Pottery Museums in England

For my third trip to the United Kingdom, I didn't explore nearly as much of the country as I have before. I only had three days in this small, yet beautiful country and this time I wanted to see where my cousin lives. We did venture a little bit further from his village to Stoke-on-Trent. Stoke is not known as a tourist attraction. As a matter of fact, I'd imagine you've never heard of it if you're not from the U.K. Stoke-on-Trent has not been known for being the prettiest town, but it has been known for its pottery! My parents have become pottery lovers, so I had to visit some pottery factories to send them pictures! We visited two pottery attractions while we were in Stoke and I think they deserve their own post.

Gladstone Pottery Museum

The first stop we made was at Gladstone Pottery Museum. My parents introduced me to The Great Pottery Throw Down, a show similar to The Great British Bake Off, but instead of food they make pottery! The show is actually filmed at Gladstone Pottery Museum!

The museum takes you through the history of pottery and the pottery factory, which dates back to the 18th century! Not only does the museum take you on the journey of the history of pottery, but it also shows you the disparities in factory work historically. In one section, you'll have the opportunity to see so many different molds that are used and you may even get to see pottery being made. We spent about an hour to an hour and a half here exploring the different buildings and learning all about the pottery world. Admission to the museum is £8.50 for adults.

World of Wedgewood

Our second stop was World of Wedgwood, a pottery factory where you can take tours to learn about their products, have afternoon tea, take a pottery class, or shop! We visited their museum, which has shelves and shelves of pottery. I kid you not, they probably had thousands of pieces of pottery on display, everything from dishware to ornaments and vases.

We also had afternoon tea here, which was AMAZING. The restaurant here is a little bit nicer but still reasonably priced for afternoon tea. It was £32.50 per person, and you are served so much food and what seemed like an unlimited amount of tea. Their afternoon tea is also served on pottery pieces that are made in the factory!

If you're wanting to tour the factory, I recommend purchasing tickets ahead of time. Between the museum area and afternoon tea, we spent about two to two and a half hours.

Visiting both pottery attractions in one day was completely doable! The two pottery museums are about four miles or a 10 minute drive from each other. Visiting Gladstone in the morning and exploring Wedgewood (around midday) before afternoon tea was the perfect schedule, allowing for ample time at each location! If you pack carefully and save a little bit of space, you may even be able to take a piece of English pottery back home with you!