Guided tour exploring Stoke-on-Trent’s pots-and-pits landscape, from Minton and Spode to Emma Bridgewater and Middleport Pottery.

Join SAVE and architectural historian Dr Otto Saumarez Smith for a fascinating tour of the Potteries, the six towns of Stoke-on-Trent that were once the heart of a global industry.

We will explore the extraordinary urban landscape formed from the geological combination of clay and coal, creating the strange industrial concatenation of "pots and pits", and the piquant juxtaposition between an industry that created many very beautiful objects, alongside much urban dereliction.

The tour will begin at Stoke Station at 10:30, with an initial visit to the grade II-listed Church of the Holy Trinity, also known as Minton Church, in Hartshill. Once a Norman deer-hunting park, Hartshill saw major residential development in the 19th century through Herbert Minton of Minton’s Pottery, Europe’s leading ceramic factory during the Victorian era. From there, we will continue past Minton’s many fine listed buildings in suburban Hartshill before travelling on to Hanley, Stoke’s city centre and commercial hub, to visit the world-renowned Emma Bridgewater Factory. Here, there will be an hour for lunch, included with your ticket, as well as time for loos and a little shopping. We will then head to the Spode Museum at the Spode Works in Stoke-on-Trent, where Josiah Spode founded his famous pottery business in 1774 and which now holds the largest collection of Spode wares in the world. Finally, the tour will take us to Burslem to visit the grade II-listed St Joseph’s Church and the historic Middleport Pottery, saved and regenerated by the Prince’s Regeneration Trust. The tour will finish at Stoke on Trent Station at 17:45, pending traffic.

Price includes: Lunch, coach travel, and a tour audio system.

Not included: Eventbrite booking fees, travel to and from Stoke-on-Trent, or any personal expenses.

Please Note: This is a jam-packed tour, with lots to see and do throughout the day. As the schedule is quite full, we will need to keep to the timings provided on the day to ensure we can enjoy everything planned.

Due to ongoing building works and other factors, we may need to make slight adjustments to the itinerary on the day. We appreciate your understanding and flexibility should any changes be necessary.

IMAGE: Middleport Pottery on the Trent and Mersey Canal 2025 © Wildlife Terry

Description supplied by the event organiser.