Top Stoke-On-Trent Attractions
Stoke-on-Trent, formed from six individual towns, boasts an array of cultural and historic attractions. Visit world-famous pottery museums or make it fun for kids at Drayton Manor Theme Park with Thomas Land, zoo animal exhibits and thrilling water slides for them all!
Family travel to Niagara is made affordable thanks to a host of free attractions and budget-friendly accommodations, making this trip accessible and cost effective for them.
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England houses one of the world’s largest collections of Staffordshire ceramics as well as an original Mark XVI World War II Spitfire aircraft and fine and decorative arts collections. Additionally, archaeology, natural history, costume gallery space is provided as well as early 20th-century British artwork such as Grayson Perry and Gavin Turk works that challenge traditional boundaries between art and craft.
In 1926, a local doctor donated his collection of Impressionist paintings to the City of Stoke-on-Trent on condition that an art gallery be built. By 1981, this gallery had relocated to Hanley where its current location exists today and features designated collections that cover fine and decorative arts, costume, local history and archaeology, plus world-renowned Staffordshire ceramics collections. Furthermore, temporary exhibitions can also be hosted here as well as offering unique venue hire spaces.
Redeveloping the museum’s archaeological collection has catapulted it into national and international prominence, particularly through the Staffordshire Hoard, an Anglo-Saxon treasure dating from everyday use to religious or burial rituals.
Other highlights of the museum include a gallery that shows how pottery is created and an accompanying technical section detailing production techniques. Furthermore, its extensive Staffordshire ceramic collection boasts the Keiller collection with 667 cow creamer jugs and nearly 300 frog mugs as a star attraction.
The museum provides several activities for children, including its Spooky Ozzy Owl Trail and Potters Lane, where children can search for twelve objects belonging to Ozzy – free with museum admission! In addition, guests can enjoy cafe, Foyer Shop, drop-in activities and events. Throughout summer the gift shop features quality gifts. Guests may also access public parking nearby with ease! The museum is open daily except Tuesdays; accessible via bus, car or taxi and there is even a free public car park closeby!
Gladstone Pottery Museum
Gladstone Pottery Museum pays homage to Stoke-on-Trent’s vibrant ceramic history through exhibits and activities aimed at preserving it for future generations and inspiring creativity. One attraction at the museum includes Gladstone China Works – Britain’s only complete Victorian pottery factory.
The museum boasts five magnificent bottle ovens that can be explored inside. These kilns serve as the focal point of its collection and exhibitions that explore pottery production process; other galleries showcase tile, sanitary ware and ceramic colors history; children can explore an interactive children’s trail; while visitors can watch how a potter models clay on a wheel demonstration.
Visitors can tour the original workshops to gain an understanding of how bone china tableware was manufactured during the industrial revolution. Staff demonstrations will give an up close and personal look at this craft process; crafting their own pottery creation is also available as part of this experience. Furthermore, there are workshops on topics ranging from pottery throwing and flower making to painting and decorating pottery – not forgetting taking a tour around the museum itself and visiting its shop!
Gladstone Museum in Stoke-on-Trent is one of the city’s top tourist spots, serving as a filming location for Channel 4 TV’s hit program “The Great Pottery Throw Down.” Modelled after “Great British Bake Off”, “The Great Pottery Throw Down” celebrates pottery-making art and craft.
Gladstone Pottery Museum boasts over 12,000 ceramic items in their collection, such as an historical teapot which may have been created before any others in existence. Visitors to this fascinating institution can learn all about its rich history and role within society; their collections also boast rare pieces of Staffordshire blue pottery as well as early 20th-century items.
Gladstone Pottery Museum is an unforgettable experience for anyone interested in ceramics or industrial history. With its unparalleled setting and diverse exhibitions, this museum provides a fascinating journey for visitors of all ages. Open daily and conveniently located nearby Longton station.
Intu Potteries Shopping Center
The Potteries Shopping Center is the dominant shopping destination in the region, featuring over 500,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space with a multi-storey car park. Anchor stores include Primark and Next, Cineworld multiplex cinema with associated restaurant offer, River Island H&M Jack & Jones Pandora as well as various smaller stores such as River Island H&M Jack & Jones Pandora etc.
The shopping center is accessible to wheelchair-users, featuring lifts that connect most stores. There are also several restaurants and cafes inside, such as McDonald’s, Costa Coffee, Nando’s and Starbucks – several of which are open 24/7 to provide food, beverage and coffee service.
Stoke-on-Trent is home to numerous longstanding potteries that provide visitors with an array of museum tours, factory tours and pottery workshops. No matter your interest in ceramics or learning more about its 300 year industry – known as World Capital of China and Pottery – The Potteries has something for everyone!
Hanley’s Potteries Museum & Art Gallery is an incredible treasure chest of ceramics, period costumes and artworks with an emphasis on industrial history of Hanley. Additionally, there is also plenty of learning material on natural science with exhibits about various habitats and landscapes displayed throughout.
At either Museum Foyer or Potteries Shop, you can purchase gift cards to give to friends and family as a special present. Our variety of designs offer cards that can be used to buy tickets, snacks or an Unlimited Pass at Cineworld movie theatre.
The Potteries Shopping Centre in Hanley is the largest shopping center in both Staffordshire and South Cheshire, boasting major brands like Primark and Next along with an on-site Cineworld 9 screen movie theatre. There’s free Wi-Fi access, events and eateries galore to keep everyone occupied at this Hanley gem!
The owners of Potteries Shopping Centre in Hanley are currently trying to convince supermarket giant Lidl to open at their centre. They have drawn up plans for a mezzanine level store and hosted representatives from Lidl; however, Lidl has so far rejected their proposal.
Trentham Estate
Trentham Estate is an iconic attraction in Stoke-on-Trent and offers visitors a stunning variety of attractions and activities to enjoy, ranging from its exquisite gardens to high rope adventures at Aerial Extreme – there truly is something here for everyone at this pristine park!
On the southern edge of the city lies an expansive property comprising gardens, woodlands and a lake, featuring gardens, woodlands and an artificial lake. Popular family attractions located here include Monkey Forest and Garden Centre and Shopping Village – in addition to being home to 119-bedroom hotel and an exciting high ropes course called Treetop Adventures!
Trentham Estate gardens were designed by some of England’s leading landscape designers and boast the UK’s first barefoot walk and children’s play area and maze. Also found here is the Trentham Monkey Forest – home to 140 free roaming Barbary macaques living in their natural woodland environment – making the estate an important conservation and biodiversity hotspot. Rare breed herds of cattle as well as wild black fallow deer can all be found within its wide parkland spaces; plus this estate is the only place you can see reintroduced water voles back into English parks!
This estate has a long history, serving as the Staffordshire seat of the Dukes of Sutherland for nearly 250 years. In 19th-century, its owner proposed using it for use as a school, but county council rejected this proposal due to pollution from nearby River Trent.
George Granville, 2nd Duke of Sutherland commissioned a major renovation during the 1820s. This included adding a conservatory, dining room and other upgrades to his house; expanding the lake; creating extensive parkland complete with neoclassical lodges and even constructing a mausoleum – as well as expanding parkland with new roads, footbridges and mausolea.
Today, the Gardens are open all year long and offer many special events and activities, from two-for-one entry midweek discounts for kids and adults to world-renowned plant collections and international horticultural competitions. As an essential visit for nature enthusiasts and avid gardeners, visiting these stunning attractions should not be missed! Visiting is highly recommended! With its world-famous collection of plants as well as various displays and competitions. Plus there are various discounts offered such as two-for-one entry midweek or discounts just for kids and adults!
