Last week we visited friends in Leek, and because there were some issues on the M6, we had to travel via Stoke on Trent.
Many years ago I worked at the Further Education College in Stoke on Trent. They were really happy years and I have some lovely memories of the area. We had campuses in both Hanley and Burslem, so I got to know the six towns very well, as well as the major industry of the area.
I have always been fascinated by the pottery kilns and we passed quite a few on our journey. Stoke-on-Trent, often referred to as “The Potteries,” became the
epicenter for ceramic production as local entrepreneurs and craftspeople
quickly embraced these efficient kilns.The emergence of bottle kilns in the early 19th century marked a transformative era in pottery manufacturing. Unlike traditional rectangular kilns, bottle kilns featured a distinctive curved roof resembling a bottle—a design innovation that improved both fuel efficiency and heat distribution. This efficient design enabled potters to achieve consistent, higher-quality ceramic results, fostering rapid industrial growth in the region.
Areas such as Burslem and Longton soon saw clusters of bottle kilns, which boosted production output and helped establish the city as a global leader in ceramics.
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| Bottle Kilns in Longton |
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| Bottle Kilns at Gladstone Pottery Museum |
During my years in Stoke, I also fell in love with the local delicacy - the oatcake. Not a Scottish oatcake but a Staffordshire oatcake. They are so delicious and it is strange to think that there was a time when there was an oatcake hatch on every street, serving everything imaginable wrapped in a Staffordshire oatcake.
Sadly there wasn't time on our journey to Leek to sample some oatcakes, but I will be picking some up soon and making us a delicious treat!