more>
- It's a potty family!
Blog Author
Terence Woolliscroft. My other sites and contact details https://linktr.ee/TerryWoolliscroftFollow @bottleovens
Stoke-on-Trent born Terry Woolliscroft has enjoyed his entire career in the ceramics industry. At the age of 16, he joined Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Ltd. The company sponsored his attendance at the North Staffordshire Polytechnic where he gained an Honours Degree in Ceramic Technology.
In 1975/6 he was a member of the team which surveyed the remaining bottle ovens in the Potteries. In 1978 he was a member of the organising committee of The Last Bottle Oven Firing in Stoke-on-Trent. It was at this event that he met Alfred Clough, the 'fireman' responsible for this, the final firing.
Latterly he has been employed in the sanitaryware industry working for Twyfords, Roca, Lecico, Laufen, The Bathroom Manufacturers Association, The John Lewis Partnership and B&Q. The last decade or so has seen him travelling the world passing on his knowledge of the industry in special training seminars.
In his spare time he has created online sites containing specialist local information - The Potbank Dictionary, The Potteries Bottle Oven, The Last Bottle Oven Firing 1978, The Gladstone Pottery Museum Story, and the History of Twyford Bathrooms. These have been archived by The British Library.
Stoke-on-Trent born Terry Woolliscroft has enjoyed his entire career in the ceramics industry. At the age of 16, he joined Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Ltd. The company sponsored his attendance at the North Staffordshire Polytechnic where he gained an Honours Degree in Ceramic Technology.
In 1975/6 he was a member of the team which surveyed the remaining bottle ovens in the Potteries. In 1978 he was a member of the organising committee of The Last Bottle Oven Firing in Stoke-on-Trent. It was at this event that he met Alfred Clough, the 'fireman' responsible for this, the final firing.
Latterly he has been employed in the sanitaryware industry working for Twyfords, Roca, Lecico, Laufen, The Bathroom Manufacturers Association, The John Lewis Partnership and B&Q. The last decade or so has seen him travelling the world passing on his knowledge of the industry in special training seminars.
In his spare time he has created online sites containing specialist local information - The Potbank Dictionary, The Potteries Bottle Oven, The Last Bottle Oven Firing 1978, The Gladstone Pottery Museum Story, and the History of Twyford Bathrooms. These have been archived by The British Library.
Acknowledgements
Thanks go to these people who have contributed information, images and movies which have been uploaded to the blog:- Brian Colclough
- Ray Johnson
- David Malkin
- Kathy Niblett
- Paul Niblett
- Phil Rowley
- Pam Woolliscroft
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