Gladstone Pottery Museum

Uttoxeter Road
Longton
Stoke on Trent
Staffordshire
ST3 1PQ
England

Website

www.stokemuseum.org.uk

E-mail

angela.lee@stoke.gov.uk

Telephone

01782 237777

Fax

01782 598640

All information is drawn or provided by the venues themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.

As if frozen in time, Gladstone remains the only complete Victorian pottery factory from the days when coal-burning ovens made the world's first bone china. Traditional skills, original workshops, the cobbled yard and huge bottle kilns create an atmospheric time warp which has no equal. See live pottery demonstrations and have a go yourself. Refresh yourself in our delightful tearoom. Find some treasures to take home in our large gift shop.

The entire collection of this museum is a Designated Collection of national importance.

Venue Type:

Museum

Opening hours

Open daily 10.00-17.00 April - September. Last entry 16.00.
Open daily 10.00 - 16.00 October - March. Last entry 15.00.
Open Sundays and Bank holidays.

Closed: 25 December- 2 January

Admission charges

Adults £7.25, Children £5.00, Concessions £5.75, Family Ticket (2 adults, 2 children) £21. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Annual Pass - this pass provides free entry to Gladstone Pottery Museum for 12 months, adults £10.50, concessions £8.75.

The entire collection of Gladstone Pottery Museum is a Designated Collection of national importance.

'Flushed with Pride': our sanitaryware gallery tells the story of the toilet from the 1840s slum to the toilets of the future.

Tile Gallery: Gladstone is home to one of the finest collections of decorative tiles in Britain. Trace the development of tiles from medieval monasteries to the space shuttle.

The Doctor's House: Hear some gruesome details of the illnesses and disease that plagued the Potteries.

Collection details

Social History, Science and Technology, Industry, Decorative and Applied Art, Archives

Key artists and exhibits

Gladstone
Minton
Pottery
Toilets
Tiles
Designated Collection

Resources listed here may include websites, bookable tours and workshops, books, loan boxes and more. You may need to scroll down or click on headers to see them all.

Face to face resources

Time is Money!

Watch as our expert demonstrates the art of bone china flower making and have a go yourself. Time our expert and learn about piece work. (1.5 hours)

Art Deco Plate Painting

Learn about local heroine, Clarice Cliff, and her life in Stoke-on-Trent through the twenties and thirties. Then paint a plate inspired by her unique designs.

How to obtain

For more information contact the Education team on 01782 235390.
To book call 01782 319232.
Cost of sessions = from £2 per pupil.

Christmas at the Gladstone

See how the Victorians celebrated Christmas. Make a card to take home and play a Victorian parlour game. Suitable for KS2 (1.5 hours).

How to obtain

For more information contact the Education team on 01782 235390. To book call 01782 319232. Cost of sessions = from £2 per pupil.

Clay Mask Making

Learn a variety of hand building techniques and make a mask in clay. To tailor the masks to curriculum topics (e.g. Aztecs) please let us know on booking. (1.5 hours)

Coil Pot Making

Make a cylindrical container by coiling. Add a face or other decoration of your own choice.

Dish Making

Work with our skilled potters to make a dish on a hump mould using coiling and other hand building techniques, such as winding, shaping and cutting.

Domestic Bliss

Our Victorian housekeeper will show you what life was like in a doctor's household and let you try out some of her duties. Suitable for Key Stage 1/2 pupils. (1.5 hours).
Please note: due to the small size of our Victorian rooms, maximum group size for this activity is 15.

How to obtain

For more information contact the Education team on 01782 235390.
To book call 01782 319232.
Cost of sessions = from £2 per pupil.

Gladstone Pottery Museum Tour

Let our experienced guides lead you around the Victorian potbank. Glimpse the working lives of child and adult pottery workers and watch demonstrations of traditional skill.

Handling the Victorians

Compare modern life and Victorian times by exploring original objects under the guidance of a costumed interpreter. (1.5 hours) Due to the small size of some of our Victorian rooms, maximum group size for this activity is 15.

How to obtain

For more information contact the Education team on 01782 235390. To book call 01782 319232. Cost of sessions = from £2 per pupil.

Heritage Hunt

Use clues from the buildings themselves to find out how the Gladstone Pottery Museum site has changed. Dig for genuine archaeological finds that reveal more local history. Suitable for KS2 and KS3 (1.5 hours).

How to obtain

For more information contact the Education team on 01782 235390. To book call 01782 319232. Cost of sessions = from £2 per pupil.

Know your place

Experience life as a Victorian pottery worker on the shop floor or in the office. Explore and debate the dilemmas of Victorian working conditions. Suitable for KS2 (1.5 hours). Due to the size of some of our victorian rooms, maximum group size of this activity is 15.

How to obtain

For more information contact the Education team on 01782 235390. To book call 01782 319232. Cost of sessions = from £2 per pupil.

Microbes and Diseases

Learn about how inventors have improved the design of the toilet since the times of the privy. Research some deadly diseases and handle intriguing Victorian artefacts. Suitable for Key Stage 3 pupils. (2 hours).
Due to space restrictions, please note that with group sizes in excess of 15 pupils, half of this session must be delivered by a member of school staff, using the resources provided. Maximum group size = 30 pupils.

Paper Potbanks

Can buildings speak? Explore texture, pattern, scale and shape in our unique historic environment. Make 3D panels for a large scale mural inspire by Gladstone Pottery Museum.
(2 hours)

Physical and Chemical Processes

Learn about energy with the Gladstone Pottery Museum's huge machines and explore the use of gears. Examine the reversible and irreversible changes in clay, then plan an investigation. Suitable for Key Stage 3 pupils. (2 hours).
Due to space restrictions, please note that with group sizes in excess of 15 pupils, half of this session must be delivered by a member of school staff, using resources provided. Maximum group size = 30.

Slab Pot Making

Learn from one of our experienced potters and make a cylindrical container using the technique of slabbing. Decorate it using a variety of mark makers. (1.5 hours)

Tessellating Tiles

Explore the Tile Gallery and learn how shape, colour and pattern have been used in tile design over the centuries, then make your own "encaustic" tile. (1.5 hours)

Toilet Times

Experience life before the flushing lavatory in our Victorian back yard. use a bag of mystery objects to find out how the humble lavatory has helped to save millions of lives. Suitable for KS2 and KS3 (1.5 hours).

How to obtain

For more information contact the Education team on 01782 235390. To book call 01782 319232. Cost of sessions = from £2 per pupil.

Toilet Times

Experience life before the flushing toilets in our 1840s back yard and understand why clean water and sanitation are now basic human rights. Suitable for KS2 and KS3. (1.5 to 2 hours).

How to obtain

For more information contact the Education team on 01782 235390. To book call 01782 319232. Cost of sessions = from £2 per pupil.

Traditional Toys

Find out how your great-great grandparents amused themselves. Make a cardboard toy to take home. Suitable for Key Stage 1 pupils. (1.5 hours).

How to obtain

For more information call the Education Team on 01782 235390.
To book a session call 01782 319232.
Cost of sessions = from £2 per pupil.

Resources

Assemblies

We offer non-denominational assemblies in which the children see a short drama and consider the moral issues raised. All assemblies are free and suitable for KS1 and KS2. Choose from: Roman slave market (human rights), Victorian strangers on a train (stealing/honesty/first impressions), and Witch hunt (bullying).