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Visit Stoke-on-Trent

May 2010

Free Edition

www.visitsot.co.uk

Detailed

map of the

City Centre

included

Explore

Museum of the year 2009

The Wedgwood Museum

www.wedgwoodmuseum.org.uk

TheArtFundprize 2009

for museums and galleries

www.visitsot.co.uk May 2010

Photograph by Nick Harvey

4.........Pottery industry

6.........More Pottery

7.........Theatres

8.........Directions

10.......Daytime Activities

11.......Nightlife

12.......Trentham Gardens

15........Sport

Welcome to the Potteries....Welcome to Stoke-‐on-‐Trent. Known to many as the Potteries it is situated almost at the centre of England and is a very unique city.

Hanley (now the City Centre) Fen-‐

Stoke-‐on-‐Trent has become well known for its production of pottery

company being Wedgwood.Stoke is currently celebrating its centenary and over the years the city has certainly provided the country with some great personali-‐

-‐

-‐cated in Stoke-‐on-‐Trent and his creation is still a symbol of Great

-‐

and was actually born next door to -‐

bly remembered for captaining the

Where we are

‘unsinkable’ Titanic.Pop sensation Robbie Williams was born and raised in Tunstall before joining the hugely popular boy band ‘Take-‐That.’ Robbie is well known for being an avid Port Vale supporter and actually in-‐jected his own money into the club a few years ago when they were in

won an unprecedented 15 World

in the Potteries. Stoke is certainly a City that runs deep in history and if you’re lucky you may even spot a member of the Royal Family as they are cer-‐tainly no strangers to these parts.

the Potteries museum in 1981 and in February of this year re-‐visited it with the Duchess of Cornwall

Hoard.

appearance as she opened the Regent Theatre as the centrepiece

apart from Edward VIII in his short

to visit Stoke-‐on-‐Trent since 1910.

Premier League football team in

fantastic theatres that attract some of the world’s top talent in both music and comedy and have some truly fantastic places to visit no matter what age you are. With the city situated at the heart

to; if you are driving you can reach Stoke via the M6 at junction 15 or 16 or you can catch the train to Stoke-‐on-‐Trent station.This magazine shows that the city

a city well worth a visit.


Contents

Pottery Industry

Josiah Wedgwood is probably the most successful and well known person ever to have emerged from Stoke-‐on-‐Trent. In fact Stoke-‐on-‐Trent is referred to as the potteries because of Josiah’s incredible work in the pottery and ceramics indus-‐try.

and was the youngest of 12 children of Thomas and Mary Wedgwood.

father sadly died and from then on had to be apprenticed to his elder brother at the Churchyard Pot-‐

the smallpox epidemic that had

he spent much of his time read-‐ing to improve his education. The disease had left him with a perma-‐nently weakened right knee there-‐fore he could not operate the foot

modelling.

continued and was later taken into junior partnership with the

Thomas Whieldon. Here he was encouraged to experiment with

Later in his career he formed a

who was a merchant from Liver-‐pool. The years of partnership with

most successful. The two men complemented each other perfect-‐ly and along with his previous work Wedgwood developed the famous Jasper ware whilst at Etruria when

Wedgwood’s work is incredibly

inspirational and perfectly depicts all the trends and ages throughout history; this is something that is portrayed immensely at the Wedg-‐wood Museum. The museum is more than just a few pots and an information card lying under-‐

of Wedgwood’s pieces and all of which are laid out in chronological order.

how the designs and colour had

as a civilisation changed through the artistic developments within his work; and the museum has to take credit for this for their beauti-‐ful layout and presentation. This is supported by Wedgwood’s Learning and Access Manager Ni-‐gel Spicer; who believes after work-‐

Entrance to the Wedgwood museum shop

Wedgwood

Words and photographs by Nick Harvey


Pottery Industry

Nigel Spicer with the museum of the year trophy

ing in the museum industry for

best collection he has ever seen. “I have seen some fantastic things

money that has been put into this museum is just fantastic. In 2008 we were awarded £5.8 million of lottery funding in order to help

and the money has clearly been put to good use. When people visit everybody expects to see lots of

is so much more here. We have

-‐tive televisions; there literally is something for everyone here” said Nigel. The Wedgwood museum was recently awarded ‘Museum of the

this was a monumental award to receive. “The Museum of the Year award is like the Oscars for museums; it’s a tremendous achievement for us as we have beaten some incredible museums which have had a lot of funding pumped into them so we were absolutely thrilled” said Nigel. The museums policy states that there is always something for eve-‐

younger children to not only learn

enjoy themselves at the same time.

are able to look at how pottery was -‐

active technology. They can also

they download it from the website they are able to see their face on one of Wedgwood’s designs. “It is always so refreshing to hear young people use phrases such as ‘awesome’ and ‘wicked’ when referring to the collection we have here. It is clear that the range and complexity we have here blows people away” said Nigel.

Along with this award winning

gift shop to ensure that you can take a souvenir home to remind you of your visit and there is also a cafe if you feel your trip has given you an appetite.

perhaps Wedgwood’s half term workshops may just sway your decision. The Museum has an-‐nounced that this half term (Mon-‐

will be inviting families to make their own Wedgwood inspired vases -‐ from salt dough.

workshops will be taking place

day and families are welcome to drop in whenever they like be-‐tween these times. The museum team will have a plentiful supply

of blue salt dough on hand from which children can cut out their

can then decorate as creatively as they like. The team have chosen blue and white vases for the work-‐shop as these are the colours of Wedgwood’s Jasper pieces. Each family will receive full instructions on how to bake their vase shape at

how heat hardens the salt dough.So if you’re interested in viewing some of the most beautiful artwork in the world and having a fun time

the Wedgwood museum. An adult ticket will cost £6.00 and a child

-‐-‐



Wedgwood

More pottery

If you feel like continuing your pottery experience in Stoke-‐on-‐

-‐stone’s unique pottery museum. Its cultural heritage is nationally acclaimed and the site itself is internationally recognised as one of the most important industrial heritage sites in Europe. Glad-‐stone’s infamous bottle ovens over-‐look the whole site and aren’t just a symbol of the industry but are a

past and present. At the museum you can see for yourself what the

spent hours of hard work creat-‐

Gladstone was an everyday factory in the city that focused on pro-‐ducing ceramic pots for every day usage for the mass market. On display at Gladstone is its amazing Tile Gallery; it is one of

the best tile decorations in the country and it truly highlights how ceramic tiles have provided such

walls over the years. After learn-‐ing all about how people made the

-‐self? Instead of just buying some-‐

make your own unique souvenir under the guidance of the mem-‐

of pottery! After completing all this and you feel like you need a nice

can take advantage of their deli-‐cious tea room.

for children with discounts for families; for more information

visit www.stoke.gov.uk/museum.

Gladstone Pottery

Emma Bridgewater

than just a pottery factory; located on the Caldon Canal there is so much to explore and enjoy for peo-‐ple of all ages. Take advantage of their FREE factory tours that take

provided with a fascinating insight into the pottery industry and the

making one single item.

tours really are popular; during the school holidays we normally have one tour a day but because of demand we had to change to three which was a wonderful surprise. On these tours people not only get to see all the ‘behind the scenes’

-‐stand the care and time that goes into making one simple pot” said Paul. The factory gets visitors from

-‐

and even Japan. With the school holidays ap-‐proaching at the end of the month it is a great place to organise trips

are granted full usage of the deco-‐rating studios. The studio is a great place to spend the afternoon; after learning how the pots were made and looking at all the beautiful

to have a go yourself. You can decorate all kinds of things such

one thing that separates Emma

pot you design is the same quality -‐

ing or design will last for years and years. So if you’re interested in experienc-‐

a place recommended. For more information on tours and prices of

or visit www.emmabridgwater.co.uk. Emma Bridgewater

Gladstone Pottery museum



Theatres

Victoria Hall

Victoria Hall

The Victoria Hall has established itself as a major venue for celebri-‐ties to perform at; acts including

incredible artists that have per-‐formed live in the Potteries thea-‐tre. The building was originally built in 1888 to commemorate

it has been the scene of numer-‐

many gigs.The theatre was revamped in the

people. Since re-‐opening it has been at the heart of the Cultural

The Regent Theatre. With its beau-‐tiful art work and designs around

the mood to help create an enter-‐taining evening.

Coming up this month are some absolutely fantastic acts that you would be crazy to miss. On the 2nd

considered to be one the most brilliantly unpredictable comics

be taking the stage at the Victoria Hall. Hunter has been a regular on television shows such as 8 out of

-‐

as much success when he performs in the Potteries.

I Got News For You’ Paul Merton will be performing his stand-‐up

15th May. It is a unique show based entirely on improvisation and sug-‐

can guarantee a unbelievably funny night. To receive information in regards

either www.ambassadortickets.com/stoke or

Regent Theatre

for their popular television show

it certainly sounds like a recipe for a good night. If you’re interested in completely super natural and out of this world

With his mind boggling tricks and

course if he allows you to remem-‐ber it! To receive information on these or any other events taking place this

-‐

ambassadortickets.com/stoke.

The Regent Theatre originally opened in 1929 as a super cinema and over the years has been used extensively for amateur operatic and musical comedy productions. However after becoming a multi

closed down in 1989 following the opening of a six screen cinema.

-‐

Regent was reopened on 22 Sep-‐tember 1999 by Her Majesty the

fully restored to its previously elegant Art Deco style. Since then the Regent has gave host to such a

-‐ing from opera to rock concerts. One main advantage to previously being on old fashioned cinema is the seating arrangement provides nearly every seat a perfect viewing area of the stage. This month the Regent Theatre has many brilliant acts perform-‐

Regent Theatre



DirectionsThe numbers on the map represent the places mentioned within the

magazine that are located in Hanley city centre


DirectionsThe numbers on the map represent the places mentioned within the

magazine that are located outside Hanley city centre

8. Monkey Forrest

9. Wedgwood


Daytime activities

If you’re in need of a good old fashioned shopping spree then the Potteries shopping centre is the ideal place. Situated at the heart

is very convenient if you have many bags. Designer shops such

available. There are also shops such

the family and aren’t really a shop-‐

such as Costa Cafe or Starbucks

whilst enjoying a nice drink and a

bring the children to the Shopping

portrait studio which allows the little ones to dress up as either a prince or a princess and have their photograph taken. Potteries Shopping Centre is open

-‐

www.potteries.uk.com.

have and if you have even more queries in regards to the monkeys you can learn all there is to know by looking at the interactive signs or visiting the information centre. There is a free car park and a nice

two adventure playgrounds to let

for all to relax.

come face to face to one of nature’s most spectacular creatures. For information visit www.monkey-‐forrest.com.

Enjoy one of the most unique experiences you are ever likely to witness at Trentham Monkey For-‐

macaques roaming free across 60 acres of beautiful woodlands. When strolling through the forest you become mesmerised by these beautiful and elegant animals as

-‐ing themselves from tree to tree and you can even watch how they take care of their young. Throughout your adventure there are guides who are more than hap-‐py to take any questions you may

Waterworld is one of the UK’s best water theme parks receiv-‐

indoor and outdoor swimming

enough to keep the whole family entertained.

a fast ride with exciting twists and turns crashing you into the water

indoor water-‐roller-‐coaster in the

it will be an exhilarating ride. The space bowl sends swimmers into a

bowl where their world is turned upside down until eventually being plunged into the pool below.Every Friday night 6.pm -‐ 9pm the Waterworld Entertainment Team

-‐

games and loads of giveaways. To attend this event it is £5.50 per en-‐try and pay £1 extra and you receive a burger meal. Prices for a regular visit (Monday-‐Friday school term)

although prices vary for families. For more information visit www.waterworld.co.uk.

Monkey Forest

Potteris shopping

Centre

Water World



NightlifeCasino’s

If you’re interested in taking your

not try your luck in one of the two casinos in Hanley city centre. They

-‐pecially if you have been enjoying the nightclubs. The Circus casino

with a restaurant and bar area they -‐

and if you’re not a member it’s free to join. Circus prides itself on

double vodka red bull only priced at £5. To make your visit even more

will be two fantastic live tribute

If you don’t fancy Circus casino or

yards away is the Grosvenor casino. It opens Sunday 6pm -‐Friday 6pm

full bar that runs throughout the night and an international restau-‐rant. Inside there are 10 total slot machines and 10 total table games available and as always member-‐ship is free.

So when you feel your night on the town is coming to an end and you

visit to the Circus and Grosvenor casinos.

Circus Casino

ture of classic and modern music it is certainly friendly to people of all ages (over 18 of course). If you are more interested in dancing as a pose to drinking then Liquid Nightclub is the ideal place to let yourself go. It is very stu-‐

room and bar and two huge dance

and latest music and is open till

literally dance your troubles away. If the night club scene doesn’t interest you then the Sugarmill may take your fancy. The indie/rock bar has had many great bands

then Friday and Saturday nights

some good quality music and sofa’s to sit and chat with your mates. If you are interested in seeing live

www.thesugarmill.co.uk.

Street; this is where most of the nightclubs are situated. Revolu-‐

it has a very modern style bar and it specialises in making a superb range of cocktails. There is plenty of room to get up and have a dance if you wish and with a great mix-‐

Hanley City Centre has a wide range of nightlife venues. With a

for a good time. One bar that certainly stands out

Night Clubs

Hanley Night Clubs



Trentham

Gardens Estate

Trentham Gardens is one the big-‐gest attractions in Stoke-‐on-‐Trent today. With its beautiful surround-‐

spectacular place to visit for the day. It is referred to as Trentham

Gardens Estate because the three

Garden centre are three separate businesses; however they very often work together for the good of the customers.

“The garden centre and Italian gardens are not the same company but we do help out with some of the gardening and we have also provided some plants for some of

together when we can for the ben-‐



The Garden Centre is part of the

the largest Garden centres in the country and inside it is sensation-‐ally designed with a water fountain in the centre of a huge but beauti-‐fully laid out room. Within the gar-‐

den centre there is a wide variety of

indoor plant area and much more. There is also two restaurants with-‐

Arches’ and the ‘Terrazzo del Gia-‐

take a break and relax.

even get to see a celebrity. “We do get a lot of famous people walking around the Garden Centre. We get quite a few footballers from Stoke

who often enjoys his lunch and a walk in here.”If you are enthusiastic about gar-‐dening then the outdoor plants section is certainly the place to visit. Not only does it have a vast

and even more to look at. The at-‐tention to detail is one of the most impressive things about the Gar-‐

popular.“Last year we were lucky enough

obviously fantastic. We have had customers from places as far as

to know that after one visit people then trust us enough to continue buying our products and taking full advantage of our delivery serv-‐ice” said Debbie.

why not explore the cabin shops.

they are laid out as individual

Estate prides itself on having very particular shops.

on an Italian theme and the shops that sit next to it really comple-‐ment that theme. Plans are under way to open a new shop called

knew food store providing you with carefully selected food and drink and will be aiming to use as much local suppliers as possible as this helps the local economy.

incredible cake is the Italian Gar-‐



-‐ness one of the most spectacular walks and surroundings you will ever see. After undergoing a massive res-‐

-‐ble is articulately laid out for you to simply admire. At the centre

is borders onto the woodlands of Trentham Park which was given to local residents by the Duke of

Sutherland. You can walk around -‐

ery and the nature; if you are visit-‐

little train that runs alongside the -‐

ic mood they can play on the play-‐

and mazes. The entire complex is a place full of wonder and cer-‐tainly caters for every need. Deb-‐

big attraction because the gardens have had lots of work on them and many of people come to visit that; and obviously with all the shops

-‐traction and with that more people enter the garden centre.”So if you are looking for a fantas-‐

visit the Trentham Gardens Es-‐tate. To receive more information on Trentham Estate visit www.


Entrance to the Trentham Garden Centre

The Italian Gardens


Sport

Britannia Stadium - Home of Stoke City

Vale Park - Where Mark Brights career began

Sport has always been a very popular scene in the potteries. Over the years there have been many famous sporting stars that

vibe and enthusiasm for sport at

are facilities and opportunities for people to participate in a wide range of sports.

most notable attraction to Stoke-‐on-‐Trent would have to be Stoke City Football club. The club was

oldest club in professional exist-‐ence behind Notts County. Along

-‐came one of the founder members of the football league in 1896. Stoke have had some of the world’s best players on their books over

who is now President of the foot-‐ball club. This season the Potters have enjoyed their second consecu-‐tive year in the Premier League with manager Tony Pulis steering them to another superb mid-‐table

Unfortunately the football season is over so you won’t be able to see the team play; however on the 2nd

club ever to host their player of the season awards in front of a live audience. The ‘player of the year stadium show’ will be held at the

will be able to see the presentation of the player of the year awards and look back on the highlights of the tremendous season the Potters

other major football club in the Potteries is Port Vale. A very suc-‐cessful team in their own right and have certainly produced their fair

spoke of how special the city of Stoke is for sport and how he still has special links with the City today. “My time at Vale Park was enjoy-‐able; I had just quit my job at

in Kidsgrove to play football full

day instead of eight was great.

learnt from one of the best at the start of my career.” “Premier League football is so

to see the Vale get promoted but it’s tough for them at the moment.

exercise is important and sports facilities are the heartbeat of com-‐munities.”

are a wide range of sports to be played or watched besides football.

Club is thriving at the moment with brand new facilities and in-‐

have decided that the physical games of rugby and football are too

-‐

Sebastian Coe visited the rowing club to promote the sport and look around the impressive grounds. For more information visit www.trenthamboatclub.co.uk. Another sports available in Stoke

Sports Complex has an Olympic size swimming pool available to the public and regularly holds race

visit www.stoke.gov.uk. Also Stoke athletics club have the luxury of

-‐ing all the necessary facilities for

There is a sporting activity to get

sport is your passion then Stoke-‐on-‐Trent is ideal.



www.visitsot.co.ukVisit Stoke-on-Trent Words and photographs by Nick Harvey

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