St Francis 75 on Tour – Wartime Heritage (Part 2)

Advance notice of another trip planned for Sat 1st August, exploring our ceramics heritage. Many local people worked in the industry in one form or another and we have a right to be proud of the Potteries heritage – what other part of the country has so many internationally famous brand names associated with it?

Even if you’ve worked in the pottery industry all your life you are almost guaranteed to learn something new on this trip!

We begin with the Etruria Industrial Museum and Heritage Centre, the home of Jesse Shirley’s Bone and Flint Mill (the only steam driven potters mill in the world) looking at how the raw materials were made. After a short talk on the history of the mill and the importance of the raw materials made there, we get a personal tour of the mill in steam.

From the museum we head off to the recently re-opened Middleport Pottery in Burslem where we get a personal tour of the factory (although as it is Saturday it will not be in production) and a talk on its history. Unfortunately children under 10 are not permitted on factory tours. The factory has been superbly restored by the Prince’s Regeneration Trust and is well worth a visit – as is the shop and cafe!

The trip will cost £5 per person to cover entrance fees/tours (heavily subsidised courtesy of our Heritage Lottery funding). To keep costs down we will car share (if you are willing to share space in your car, tell Ann on 01782 393189). We will meet at St Francis church car park on Sat 1st Aug at 11am for a prompt 11.15 departure. Please pay money to Ann before the date so that we can confirm numbers. Spaces are limited so book early! Comfortable shoes are recommended as we will be going over uneven surfaces and up stairs. Refreshments available at both venues.

This is an ideal opportunity to share our local heritage so ‘dunna dither’, book today – all welcome.