1975/6 The first leaflet for the new Season
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| Gladstone Pottery Museum Story - First Leaflet 1975 |
1975 March 15th First Phase opens
Admission prices announced
1975 Opening Season
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| David Rooke and Kevin Millward in the yard 1975 |
Gladstone Working Pottery Museum grew out of an old disused and unloved potbank in Longton, Stoke -on-Trent. On 25 April 2015 the museum celebrates the 40th Anniversary of its Royal Opening. more>
In this movie David Malkin, one of the team of very special people with great foresight who established the museum, talks about his life in the tile industry, how the museum was launched and how the Tile Gallery was created in 2001. The Tile Gallery of 2001 replaced the original gallery of 1975 which used to be in the room above. The movie also shows an interview with David Sekers, the museum's first director.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwB_3U0TBGw
1975 Kevin Millward and David Rooke, potters
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| Gladstone Pottery Museum Story Kevin Millward and David Rooke Photo: Courtesy Staffordshire Magazine Date: October 1975 |
1975 Kevin Millward and Whieldon
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| Gladstone Pottery Museum Story Kevin Millward with Whieldon the Gladstone Cat Photo: Pam Woolliscroft Date: 1975 |
1975 and its just 10 pence to get in!
1975 October 10th - The Gladstone Centre opening
During the late summer of 1975 the restoration work on the top floor of the main building at the museum was completed. The entire floor was to be called The Gladstone Centre "an experimental project within the Pottery Museum sponsored by the Quality of Life Experiment in Stoke-on-Trent"To celebrate the opening of The Centre the Trustees of The Staffordshire Pottery Industry Preservation Trust, who administered the museum at the time, invited many volunteers, staff, and VIPs to a special reception on 10 October 1975.
'Cutting the ribbon' was none other than the late John Noakes of BBC Televison's Blue Peter programme.
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| John Noakes of BBC TV's Blue Peter programme, far left Photo: Brian Colclough Collection Date: 10 October 1975 |
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| Volunteers at the reception marking the opening of The Gladstone Centre Photo: Brian Colclough Collection Date: 10 October 1975 |
1976 / 77 Annual Report
Download pdf here>
1976 Brass Band and Clogs
1976 Souvenir Brochure - The Second Edition
1976 Fund Raising Document
Issued by the Gladstone Pottery Development Trust for Phase 2 and 3 of the Museum1976 Report of the death of Derek Johnson
From Gladstone's Annual report 1976/7'Benefactors as original, generous and far sighted as Derek Johnson are rare. He was, in fact, the man most responsible for the realisation of the Museum, and at the time of his death was a Trustee of both the Preservation Trust and the Development Trust. It was apparent that he wished to see Gladstone succeed and ultimately stand on its own feet. The support of Derek Johnson in the future will be sorely missed, but his incentive will be long remembered.'
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| The late Derek Johnson, Chairman and Managing Director, Johnson Richards Tiles. Photo: Brian and Maureen Colclough Collection Date: 24 April 1975 |
1977 Job Creation Scheme
"The Museum has taken on ten new members of staff under the Government‘s Job Creation Scheme. Some of the people will be with the Museum for a year and others for six months. |
| Gladstone Pottery Museum Story Pam Bott, far right, with her team of curatorial staff on Job Creation Date: 1977 |
Working on specific projects there are three people with the Curatorial Assistant devising and implementing a new cataloguing system for all the Museum's acquisitions sound archives and photographs; four people with the Centre Organiser running the workshop in the Centre and running the pottery classes, and organising teachers gatherings and educational literature; and finally three people with the Financial Assistant working on stock control systems and the mailing lists.
1975/76 Miss Gladstone named!
Linda Clay (married name Stockton) became the first Miss Gladstone in the mid 1970s. She is seen here being pushed in hand cart by Geoff Parry-Thomas, potter, a member of Gladstone staff at the time. |
| Linda Clay - Miss Gladstone 1975 Pushed on the handcart by Geoff Parry-Thomas Photo: courtesy of Linda's relative Brian Milner |
1977 Death of Derek Johnson
An Appreciation by David Malkin“I have spent all my life knocking down bottle ovens to make way for new kilns and other modern technical innovations. Now that we have come to some of the last ovens left in the district I feel that it is right that these should be preserved as a tribute to those who have gone before us and who have made the foundations of the industry as we know it today." Derek Johnson
If it had not been for the generosity of Derek Johnson and his colleagues on the Board of H.& R. Johnson-Richards Tiles Ltd., the Gladstone Museum would never have become a reality. It was they who originally purchased the museum site and paved the way for the formation of the Staffordshire Pottery Industry Preservation Trust. As part of their contribution to the Museum they presented the deeds to the Trust after the fund raising had hit the £100,000 mark. They also presented the unique Ceramic Tile museum and collection to make their total contribution one of the largest received by the Trust. By 1974 the target of £250,000 had been reached and the Museum was a reality.
Throughout this time Derek Johnson played a leading part in in inspiring other manufacturers with his enthusiasm for the project and also helped enormously with the fund raising. He was chairman of the fund raising committee which to date has raised over £350,000 towards the target of £500,000. Derek Johnson was Vice-Chairman of the Staffordshire Pottery Industry Preservation Trust and from its formation was the Chairman of the Gladstone Pottery Development Trust which is the body responsible for funds for the Museum.
Derek Johnson was a man of enormous vision and his tragic death on 3rd September 1977 will leave a gap which will be felt by all those who, like him, had faith in the Gladstone Pottery Museum project from its inception.
1978 The Doctor's House
What would become the Doctor's House after extensive renovation in 2000 |
| Gladstone Pottery Museum What would become the Doctor's House, Chadwick Street Photos : Terry Woolliscroft Date: 1978 |
1978 Uttoxeter Road Museum Frontage
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| Gladstone Pottery Museum Story Frontage, Uttoxeter Road Date: 1978 |
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| Facing Gladstone on the opposite side of the road Uttoxeter Road Photo: source unknown Date: unknown |
1978 Curatorial News
From Pam Woolliscroft, February 1978Sanitaryware Gallery: the new display of WCs is now in place, ten examples of fine Victoria design. After the removal of the banisters, acquiring a fork-lift truck and a driver from friendly neighbours, the removal of the door and a section from each side of the door frame, and the stalwart help of eight members of staff we managed to install the sanitary fireclay bath in the gallery on loan to the Museum from Twyfords Ltd.
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| Gladstone Pottery Museum - The toilet display 1978 |
1978 Special Visitors
David Owen, MP, visits Gladstone with Leslie Sillitoe and David Sekers |
| Gladstone Pottery Museum Story - David Owen MP visits with Leslie Sillitoe and David Sekers |
1979 New Director appointed - Dr Francis Celoria
From Friends of Gladstone Newsletter Jan 1979Dr. Francis Celoria has been appointed Director of the Gladstone Pottery Museum. He succeeds David Sekers who has left to take up a new post at the Quarry Bank Mill, Styal, Cheshire. Well known as a ceramic historian and archaeologist, Dr. Celoria has previously worked in the London Museum, in publishing and as a lecturer in archaeology at Keele University. His special field of study is the history of ceramic technology, a field in which he is considered to be the leading authority. Although a Londoner born and bred, Francis Celoria has worked in North Staffordshire since 1965.
1979 Gladstone and Potteries Pop
Gladstone yard and tunnel used as backdrop to a pop albumDecember 1979
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| Gladstone Pottery Museum Story Potteries Pop - an album from 1979 |
1979 Bottle Ovens - Regular Maintenance
These photos show Bottle Oven No 2 being weeded! The ladder being used is the 50 foot GPO ladder which stills hangs on the wall of the works entrance tunnel. Images courtesy of the Gladstone Pottery Museum Collection.
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| Gladstone Pottery Museum regular bottle oven maintenance - weeding! Photo: from the museum collection Date: 1979 |