Middleport Pottery

Stoke on Trent

The Grade II* listed, Middleport Pottery is the last remaining pottery in Stoke on Trent still in the original buildings. Opened in 1889 it was regarded at the time as being a model pottery in terms of its efficient layout and modern facilities. It was developed by the firm Burgess and Leigh and it was from here that they created their world-famous Burleigh ware, and the traditional hand-transfer printing process which continues today. While the pottery business itself was thriving, they no longer required the full range of buildings and consequently areas of the site were becoming dilapidated. The renovation and development of these Grade II* potteries was business led and focused on visitors and letting opportunities, including a café, shop, functions rooms, educational spaces, activity centre and the opportunity to show case the pottery making process. Liaison with the main funding bodies, including the HLF, Prince’s Regeneration Trust and Historic England, was key. The construction process and temporary works required careful consideration as the design was based around the need to keep the modern working pottery operational. Spaces were arranged to allow almost full unaltered reuse of the existing structure meaning the project has a virtually zero embodied carbon footprint.