Stoke on Trent was born and made famous by its world renowned pottery pioneers, talented artists, modellers, lithographers, fettlers, spongers, liners, banders, gilders, kilnsmen, ceramic transfer printers, and sagger makers bottom knockers, etc. 

Our City Fathers and Mothers, made this City a hive of production. Fathers and Mothers, such as Josiah Wedgwood, Josiah Spode, Clarice Cliff and Susie Cooper. The mere beginnings, of those names being said, makes every single person in the world, think of the ‘Potteries’. 

Our city, has seen our once great pottery manufacturers close, due to cheap imported, pottery and porcelain. Stoke on Trent City Council want to close two museums, which brings in valuable tourism to our now neglected city, in order to cut their budget. Stoke on Trent without its pottery, is like Egypt without the pyramids.

The council want the museum closed for a number of days per week/ months per year, in order to make way for TV film crews. The museum, should be accessible all the time, as tourism is not just a weekend activity. The Sentinel has already commented about Gladstone Pottery Museum, being a cash cow. 

The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery is home to some of the most beautiful wares, ever to come out of Stoke on Trent and has a worthy and beautiful collection. Where else could you go to see, Wedgwood, Spode, Minton, all alongside each other, a 280 year old slipware owl called Ozzy, (made famous by Antiques Roadshow) and early, highly decorated porcelain toilets by the Crapper company. The museum recently opened its Spitfire gallery, at huge cost but will it be closing its pottery section. 

Gladstone Pottery Museum in Longton, is a working museum, where pottery is still made in the traditional way and employs a person with the strangest job title, in the U.K., if not the world, a Sagger Makers Bottom Knocker. 

Our City Council can not and must not close these two important museums. I personally feel that, by closing these museums, even for a set number of days/months per year, would lead to the museums being ultimately closed for good. They would be ripping the heart out of our city and discarding our pottery heritage, like an old shoe.

Should or maybe, the museums be sold to English Heritage et al., and an admission charge be put into place, in order to keep them open and hopefully, attract more tourism to these two, very important venues. 

Please sign and share to keep our pottery heritage alive and to keep the curators in a job, which they love and are proud of.