Middleport Pottery, architectural structure in City of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, UK
Middleport Pottery is a Victorian-era factory building in Stoke-on-Trent located beside the Trent and Mersey Canal. The facility functions as a working pottery where clay is shaped and fired using methods and equipment from the industrial period.
The site was established in 1889 during the height of the pottery industry in this region. It has remained in continuous operation through the 20th century, maintaining its role as a working factory throughout periods of industrial change.
The site demonstrates how potters traditionally shaped clay and created vessels using methods passed down through families and workshop apprenticeships. You can observe these craft practices still being used by people working there today.
The site is open daily with guided tours showing the working areas and production methods in action. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes as the grounds include cobblestone paths and the building has uneven floors typical of older industrial structures.
The factory preserves working steam engines and bottle kilns from its founding era that still function for demonstrations. This combination of original operational equipment from the 1800s makes it one of few sites where visitors can see industrial-era pottery production still happening.
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