Gladstone Pottery Museum, a history of its first 50 years

Gladstone's History was created to recognise the remarkable achievements of Gladstone Working Pottery Museum following the dramatic rescue of a derelict potbank from the bulldozer in March 1971. The museum was fully opened to the public on 24th April 1975. 


Gladstone Pottery Museum
a pioneer in the development of the 'Working Museum'

Rescued from the bulldozer on 25th March 1971, the Gladstone Works in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, is home to the most important group of bottle ovens remaining in the UK, and is now the 'museum of the pottery industry'.

Gladstone Pottery Museum is a restored potbank from the days when coal-burning bottle ovens were used to fire the world's finest pottery. There are five magnificent, towering ovens in this unique setting. 

If you are visiting Stoke-on-Trent then you must go to Gladstone first and you'll find out what the Potteries is all about.

This is the story of the Working Pottery Museum. Gladstone opened to the public for the first time for its preview 'trial' season on 20th August 1974.  

It was 'officially' opened on 24th April 1975 by HRH The Duke of Gloucester . It was one of the first museums to embrace the 'working' concept, and was a pioneer in UK museums. 





Half a century later, this multi award winning museum is a major visitor attraction and was officially England's Best Visitor Attraction 2020 - the 'Jewel in the Crown' of the Potteries. The entire collection of Gladstone Pottery Museum is a Designated Collection of national importance.


THIRTY FIVE awards in the last decade!

Here's just a few of them ... 

2026  TIME OUT - One of the top 3 best museums in the UK in 2026
2024  ENJOY STAFFORDSHIRE - BRONZE AWARD for Small Visitor Attraction of the Year
2022  Winners - STAFFORDSHIRE TOURISM and GOOD FOOD AWARDS. 3 awards in 3 categories
2021  Finalist - Museums and Heritage Award 2021 - Volunteers of the year - Terry Woolliscroft's Bottle Oven Art Club
2021  Highly Commended - COLLECTIONS TRUST AWARD for Documentation and Digitisation
2020  VISIT ENGLAND - AWARD for EXCELLENCE - GOLD AWARD - ENGLAND's BEST Small Visitor Attraction


  
2019  STAFFORDSHIRE TOURISM and GOOD FOOD AWARDS! - FOUR AWARDS - GOLD for Best Small Visitor  Attraction, SILVER for Experience of the Year for our Raku Workshops, BRONZE for Responsible and Sustainable Tourism and HIGHLY COMMENDED for Accessible and Inclusive Tourism
2019  WEST MIDLANDS VOLUNTEER AWARDS - FINALISTS
2019  STAFFS CHAMBERS BUSINESS AWARDS - WINNER - Retail, Leisure, Culture and Tourism 
2018  ENJOY STAFFORDSHIRE - SILVER AWARD for Inclusive Tourism
2018  ENJOY STAFFORDSHIRE - SILVER AWARD for Best Small Visitor Attraction
2018  STOKE-ON-TRENT CITY COUNCIL Staff Awards – Team Awesome - WINNER
2018  TRIP ADVISOR - HALL OF FAME - venues that receive a Certificate of Excellence for 5 consecutive years

more here> 


Gladstone Pottery Museum and Roslyn Works
in the snow January 2023
Photo courtesy of Phil Crow ABIPP ARPS 


Site created and managed by Terry Woolliscroft  terry.wool@proton.com
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Gladstone Pottery Museum - take a virtual tour

Five magnificent bottle ovens in a Victorian pottery works

Gladstone Works, Longton's complete Victorian potbank, was rescued on 25 March 1971 just as bulldozers were set to move in. It is now an internationally renowned, multi-award winning and unique museum of the Staffordshire Pottery Industry. The entire collection of Gladstone Pottery Museum is a Designated Collection of national importance.

At the site, five magnificent and towering coal-fired bottle ovens still stand. Each can be explored, as can the cobbled potbank yard, the steam engine and sliphouse, the saggar making shop and the potters shops with live demonstrations. The galleries of sanitaryware, tiles and pottery colour give an insight into the complex and fascinating industry of the Potteries.

You can rest up in the tea shop for a break before you finish your visit exploring the souvenir shop packed with goodies. If you're planning a visit to the Potteries then you should go to Gladstone Pottery Museum before you do anything else.

This blog was created to recognise the remarkable achievements of Gladstone Working Pottery Museum during the 40+ years since it was opened officially by The Duke of Gloucester on 24th April 1975. The jewel in the Potteries crown.

The beginnings of Gladstone Pottery Museum

1964  The germ of an idea 

In October 1964 Reginald G Haggar, the local water colour artist and art historian, wrote to the Pottery Gazette and Glass Trade Review with his visionary thoughts about preserving a potbank for the benefit of future generations.

The editor of the magazine wrote  "In our news pages, Mr. Reginald Haggar, well-known author and artist, makes an impassioned plea for preservation of the historical Potteries in the form of bottle ovens (“beautiful”) and even a whole factory as a complete industrial museum. Those of us who love the area with all its character and idiosyncrasies would back his plea, and hope that something can be done to preserve the old, whilst acknowledging the benefit of modern methods in present-day production of the Six Towns.’

Here>   is Mr. Haggar's letter in full.  
The germ of an idea and the beginnings of Gladstone Pottery Museum.

What there is to see here>

The Saggar Makers Bottom Knocker

There is a certain fascination about that old potteries tradesman - The Saggar Makers Bottom Knocker.

What on earth did he do?!

Gladstone Pottery Museum, in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent is the only place in the world where you can learn about the saggar maker, his frame filler and his saggar makers bottom knocker.

It is here, tucked away in a corner of this remarkable multi-award winning museum that you can walk right into the saggar making shop and see where the craft of saggar making took place.

Gladstone Pottery Museum Story - saggar making shop
photo: Phil Rowley  date: 2015

It's a small workshop, packed with the tools of the saggar maker and his bottom knocker. An introductory video and well written descriptive posters describe why a typical Stoke potbank would employ such a team of dedicated craftsmen.

The craft of saggar making and of the Saggar Makers Bottom Knocker have long since gone except when occasionally, very occasionally, the traditional skills are revived by one man, Kevin Millward, who was taught how to do it.

Here is a great movie "MAU'ING THE SAGGAR". A film by Gerald Mee 1981 showing the process of saggar making by the late Ralph Wheeldon - one of the four last saggar makers at that time working at the Gladstone Pottery.



Read these interesting news articles about saggar making at Gladstone Pottery Museum here>

The opening of the Flushed with Pride Gallery, March 2002

Opening speech made by Terry Woolliscroft, representing the main sponsors Twyford Bathrooms, Armitage Shanks and Thomas Crapper.


"Thank you, Mr Bill Austin - my Lord Mayor.  Well, what a fantastic day this is! There were times, some years ago when we were in the planning stages, when we thought today might never happen. But here we are! It is happening. Excellent!

And thank you also, Hamish Wood, the Museum Manager, for asking me to say a few words.

And what better place to say them than here on the balcony just outside the new Sanitaryware Gallery ‘Flushed with Pride.’

Gladstone Pottery Museum Story - March 2002
Terry Woolliscroft represents the Sanitaryware Industry during the opening speeches

I'm here to represent the sanitaryware industry. There are two main players in sanitaryware production in the UK - that's Twyford Bathrooms and Armitage Shanks - there is also a smaller company called the Thomas Crapper Company, and these three companies have been major sponsors in the development of the new toilet galleries.

Did you know that together they've contributed almost £100,000 in artifacts, cash and sheer hard work. And I can safely say, on behalf of the industry, we're delighted to see the results here today.

Twyford Bathrooms was one of the very first industrial sponsors of Gladstone Pottery Museum when it opened way back in April 1975. In those early days the original sanitaryware gallery consisted almost entirely of the Twyford's Collection.

25 years ago that original sanitaryware gallery was put together for about £200 - a touch less than the £21.5 million affair we see today! And rather than the army of people that has worked on today's galleries, the original was assembled and curated almost single handedly by a very big friend of mine. She laid the foundations for the galleries and for today's event. Where is she? My big friend - the wife! Pam.

Gladstone Pottery Museum Story
Original Toilet Display  1980 Curated by Pam Woolliscroft

The new galleries really are really worth every penny, though, aren't they? Excellently designed and displayed it’s great to see how the sanitaryware industry has grown. How sanitation originated from its humble beginnings.  And it wasn’t so long ago was it? Just 120 years, its nothing in the history of mankind!



And we know we can put down the development of sanitation to just a few Victorian men. Here in Staffordshire, Thomas Twyford was one of them. A local chap, Potteries born and bred! And we can be proud of him.

His factory is still a major producer and employer in the Potteries. Around 3 million pieces of pottery go from our local factory every year. You know, I really do think it’s about time we created a statue of him in the City!

So today we open the excellent new sanitaryware gallery and congratulations to the Gladstone team for putting it all together.

It remains for me to say that it really has been a delight working with the team. The industry has cooperated like never before and I must thank Sam Woodberry of Armitage Shanks and Simon Kirby of the Thomas Crapper Company. It’s been a pleasure working with them. And many thanks go to Hamish Wood, and Angela Lee and the team here at Gladstone, and to Munroe Blair the local sanitaryware historian who did the "sense" checking.

And of course we shouldn't forget our Australian friend, Kellene Paull, who did much of the ground work for the displays.

So here we are the great day did arrive and we've now got the Official Civic Opening we longed for and we really can be Flushed with Pride!   Thank you."

Beginnings

1964  Gladstone and a germ of an idea 

In October 1964 Reginald G. Haggar wrote to the Pottery Gazette and Glass Trade Review with his visionary thoughts about preserving a potbank for the benefit of future generations.

The editor of the magazine wrote  "In our news pages, Mr. Reginald Haggar, well-known author and artist, makes an impassioned plea for preservation of the historical Potteries in the form of bottle ovens (“beautiful”) and even a whole factory as a complete industrial museum. Those of us who love the area with all its character and idiosyncrasies would back his plea, and hope that something can be done to preserve the old, whilst acknowledging the benefit of modern methods in present-day production of the Six Towns.’

Here is Mr. Haggar's letter in full. 
 
The germ of an idea and the beginnings of Gladstone Pottery Museum.

Gladstone hosts the Fifth Longton Beer Festival

The multi-award winning Gladstone Pottery Museum, which is now recognised as among the top three visitor attractions in England, played host to the 5th Annual Longton Beer Festival

The beer festival took place in the unique setting of the yard of Gladstone Pottery Museum on the evenings of Thursday 2nd, Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th July 2015. Admission to the event cost £5 and this included a souvenir beer tankard.

The following groups played:
Thursday 2nd Greg Murray and the seven wonders
Friday 3rd       Moitessier
Saturday 4th        The Maxxx
Stoke Soul Club provided DJ support on all three evenings

The event sold out on the Friday and Saturday evenings.  Another stunning success for the museum, its staff and volunteers



Gladstone Pottery Museum - Longton Beer Festival 1st Night - 2nd July 2015
photos: Phil Rowley

Gladstone Pottery Museum - Longton Beer Festival 3rd night - 4th July 2015
photos: Pam Woolliscroft
Gladstone Pottery Museum - Longton Beer Festival 3rd night - 4th July 2015
photos: Pam Woolliscroft



Gladstone on Prime Time BBC TV

Six celebrities travelled back in time to the relentless graft of Victorian Britain when they spent 24 hours amidst the bottle ovens of Gladstone Pottery Museum in the BBC TV programme "24 Hours in the Past."

Alistair McGowan, Ann Widdecombe, Miquita Oliver, Zoe Lucker, Tyger Drew-Honey and Colin Jackson had ovens to keep alight, clay to prep and pots to make in the show which was broadcast on 12 May 2015.

 The show boosted visitor numbers at the museum.






Have Your Say about the future of Gladstone Pottery Museum

ONE OF THE TOP THREE VISITOR ATTRACTIONS IN ENGLAND - NOW UNDER THREAT?

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has decided to make savings by moving its Sport & Leisure Services and its Museums & Culture Services out to a Community Interest Company (CIC) or a Charitable Trust, either separately or together.

Obviously, Sport & Leisure Services are very different from Museums.  Each have very different audiences, needs and aims. Unlike Sport & Leisure, Museums have their emphasis on education, families, serving the local communities and heritage tourism.


Many would like the Museums & Culture Service to stay with the City Council. But if the City is determined to move it off their books then those in the know prefer the Charitable Trust option.

The Friends of the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery (which includes Gladstone Pottery Museum) are 'wholly unconvinced' that the CIC is the right vehicle for Stoke's Museums.  The Friends Council would prefer to see the establishment of a Charitable Trust because of the significant benefits which the option offers in terms of access to gift aid and philanthropic giving.

MORE INFORMATION?

  • You can find out more in this link, and if you agree, then you might like to sign the petition.  
  • You can also have your say directly with the Stoke City Council here>
  • If you are Twitter fan you may wish to use the hashtag #trust4Gladstone

Consultations finish on 31 May 2015

One of the TOP THREE visitor attractions in England!

Gladstone Pottery Museum has been officially named one of the best places to visit in England.

The  Museum picked up a bronze award for ‘Small Visitor Attraction of the Year’ in the 2015 Visit England Awards for Excellence.



At an awards ceremony in Gateshead on 11 May 2015 Angela Lee (Museum Manager) and Nerys Williams (Audience Development Officer) received the Bronze Award.   The VisitEngland Awards for Excellence are the most prestigious awards in English tourism.

THREE YEARS = THREE AWARDS  
Gladstone Pottery Museum picked up a gold award for ‘Small Visitor Attraction of the Year’ in 2013 and again a year later in 2014, in the Enjoy Staffordshire Tourism Awards.

So now its official:  Gladstone Pottery Museum is one of the top three small visitor attractions in England. Still winning accolades and awards after 40 years!



http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Museum-pots/story-26497718-detail/story.html 

There’s a man in reception with a pot!

The story behind a picture in the 1986 Museum Brochure.
From Pam Woolliscroft (nee Bott)


One day, working at Gladstone Pottery Museum as a young curator in the late 1970s, I received an internal phone call from my boss, David Sekers, the Museum Director.

Originally, the museum was not going to establish a collection of ceramic objects - the preserved buildings and the demonstrations of pottery skills were its objectives. But people were so enamoured by this wonderful new museum they kept arriving with items to donate, loan or simply enquire about. So I instigated a system of receipts for any items coming into the museum for whatever reason and had nagged everyone not just to accept items willy nilly.

I answered the phone and David said “Bring your receipt book. There's a man in reception with a pot.”

Working in an industrial museum can be a grimy occupation so quite often I was to be found in a brown all-in-one boiler suit, purchased from the local market and adapted to fit. I was in the middle of some practical job or other when the call came, so I grabbed my receipt book and still dressed in the boiler suit dashed downstairs so that I could make a quick receipt and get back to the work I was doing.

Arriving in reception David Sekers proceeded to introduce me to no less than Sir William Gladstone of Hawarden Castle!

He was holding a huge and most wonderful pot - the pâte sur pâte 'Gladstone' vase made by Brown Westhead & Co. which he was presenting to the museum as a loan.

Gladstone Pottery Museum Story - The Gladstone Vase*

I was embarrassed but also amused; and David was telling the truth when he said 'There's a man in reception with a pot'.

I learnt a valuable lesson, and from then on wore clothes which could adapt from scruffy, grimy work in a museum store or preparing an exhibition, to a quick addition of a jacket to see visitors of all sorts at a moment's notice - useful, as I have always worked in industrial museums or dusty environments in the museums I was employed in after leaving Gladstone.

*The Gladstone Vase. One of the great achievements of the Victorian Potters. The central frieze is of pate-sur pate, the most expensive from of ceramic decoration, created by building up successive layers of bone china to make a translucent cameo effect. This unique vase presented by ‘a few Liberals of Burslem’ to the Rt. Hon. W.E. Gladstone in 1888 was made by Brown Westhead and Co.

More here about Brown Westhead and Co. > http://www.thepotteries.org/potworks_wk/058.htm 


The Official Opening and those photos

The opening day photos - why and how they were taken,
from Pam Woolliscroft (nee Bott)

There was great excitement when the staff at Gladstone Pottery Museum heard that The Duke of Gloucester was going to open the first phase of this new and ground breaking working pottery museum in 1975.

A lot of work went in to getting the museum looking perfect for the event. And after last minute touches everyone was prepared to welcome this special visitor. In our best clothes (1970s style!) the team of staff waited its turn to be presented, as rehearsed, to the Duke.


But he spent so much time looking around the museum that the event ran late. He left for his special lunch, in the Potter's Club in Federation House in Stoke, without us even meeting him.

We had missed out on our special handshake and meeting with the Duke.

Seeing our disappointment, after all our hard work and anticipation, our boss, David Sekers, the Museum Director, was not accepting this. In a flash, a plan was devised and we were swiftly transported to Stoke from the Museum.

On arrival at Federation House we were lined up to be introduced and shake hands with a slightly bewildered Duke who was then allowed to go for his lunch!

Left to right : Pam Bott (shaking hands with The Duke of Glouscester), Sally Cole, who is this? who is this?,
Alma Scarratt, and, far right, David Sekers, Museum Director making the introductions.

Left to right: Pam Bott, David Sekers, Sally Cole, who is this? Hilda Morris (with cigarette),
Lady Mayoress (?), Lord Mayor, Alma Scarratt, Audrey Taylor, who is this? and Muffi Fox, right.

Over 1000 visitors to Gladstone's 40th Birthday Bash

On Saturday 25 April 2015 over 1000 visitors passed through the museum's doors to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of its official opening.


Almost 40 industry skills had been gathered for the event by the two organisers, Paul Niblett and Fred Greasley, both of whom had worked voluntarily at the Gladstone Works museum since 1972.

At a special reception during the day the Museum Manager, Angela Lee, asked the specially invited VIPs (who included the first Museum Director, David Sekers) to congratulate themselves with a hearty round of applause for the tremendous work they had all put in to make the award winning museum such a success - now nominated as one of the top five visitor attractions in England.

More photos here>
News from The Sentinel 26 April 2015  here>

Gladstone's Ruby Anniversary of the Official Opening





The 40th Anniversary of the 
Royal Opening by The Duke of Gloucester

Saturday 25 April  2015
50 pence Admission - just like 40 years ago!
Free Parking

 Officially one of the top five tourist attractions in England

THE MULTI-AWARD WINNING
Gladstone Pottery Museum, 
Uttoxeter Road, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, ST3 1PQ
01782 237777       stoke.gov.uk/museum

Celebrate Ceramics in Stoke! The 40th Anniversary of the Royal opening!



Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Royal Opening
by The Duke of Gloucester

40 potter's skills to see
plus all the usual, and unique, museum galleries

 Officially one of the top five tourist attractions in England

Don't miss it!  25 April  10:30 - 16:00
50p Admission - just like 40 years ago!

THE MULTI-AWARD WINNING
Gladstone Pottery Museum, 
Uttoxeter Road, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, ST3 1PQ
01782 237777       stoke.gov.uk/museum

(BREAKING NEWS and many Apologies: 
Poppy Making will not be demonstrated after all. The artist will not allow us to show it. Sad but true.)

The Great Attraction

Stoke's museum of The Potteries, Gladstone Pottery Museum, is now, officially, one of the top five small tourist attractions in England! How good is that? Here's a bunch of hand made bone china flowers, made at Gladstone in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, to celebrate.

 BUT is it really true that Stoke City Council want to get rid of it? www.stoke.gov.uk/haveyoursay
Gladstone Pottery Museum - bone china flowers made on the premises
photo: Phil Rowley

Big Event 25th April 2015


10.30 till 4.00pm   Demonstrations of 40 Pottery Skills. 
Special admission price of 50p, just like it was in 1975 when the museum was officially opened by The Duke of Gloucester.

THE MULTI-AWARD WINNING
Gladstone Pottery Museum, 
Uttoxeter Road, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, ST3 1PQ
01782 237777
stoke.gov.uk/museum

Finalist : The VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2015

Finalist : The VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2015

Many congratulations go to Gladstone Pottery Museum who have been announced as finalists in the shortlist for this year’s VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, Small Visitor Attraction of the Year

2015 Awards Ceremony – 11th May, Sage Gateshead
The Awards Ceremony is the climax of the whole VisitEngland Awards for Excellence competition. By making it to the Ceremony all finalists will have demonstrated that they are the very best of English Tourism.

The Ceremony celebrates success and excellence and is a showcase for England's fabulous tourism products. Above all it provides finalists with a moment of well-deserved glory which can be used to market, promote and improve their businesses still further.

The Finalists : Small Visitor Attraction of the Year

  • Gladstone Pottery Museum Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire 
  • Owl & Monkey Haven, Newport, Isle of Wight 
  • Stott Park Bobbin Mill Ulverston, Cumbria
  • Topsail Charters Ltd Maldon, Essex 
  • World of James Herriot Thirsk, North Yorkshire 
Gladstone Pottery Museum picked up a gold award for ‘Small Visitor Attraction of the Year’ in 2013 and again a year later in 2014, in the Enjoy Staffordshire Tourism Awards.

So now its official:  Gladstone Pottery Museum Story is one of the top five small visitor attractions in England. Still winning accolades and awards after 40 years! 


The Origins of Gladstone Pottery Museum

1974
The idea of making a Living Industrial Museum in the Potteries was given a major impetus by the circumstances which had changed the face of Stoke-on-Trent within a decade - slum clearance, the reclamation of derelict land and major reconstruction.

Bottle ovens, once the most characteristic feature of Stoke’s landscape, still numbered more than a thousand after the war. But by 1964 only about two hundred were left. Today less than fifty remain.

Gladstone Pottery Museum Story
Huge ovens dominate the cobbled yard of Gladstone Pottery Museum

It was during the 60s and early 70s that some City planners and Museum officials had the foresight to conduct surveys of some of the older remaining factory sites with a view to considering whether some of them could or should be conserved. The Gladstone Works in Longton was high up on the list but in March 1971 it became evident that the buildings were to be demolished and it was only at the eleventh hour, when the bulldozers were about to move in, that the site was saved.

H. & R. Johnson-Richards Tiles Ltd under their Managing Director Derek Johnson,  provided the money to buy the site; immediately thereafter the Trust was formed which was destined to plan and finance and administer the Living Museum on the site. In September 1972 the Title Deeds of the Gladstone Works were formally handed over to the Trust.

The plan was to restore the Gladstone Works so that future generations should come and see the old bottle ovens, and learn how this major industry developed here in Stoke-on-Trent. It would be a working museum, where methods of manufacturing pottery would be daily demonstrated to visitors.

Edited from the Gladstone Souvenir Brochure  more>