The Dudson Museum

About the museum

Richard Dudson opened his first pottery on Hope Street in Hanley in 1800. The firm made a wide range of domestic ware, including Staffordshire figures, relief-moulded stoneware and jasperware. In 1882 his great-grandson James Thomas Dudson took over the factory and, from 1891, turned the business towards strong catering ware for the growing hotel and leisure trade, which became its main product.

By the early 1980s the Hope Street site was no longer suitable for modern production and manufacturing moved to other factories. In 1994 the Dudson family gave the old site to the voluntary sector. Most of the old buildings were demolished after an archaeological dig by The Potteries Museum, but the bases of two early bottle kilns were kept. The site was redeveloped from 1996 and opened as the Dudson Centre in 1999.

The centre now offers offices and meeting rooms for voluntary organisations. The Dudson collection is displayed in the Grade II listed bottle oven at the centre of the courtyard. It covers three centuries of Dudson pottery across two floors, from Staffordshire figures and jasperware to hotel ware. The museum is run by the charity VAST Services.

Highlights

• Collection of Dudson pottery from three centuries
• Displays inside a Grade II listed bottle oven
• Staffordshire figures, jasperware and hotel ware
• One of the few pottery museums devoted to a single company
• Free entry

Permanent exhibition

• The Dudson Collection – Dudson pottery from three centuries on two floors of a listed bottle oven, from Staffordshire figures and jasperware to hotel ware.

Operated by

VAST Services (registered charity)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

General entry is free and needs no ticket. Special events need tickets because places are limited. Donations are welcome.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• 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

The bottle oven has wheelchair access to the ground floor only. The rest of the Dudson Centre is accessible on all three floors by lift, with accessible toilets on the ground and first floors. Front and rear entrances are step-free, and the main entrance is directly off a public car park with spaces for disabled users.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is part of the Dudson Centre on Hope Street in Hanley.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The Dudson Café serves homemade food and hot and cold drinks. The Dudson Centre shop sells Dudson ceramics and work by local makers.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

The Dudson Centre hires three meeting rooms of different sizes for interviews, workshops and annual meetings, on weekday mornings, afternoons and full days and on Tuesday evenings. Refreshments come from the on-site café.

Plan your visit