Stoke-on-Trent

This weekend my family and I went up to Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, which is famous for its potteries. All the big names in pottery and china are based here and Stoke-on-Trent is historically rich in its potteries and big names: Royal Doulton, Royal Worcester, Wedgewood, Spode, Moorcroft - to name just a few. We visited The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery which was really interesting. The exterior of the building has a mural in relief depicting the history of the area and the Pottery Industry - it's very detailed and beautifully done.


Inside, the museum is sectioned into a Natural History Museum with information and artefacts on the local and surrounding areas and the rich history of the pottery industry. Then there is a World War II Spitfire plane on display as well as various exhibition galleries and the ceramics galleries themselves, which apparantly hold the finest collection of British ceramics in the world. What I saw certainly looked "fine" to me!


I saw some gorgeous ceramics and gazing at the various Clarice Cliff pieces made me purr like a kitten:-)

This is the Ephesus Jar -a storage jar excavated in 1883, from the site of the Temple of Artemis, in the ancient city of Ephesus (situated on the western coast of modern day Turkey). It dates from around 400BC!! It stands at 5ft 6in tall and has a circumference of 12ft 2in and weighs a whopping 737kilos!!



These were some of the old collection of earthernware and ceramicware that was housed in this museum. I saw some exquisite pieces and well known names.
for further info on Stoke-on-Trent and The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery:
http://www.stoke.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/leisure/museums/potteries-museum---art-gallery/

Sun 20.4.08 - FORD GREEN HALL



This was another place we visited in Stoke-on-Trent. Ford Green Hall is one of the few surviving remnants of Stoke-on-Trent's pre-industrial past. It's an original timber-framed structure, built as a farmhouse in 1624 for Hugh Ford, a wealthy farmer. It was the family home of the Fords for nearly 200 years. Over the centuries the house has changed considerably, altering and adapting to suit the needs and fashions of each generation.


Today the house is displayed as the home of the Ford family, though none of the contents are original to the Hall they're similar to those that would've furnished the house in the 17th & 18th centuries.

We were free to wander round the house and a guide book was given to us upon entrance. This particular day the staff were all dressed up in period costume of the era and adults and children alike were invited to try on costumes and have their photos taken.

The interior of the house was exactly as I imagined it to be - beamed ceilings, wooden floors, crooked walls and rickety stairs - it was beautiful! Inside there was plenty of information about the house and all the rooms and on the ground floor there was a small quaint tearoom and gift shop where we sat for refreshments and I bought some souveniers of our visit.


At the rear of the house was a charming garden recreated in 1996 as no trace of the original garden survives.

for further information on Ford Green Hall: http://www.stoke.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/leisure/museums/ford-green-hall/