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Stoke-on-Trent boasts an expansive culture, including many museums and galleries to discover, as well as spacious green areas where visitors can relax in comfort.<\/p>\n

Primitive Methodism was founded by Hugh Bourne at Mow Cop and its followers campaigned for equal treatment of women, Sunday schools, temperance measures and trade unions.<\/p>\n

1. The Coates family<\/h2>\n

The Coates family were among many potters that helped Stoke-on-Trent become renowned as a centre for fine ceramics, with work displayed at museums including The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Hanley, Etruria Industrial Museum on Caldon Canal and Gladstone Pottery Museum in Longton – not forgetting its famed terraced houses which remain evidence of pottery-making history and dialect with unique phrases like nesh and slat!<\/p>\n

Hanley bus station can be seen in The Girl With All The Gifts as one example of its post-industrial landscape drawing film-makers into its post-apocalyptic world, while other iconic buildings such as Golden Torch nightclub were used extensively throughout Northern Soul’s 1970s boom period and into rave music’s 90s resurgence era, with venues like Shelley’s Laserdome hosting artists like Sasha and Carl Cox performing there.<\/p>\n

Recently, Birmingham has made strides to revitalize its image as a center of crafts and artistic innovation. Their bid for 2021 UK City of Culture showcases this faith in their own potential.<\/p>\n

2. The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery<\/h2>\n

The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery serves as the focal point of Stoke-on-Trent’s cultural scene, located in Hanley – one of its six towns forming the city – it features collections that cover natural history, fine art, local history and ceramics as well as housing an acclaimed 20th-century British art collection.<\/p>\n

Monument to the city’s past and future, created from thousands of shaped bricks to symbolize both. Displaying scenes from coal mining, pottery production, silk manufacturing and canal systems as well as worker depictions such as miner pulling a cart full of coal and worker with clay on his shoulder as well as images depicting kilns and potters at work are included among others.<\/p>\n

The gallery boasts an impressive fine art collection, including pieces by Scottish Colourists and Impressionist painters as well as prints by John Currie and Samuel John Peploe, plus English porcelain, Chinese, Japanese wares and slipwares from Staffordshire slipwares to salt glazed wares from Staffordshire slipwares and salt glaze wares and salt glaze wares – and of course its famous collection of medieval stone and bronze figures!<\/p>\n

3. The Potteries Postcard Society<\/h2>\n

Stoke-on-Trent boasts an illustrious heritage in ceramics. You can learn about its famous potters such as Josiah Wedgwood at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery and enjoy viewing a wide range of works there. Additionally, this city features an active arts scene with theatres, concert halls and galleries to visit – not forgetting its longstanding railway tradition!<\/p>\n

Stoke-on-Trent has given rise to several well-known artists, such as Arnold Machin, Arthur Berry and Glenys Barton. Additionally, its literary culture boasts Arnold Bennett who has written extensively about its locale.<\/p>\n

The city offers several museums dedicated to its rich industrial past. You can learn about Middleport Pottery at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery or stroll down its cobbled streets; Emma Bridgewater Factory or Dudson Museum can also be visited, plus there are parks and gardens. Plus there are historical sites and a theme park.<\/p>\n

4. The Golden Torch<\/h2>\n

Stoke-on-Trent boasts a vibrant cultural landscape. Home to The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery and theatres such as Victoria Hall for concert hall events. Stoke is also famed for its literary scene with writers like Pauline Stainer and Elijah Fenton (author of novel that inspired Britpop band Oasis) calling this city home.<\/p>\n

In the 1960s and 70s, Sheffield was at the epicenter of Britain’s Northern soul subculture, led by The Golden Torch club whose logo of an image of an outstretched hand holding up a torch aloft became an international symbol for this subculture. Sheffield also boasts a vibrant music scene; venues like Golden Torch and Shelley’s Laserdome host touring bands; several well-known musicians hailing from Sheffield include Robbie Williams and Slash.<\/p>\n

Stoke’s postindustrial landscape makes it an attractive filming location; scenes for zombie apocalypse film The Girl With All the Gifts were shot here. Emma Bridgewater also manufactures her iconic mugs and tableware here, which also boasts an active traditional pottery industry.<\/p>\n

5. The National Garden Festival<\/h2>\n

Stoke-on-Trent, commonly referred to as the Potteries, is famous for its pottery industry, football teams (Stoke City and Port Vale), legendary guitarist Lonnie Cook, local delicacies like oatcakes and lobby, as well as an interesting local dialect. Additionally, it boasts outstanding museums, beautiful gardens and an exciting shopping and entertainment scene.<\/p>\n

The National Garden Festival was a series of British garden exhibitions held on former industrial sites during the 1980s and 90s, inspired by Germany’s post-WW2 Bundesgartenschau concept that sought to regenerate derelict land through cultural regeneration projects.<\/p>\n

Each township’s architecture reflects its history – for instance, bottle ovens were often employed in early pottery factories while canal-side or railway-related mill, factory, or warehouse buildings developed around tight street patterns with wide expanses of window walling that provided plenty of daylighting for tasks such as lithography and fettling processes. Today the judges visited Stoke-on-Trent as part of their assessment for 2021 UK City of Culture selection.<\/p>\n

6. The 1990s rave music scene<\/h2>\n

The 1990s witnessed a revitalization of rave culture. Though initially suppressed by government regulation, dance culture returned with full force through commercial raves like Fantazia and Vision at Castle Donington – far larger scale events with festival vibes that featured sideshows, sideshow performances, and other attractions to keep ravers engaged all night long.<\/p>\n

Raves became safe havens for people from diverse backgrounds to come together through music, building communities through these events and also giving rise to an individual fashion style characterized by neon colors, oversized clothing and chunky platform shoes – an emergence that marked an important juncture in modern British history.<\/p>\n

Many renowned musicians hail from Stoke-on-Trent. Robbie Williams of Stone Roses was born there, while Slash of Motorhead spent much of his early years there as well. Furthermore, there are several venues where touring bands perform; these include Golden Torch Theatre, Shelley’s Laserdome and Potteries Museum as popular locations for local music performances.<\/p>\n

7. The Spode factory<\/h2>\n

As is true for many cities, Stoke-on-Trent takes great pride in its world-leading businesses, outstanding tourist attractions, glorious gardens, community events and arts programming. Notable features of Stoke-on-Trent include its world-leading businesses, outstanding tourist attractions, glorious gardens, community events and rich arts programs. Furthermore, Stoke City and Stoke-on-Trent Vale football teams, oatcakes and Lob as well as its local dialect. It also has a vast architectural legacy as home of both Spitfire designer (designer of Spitfire) and captain of Titanic (captain), architectural heritage that includes hosting both designers as well as captain of Titanic as well as being featured prominently in movies including Ray Winstone’s boxing movie Jawbone and Northern soul film Soulboy.<\/p>\n

Josiah Spode established his first factory, Spode of Hanley, in 1774. Much like Wedgwood’s work at Hanley, Spode focused on producing high quality ceramics – his success helped by opening his London outlet in 1784; this enabled him to reach more clients and gain insights into changing tastes. Today, the name Spode remains synonymous with quality ceramics while having become synonymous with Great British design – Botanic Garden remains their best-selling range, while new designs such as Kingsley keep keeping them at the forefront of contemporary yet timeless Great British design.<\/p>\n

8. The Potteries College of Art<\/h2>\n

The Potteries College of Art provides artists with an environment for education, honing craft and making connections, while serving as a hub of city culture with multiple performance venues and hosting various events all year long.<\/p>\n

The university is conveniently situated at the center of town, making it easy to access. Local attractions such as Potteries Museum & Art Gallery and Intu Potteries Shopping Center are within easy walking distance – providing plenty of opportunity for retail therapy!<\/p>\n

The pottery industry has left an imprint on the architecture of this city, such as bottle oven-adorned buildings or those situated near canals or railways. Terraced housing serves as a reminder of its industrial past while factories developed an architectural style with expansive window walls from floor to ceiling designed to allow adequate daylighting for intricate tasks like lithography and fettling lithographies and fettling presses; halls from old factories now serve as exhibition spaces and restaurants with the prestigious Halle Orchestra School set to open soon!<\/p>\n