History in stoke-on-trent

An abundance of coal and clay is the main reason for the pottery industry becoming established in North Staffordshire.

Starting as a small community of farmer-potters in the mid-seventeenth century, the trade of making butterpots for the easier marketing of butter developed in the town of Burslem (the image to the right is taken from a map of Burslem as it was before 1760, and features green pastures, dwellings and bottle ovens in close proximity to one another). So Burslem earned the position of 'mother town' of the Potteries. Before 1700, potters were criticised for digging holes in the roads to get clay - a practise which gave rise to the term ‘potholes’. Good red-burning clays and excellent long flame coal (essential for firing pottery ovens) could be dug from the surface along a belt running in a north-west to south-east line, thanks to geological formation causing outcropping of these materials.

From Burslem, potters set up small factories in the nearby hamlets of Tunstall to the north, and Cobridge, Hanley, Shelton, Stoke, Fenton and Longton to the south. All these settlements lie along the belt of coal and clay, and have been formed into the City of Stoke-on-Trent, (Federated 1910). Stoke-on-Trent, or the Potteries, is unlike other major cities which have a central hub with main roads radiating from it. The Potteries are about eight miles long by three miles wide, and with a population of 278,000 in 1980 the six towns had become the tenth largest city in England.

By 1740 a substantial industry had been established, but potters made less and less use of the clays found here. Potters wanted white clays that were as similar as possible to the china from the Far East. The local clays were not favoured because they fired red. White burning clays from Dorset had begun to be brought into North Staffordshire about 1720 and shipments from Devon followed in the next 20 years, but it was not until after 1796 that china clay and Cornish stone came into the Potteries in any quantity.

The industry was now so firmly rooted - with its fuel and common clays mined locally and the wealth of skilled craftspeople composing at least half the population - that the idea of moving the industry to south-west England would never be considered seriously. About 7-10 tons of coal were needed to fire one ton of earthenware, and as much as 17 tons were needed for bone china. There is no coal in Devon and Cornwall.

In the beginning, the clay came by boat, pony and on people's backs. The Potteries had no proper roads until the middle of the 18th century. A canal was cut in 1767, providing the main route for the transport of raw materials and finished products in and out of the area. The Trent and Mersey Canal placed the Potteries at the centre of an international trade. The railway arrived in Stoke in 1848 and the canal was gradually supplanted. Many small tramways also linked the factories and industry.

The industry was changed constantly as new materials and ideas were introduced. Most pottery companies had a short life but some companies still in existence today were founded by master potters. Two of the most famous names from this period are Wedgwood and Spode.

It was Josiah Wedgwood’s business acumen which placed him at the forefront of marketing men. He introduced a system of controlling his mixtures and firing his ovens based on scientific principles. He worked tirelessly to make sure the new canal would serve the pottery towns, and he understood the market's needs, building his business by satisfying customers with an excellent product.

Josiah Spode, father and son, founded a business which developed techniques of ceramic manufacture that became the mainstay of the industry. He perfected the method of blue-printing in 1780 and led the world in this decorative treatment. Before 1800 his son introduced bone china which has become the most successful English porcelain ever made.

Many other famous names contributed to the advancement of the industry over the years - Adams, Minton, Mason, Aynsley and Doulton in dinner ware, Twyford and Doulton in sanitaryware. Having been established in Stoke-on-Trent the industry remained in the area thanks to the skills of the people.

The provision of machinery and supplies for this specialised industry has led to a concentration of ceramic colour makers, pottery machinery makers as well as the millers who prepare the body and glaze materials essential for the pottery manufacturers.

Today, ceramics is a modern industry. Stoke-on-Trent is still famous for its tablewares, tiles and sanitaryware, which is sold all over the world. New uses for ceramics include insulators for the electrical industry and special ceramics used in engineering and the chemical industry. Machines have removed much of the unskilled repetitive work, but the skills involved in pottery making are still based on people.

History of Stoke-On-Trent