Gladstone Pottery Museum

About the museum

Gladstone Pottery Museum occupies a complete Victorian pottery works in Longton, one of the six towns of Stoke-on-Trent. A pottery was first built on the site in 1787 by the Shelley family, and in 1789 it was divided into two separate potbanks. One of them was renamed Gladstone by 1876, after the statesman William Ewart Gladstone. Like many local works it fired its ware in coal-burning bottle kilns, the tall brick ovens that gave the Potteries their skyline.

Production ended in 1970, and the last firings in the bottle ovens had taken place about ten years earlier. The factory buildings were saved from demolition, and the site opened as a museum in 1974. Ownership later passed to Stoke-on-Trent City Council, which runs it as one of its city museums. Fewer than fifty bottle ovens survive in the city, and those at Gladstone are protected.

Visitors can walk through the kilns, workshops and yards to see how bone china and earthenware were made and what conditions were like for the men, women and children who worked there. The museum also has a Tile Gallery showing how tiles were pressed, glazed and decorated, and a gallery on the history of the toilet called Flushed with Pride.

Highlights

• Bottle kilns and workshops of a complete Victorian pottery factory
• Tile Gallery with a large collection of decorative tiles
• Flushed with Pride gallery on the history of the toilet
• Demonstrations and displays of pottery making
• Shop and cafe on site

Permanent exhibitions

• Victorian pottery factory – A complete 19th-century pottery works with bottle kilns, workshops and yards showing how tableware was made and fired.
• Tile Gallery – A gallery on the making of decorative tiles, with one of the better tile collections in the country.
• Flushed with Pride – A display on the history of the toilet, with many touchable and noisy exhibits.

Founded

1974

Operated by

Stoke-on-Trent City Council

Admission & discounts

Prices are taken from the official website listing. Admission is free during special events such as the Ceramic Makers Market on 12 and 13 December 2026.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

According to the museum access statement of 2018, the entrance and shop are reached by a gentle ramp, buildings have ramped or level access, and the cafe is reached by lift. Outdoor yards are cobbled. There are accessible toilets near reception, in the Tile Gallery foyer and in the education area, and the main public toilets are on the first floor with lift access. Manual and powered wheelchairs can be borrowed free of charge on request. Four Blue Badge spaces are marked at the entrance. Please check the current access guide on the museum website.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Hands-on stations

The Flushed with Pride gallery is described by the museum as a noisy, hands-on display that children enjoy.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on Uttoxeter Road in Longton, reached from the A50.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

There is a shop and a cafe; both are open Wednesday to Sunday.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit