Summer in Stoke-on-Trent

Sara Jaspan, Exhibitions Editor
big feast summer in stoke on trent
Appetite, The Big Feast Festival 2018

1 August — 30 September 2018 Entrance is free — Visit now

The city of six towns, Stoke-on-Trent (affectionately nicknamed The Potteries), is bursting with an inspired programme of cultural activity this summer; spanning music festivals, ale trails and pop-up exhibitions through to one-off events, talks, workshops and film screenings taking place across all six towns. The city is also home to a wealth of world-class visitor attractions, award-winning museums, exceptional gardens, five Victorian parks and the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure ever to be found. All in all, it’s clear that the same unique creativity and bold entrepreneurial spirit upon which the area’s great fortunes were first founded in the 18th century continues to live on today and will leave you wanting to come back for more, again and again.

1 August — 30 September 2018 Entrance is free Visit now

Our top picks

Emma Bridgwater Factory

Emma Bridgwater Factory, Lichfield Street, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 3EJ - Visit now

The pottery lover’s mecca, over 1.3 million Emma Bridgwater pieces are produced at the designer’s Stoke-on-Trent based factory every year – each one touched by over 30 deftly-skilled hands. Take an award-winning tour, visit the heavily discounted shop and have a go at producing your own earthenware masterpiece.

Emma Bridgwater Factory, Stoke-on-Trent
Courtesy of Emma Bridgwater Factory

Trentham Gardens

Trentham Gardens, Stone Rd, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 8JG - Visit now

Comprising of 725 acres of land set within a glorious stretch of North Staffordshire countryside on the southern fringe of Stoke-on-Trent, the award-winning visitor attraction Trentham Estate is the last remnant of one of England’s greatest garden estates.

trentham gardens stoke on trent
Image courtesy of Trentham Gardens

World of Wedgwood

World of Wedgwood, Wedgwood Dr, Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent, ST12 9ER - Visit now

Former Art Fund Prize Museum of the Year Award winner, World of Wedgwood in Stoke-of-Trent houses one of the most important industrial collections in existence and offers a unique record of over 250 years of ground-breaking British ceramic design and production.

world of wedgewood summer in stoke on trent
Image courtesy of World of Wedgwood

Potteries Museum & Art Gallery

Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Bethesda St, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 3DW - Visit now

Home to the most significant collection of Staffordshire ceramics in the world and the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon treasure ever found, a visit to Stoke-upon-Trent is not complete without an afternoon whiled away in The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery.

Potteries Museum & Art Gallery
Image courtesy of Stoke Museums

Middleport Pottery

Middleport Pottery, Port St, Middleport, Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 3PE - Visit now

Built in 1888, the beautifully-conserved grade II* listed Middleport Pottery has been producing its world-famous Burleigh pieces for over 120 years. Today it is the only working Victorian pottery left in Stoke-on-Trent and a multi award-winning visitor attraction.

Middleport Pottery
Image courtesy of Middleport Pottery

Bethesda Chapel

Bethesda Chapel, Albion St, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 1QF - Visit now

Bethesda Methodist Chapel in Hanley is considered to be one of England’s grandest surviving town chapels – and it’s easy to see why.

Bethesda Chapel, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
By Stepped [CC BY-SA 3.0 ], from Wikimedia Commons

Gladstone Pottery Museum

Gladstone Pottery Museum, Uttoxeter Rd, Stoke-on-Trent, ST3 1PQ - Visit now

The last complete Victorian pottery factory in Britain, Gladstone Pottery Museum in Longton provides a unique insight into the history of Stoke-on-Trent; an area renowned for its world-class pottery and ceramics.

Gladstone Pottery Museum Summer in Stoke on Trent
Gladstone Pottery Museum

Stoke Minster

Stoke Minster, Glebe St, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 1LP - Visit now

Just a short walk from Stoke-on-Trent train station is Stoke Minster, believed to have once been an important Celtic religious site and where Christian worship has taken place since Saxon times.

Stoke Minster, Stoke-on-Trent
By Rept0n1x [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

Burslem Town Square

Burslem Town Square, Market Place, Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 4AT - Visit now

‘Mother town’ of The Potteries, Burslem dates back to at least 1085 when it appears listed in the Domesday Book. Today, the wealth and fortune generated by the boom in global demand for Staffordshire pottery can still be seen reflected in the town’s many fine red brick buildings and grand displays of civic pride.

The Wedgwood Institite, Burslem summer in stoke on trent
The Wedgwood Institute, Burslem

Where to go near Summer in Stoke-on-Trent

Ripley's Believe It Or Not
Blackpool
Museum
Ripley’s Believe It Or Not

Located at Blackpool Pleasure Beach resort, this museum of oddities is the perfect place for families to discover the strange, the unusual and the extraordinary.

Image courtesy of Saoko Cocktail Bar.
Blackpool
Restaurant
Saoko Cocktail Club

This cocktail bar may be the new kid on the Blackpool block, but it’s already renowned for its excellent service and imaginative drinks that offer an ‘experience and a story’.

Little Black Pug by Ian Jones.
Blackpool
Restaurant
Little Black Pug

Head to Balckpool’s Little Black Pug for an historic, laid-back, family-friendly pub with a huge malt whiskey collection.

Ian Jones.
Blackpool
Shop
Aunty Social

Both a lifestyle store and a community arts hub, Aunty Social showcases the very best of Blackpool’s creative community. A great spot to pick up lovingly-made gifts.

Exterior of fish and chip shop
Blackpool
Restaurant
Harrowside Fish & Chips

Winner of the Good Food Award’s coveted Chippy of the Year award on multiple occasions, Harrowside is a great choice for fish and chips in Blackpool.

Ladies eating Fish and Chips
Blackpool
Restaurant
C Fresh

C Fresh is an old school, decidedly affordable chippy near Blackpool prom, consistently busy with locals – a sure-fire sign it’s doing something right.

Twisted
Blackpool
Restaurant
Twisted Indian Street Food

Blackpool’s number one Indian restaurant, Twisted Indian packs a flavour punch and isn’t afraid to mix the traditional with the modern. Their motto? ‘Being normal is boring.’

What's on: Exhibitions

Wolf in Yellowstone
Until
ExhibitionsManchester
Wild at Manchester Museum

Manchester Museum explores the concept of ‘wild’ nature as a means of tackling the climate and biodiversity crisis in a new exhibition.

free entry

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