Links


Some useful links to more information about the locality and its industry


The Gladstone Pottery Museum Story

The definitive 50 year history of the museum
From a crumbling and derelict shell of a potbank to an internationally renowned and unique museum of the Stoke-on-Trent Pottery Industry. Four coal fired bottle ovens still stand in the potbank yard. Steam engine, sliphouse, galleries of sanitaryware, tiles and pottery colour, workshops and of course the potters themselves ... follow The Gladstone Pottery Museum Story here>




The Potteries

An extraordinary all-encompassing website about The Potteries here>





Sociophonetic Variation 

in Stoke-on-Trent's Pottery Industry

Hannah Leach 

PhD thesis, University of Sheffield.  2018

This thesis presents a sociophonetic analysis of two dialect variables in twenty-six speakers who worked in Stoke-on-Trent's pottery industry.


"I used to hate Stoke-on-Trent. Growing up there, I thought it was boring, insular, grotty, and I couldn’t wait to get away. When I discovered linguistics, I realised barely anything had been done on Stoke-on-Trent’s local accent (which baffled me), so I started to work on it. Ten years later, not only have I completed three theses on various aspects of the local variety, doing so has enabled a complete turnaround in my attitude to the city. In the BBC’s 2009 adaptation of Austen’s Emma, Mr Knightley says of Miss Bates, “she deserves your compassion, not your contempt”, and that’s stuck with me. Stoke-on-Trent has had an enormous reversal of fortunes and yet, its residents’ devotion to their art and heritage remains steadfast (and so it should, because nothing is comparable to Potteries ware), as does their warmth and humility. I’ve frequently described my thesis as “my big, tragic love letter to Stoke”, and I hope that comes across to anyone who reads it. I owe the city for bringing me up and giving me a purpose."  Hannah Leach


BBC Newsreel 1948



There's Diamonds Under Dirt - 1972 film 

Documentary looking at environmental issues affecting Stoke-on-Trent.



Year: 1972  
Duration:34 minutes 
Music: Bob Wilson
Research & Filming by Ray Johnson and John Goodwin
Edited and Produced by Ray Johnson and John Goodwin
Made at The North Staffordshire Polytechnic

https://www.macearchive.org/films/theres-diamonds-under-dirt 


Spode History

The must-see blog about Spode and its history from thjose very early days 

Everything you need to know - well almost!  here>

This site has been archived for preservation by the British Library



The Spode ABC

Lots of Spode history stored alphabetically. Explore and enjoy and keep coming back to see more entries as the blog is updated here>