Stoke-on-Trent Tourismt. 01782 232817 e. tourism@stoke.gov.uk www.visitstoke.co.uk

New attraction for ‘The Potteries’The £9-million restoration of Middleport Pottery resulted in it opening as a new visitor attraction, in Stoke-on-Trent, on July 1st.

It has been a long-awaited day for HRH Prince Charles’s charity, The Prince’s Regeneration Trust, which bought the site in 2011 with a view to saving and restoring it for the nation - and for a new generation of visitors to Stoke-on-Trent & The Potteries.

Middleport Pottery, the home of world-renowned Burleigh pottery, is the last working Victorian pottery in the UK. The Grade II* listed site, which was purpose-built in 1888 by ceramics manufacturers Burgess & Leigh, also played a starring role in Anna of the Five Towns, one of the classic novels written by local author Arnold Bennett.

The site today continues to produce Burleigh pottery using traditional techniques. Each new piece of Burleigh is touched by around 25 pairs of hands. And many members of the workforce at Middleport Pottery have been there for decades; often their families worked in ceramics, passing down local craftsmanship through the generations.

As a result of The Prince’s Regeneration Trust acquiring the site, traditional craft skills will now survive and be passed on at Middleport Pottery. The Victorian machinery, the mould collection and other historical artefacts have also been saved.

Visitors to the site can now go behind-the-scenes and learn about the people and events that have shaped the Middleport Pottery over the years.

Ceramics, selected items from the extensive archives and moulds from the site’s unique collection are on display. And visitors can step inside the industrial bottle kiln - one of the last remaining bottle kilns in Stoke-on-Trent - where pottery was once fired.

Factory tours offer the opportunity to see the clay being formed, fired and decorated using the same traditional techniques as when the Pottery first opened in the 1800s. The tour also includes Middleport Pottery’s steam engine, which once powered the whole site.

Also featured are an extended Burleigh shop selling pottery made on-site; a new café where visitors can enjoy a coffee or a meal by the canal side; and a gallery with changing exhibitions throughout the year.

One of the highlights of Middleport Pottery is the remarkable mould collection which, with over 19,000 moulds, is the largest collection of its kind in Europe. Recent visitor Michael Portillo, described it in the following terms on BBC TV’s Great British Railway Journeys: “Piled up as high as you can see, it goes on forever. It’s one of the most extraordinary sights I’ve ever seen.”

And antiques expert and ambassador for Middleport Pottery, Steven Moore adds: “This is, in reality, not just a collection of moulds, it’s a slice through British ceramic history. These moulds are not the working moulds that are used on a daily basis in the pottery, but the master moulds that are kept here in perpetuity. In fact, if we

Stoke-on-Trent Tourismt. 01782 232817 e. tourism@stoke.gov.uk www.visitstoke.co.uk

wanted to, we could step back at any point and bring a piece of Burleigh back to life… We have moulds here from factories such as Davenport and Samuel Alcock. These were bought by Burleigh as the factories closed down, all of which makes this collection unique.”

It is hoped that the visitor experience at Middleport Pottery will also become a catalyst for change to Burslem - the Mother Town of the Potteries. And further development is planned for Middleport Pottery, including on the half-mile stretch of the adjacent canal, which runs to Westport Lake, and is set to become a safe nature trail for ramblers, cyclists and young families.

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of The Prince’s Regeneration Trust, says, “Middleport Pottery is a living and breathing part of British industrial history because Burleigh pottery is still made here using traditional techniques and skills. We’re delighted to be opening it up as a major visitor destination this summer and look forward to welcoming people from around the world to come and share in the unique experience at Middleport.”

Located just 90 minutes away, by train, from London Euston further information can be found online, at http://www.middleportpottery.co.uk. Entrance is free; but behind-the-scenes factory tours cost £6 per person.

For all other tourist information about Stoke-on-Trent and the world-famous six towns of The Potteries, visit www.visitstoke.co.uk.

EndsFor further information, and images, please contact:Sam Hall, VisitStokeTel: 01782-232817E-mail: tourism@stoke.gov.uk

Claire Thompson, The Prince's Regeneration TrustTel: 0203 262 0567 M: 07564 544487 E-mail: claire.thompson@princes-regeneration.org

Marcus Stanton, The Prince's Regeneration TrustTel: 020 8617 0210 M:07900 891287E-mail: marcus@marcusstanton.co.uk

Notes to editorsThe Prince’s Regeneration Trust is a charity founded by HRH The Prince of Wales. We support and strengthen communities by rescuing and reusing important British buildings at risk of being lost forever through demolition or decay. Our priority is to work in areas of deprivation, places which will benefit most from the economic regeneration and growth we deliver.www.princes-regeneration.orgFollow us @PrincesRegen

Burgleigh Pottery is world renowned. It is popular in the US, where it is stocked by Ralph Lauren and many independent stores, but it is particularly popular in the Far East, which makes up 50% of Burleigh’s export business. In South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Japan it is stocked by the leading department stores . In the UK it is sold in John Lewis, Harrods, Fortnum and Mason, and other high-quality retailers. A special range of ceramics from Middleport Pottery is made for the shop at Highgrove.