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Pictures of Stoke-on-Trent

in the county of Staffordshire

Potteries, Stoke on Trent

About Stoke-on-Trent

Town known best as "the potteries" but in reality Stoke-on-Trent is a 1906 amalgamation of six towns, each of which still maintain their own individuality and character.

Of the other five towns, Tunstall, Burslem, Fenton, Longton, and Hanley, most have associations with the manufacture of fine pottery and porcelain, with Hanley being particularly noted as a substantial centre for shopping.

It could be said that Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) made the Potteries, he was the greatest single figure of his period to influence the area, he is best known for his classical blue and white Jasper ware. He was also a scientist and became a Fellow of the Royal Society for his invention of the pyrometer, which measures extreme heat.

Arnold Bennett, the novelist made Stoke-on-Trent famous, he used it as a back-drop for his rich portrayal of "Five Towns" he was born in Hanley in 1867. In many of his stories he recalls the potteries of his youth, he left the area when London and fame beckoned in 1889 at the age of 21.

Today, visitors to the area can visit a unique museum where they can witness how 19th-century potters worked. The Gladstone Museum in Longton is the only surviving complete Victorian pottery factory from the days when coal burning bottle ovens made the finest English bone-china. Decorative porcelain from this period continues to fetch high prices and gets shipped all over the world.

You can also see the famous statue dedicated to Stoke-on-Trent's 20th-century hero, Sir Stanley Matthews, the great football legend. Another "giant" of the region was Reginald Mitchell (1895-1937). Mitchell was born in a local village, he famously designed the Spitfire - the greatest of the World War II fighting planes. In Hanley, Mitchell is honoured with a theatre and a centre for education. At the City Museum there is an actual Spitfire and outside the museum is a statue of Mitchell.

Trentham Gardens is a superb visitor attraction, at its heart lie gardens laid out by Capability Brown, these overlook the mile-long waters of Trentham Lake. The whole of the pleasure grounds encompass over 700 acres, including woodland and a monkey forest!

The Festival Marina at Stoke-on-Trent is one of the Trent and Mersey canal's most popular destinations. It offers a wide range of facilities for boaters including narrow boat hire and moorings. The marina is amidst the re-developed National Garden Site, offering a range of activities including the exciting Water World, dry ski slope, cinema, ten pin bowling and a shopping centre.

Ford Green Hall is the oldest house in the city, it can be found in Thorne Green Road, it is the perfect example of an Elizabethan half-timbered manor house of around 1580. The house was the home of the Ford family for over two centuries. Today it is a museum with an outstanding collection of rich furnishings, including an Elizabethan four poster bed, ceramics and textiles.

The Victoria Hall and the Regent Theatre are great centres for culture, offering the very best of entertainment and suites for corporate entertaining.

Today, Stoke-on-Trent has a multi-cultural society. The city is proud of its history and heritage, and of the fact that people of all nationalities gather together to take the city forward into the 21st-century.

For those wishing to explore the Potteries there are excellent hotels, pubs, inns, and restaurants. Several museums tell the storey of Stoke-on-Trent and of the potteries in general. The town has spacious green areas for relaxing after a round sight seeing or shopping.


Planning a visit? Please see below for other recommended towns, attractions and recommended hotels nearby.

Distances and directions below are approximate. For true driving distances please visit the AA Route Planner

Recommended attractions near Stoke-on-Trent

The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery(0.4 miles, 0.6 km)Pictures
Parkhall Country Park(3.9 miles, 6.3 km, direction SE)Pictures
Monkey Forest(4.2 miles, 6.8 km, direction S)Pictures
Trentham Gardens(4.2 miles, 6.8 km, direction S)Pictures
Whitmore Hall(5.0 miles, 8.1 km, direction SW)Pictures
Greenway Bank Country Park(5.4 miles, 8.6 km, direction N)Pictures
Deep Hayes Country Park(5.9 miles, 9.5 km, direction NE)Pictures
Mow Cop Castle(6.2 miles, 9.9 km, direction N)Pictures
Churnet Valley Railway(7.2 miles, 11.5 km, direction NE)Pictures
Biddulph Grange Garden(7.4 miles, 11.8 km, direction N)Pictures
Consall Country Park(7.4 miles, 12.0 km, direction E)Pictures
Little Moreton Hall(7.7 miles, 12.3 km, direction N)Pictures
Bridgemere Garden World(9.6 miles, 15.4 km, direction W)Pictures
Eccleshall Castle(11.6 miles, 18.6 km, direction S)Pictures
Alton Towers Theme Park(12.7 miles, 20.4 km, direction E)Pictures

All attractions in Stoke-on-Trent
All attractions in Staffordshire
Complete A to Z of attractions in England

Recommended towns near Stoke-on-Trent

Norton in the Moors, in the county of Staffordshire (2.9 miles, 4.7 km, direction NE)
Norton-in-the-Moors is exactly what its name implies - it is an old village set on the side of a windswept hill with far reaching views over rolling countryside towards the Peak District.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Mow Cop, in the county of Staffordshire (5.9 miles, 9.5 km, direction N)
The sheer scale of the height of this village with the quaint sounding name has made it famous, for it is believed that on a clear day the hill is visible to no less than five counties.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Rudyard, in the county of Staffordshire (8.2 miles, 13.1 km, direction NE)
A pretty village with a delightful cluster of cottages and houses with lovely gardens, bordered by woods at the south end of the picturesque Rudyard Reservoir.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Cheadle, a Historic Market Town in the county of Staffordshire (8.8 miles, 14.2 km, direction E)
Cheadle has several fine black and white half timbered buildings in the town that date from the 16th-century
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Froghall, in the county of Staffordshire (9.2 miles, 14.8 km, direction E)
Attractively situated on the banks of the Caldon Canal in the beautiful Churnet Valley. Froghall offers visitors the opportunity to experience a diverse range of landscapes including fine watermeadows with a wealth of wildlife.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Congleton, in the county of Cheshire (9.6 miles, 15.5 km, direction N)
This lively market town stands on a bend of the River Dane, it quite possibly takes its name from the Celtic word "congle" which in English means "a bend".
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Crewe, in the county of Cheshire (11.7 miles, 18.9 km, direction NW)
Crewe has always been associated with its great railway junction, and it is from this point in the "hey-day" of rail travel that Crew began to prosper.
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Alton, in the county of Staffordshire (12.8 miles, 20.6 km, direction E)
The village has many elegant stone buildings, and there is a circular lock-up and the romantic ruins of a 12th-century castle.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Audlem, in the county of Cheshire (13.8 miles, 22.2 km, direction W)
A walk around the village reveals pleasant black and white timber framed properties, delightful cottages, and buildings of the Victorian era when the canal system and railways came to the area.
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Nantwich, in the county of Cheshire (14.2 miles, 22.8 km, direction W)
Today, Nantwich is a busy bustling place of business and commerce that still manages to retain its unique 'Elizabethan' flavour.
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Denstone, in the county of Staffordshire (14.3 miles, 23.0 km, direction E)
Denstone is a peaceful village set in the midst of rural Staffordshire countryside, where farm meadows are watered from a myriad of sparkling rivers flowing down from the Peak District National Park.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Market Drayton, a Historic Market Town in the county of Shropshire (14.9 miles, 24.0 km, direction SW)
Market Drayton is famous as the home of Gingerbread, and as the birthplace of Robert Clive - Clive of India, he was educated at the Grammar School, founded in 1558, and his desk bearing his carved initials is still preserved.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Stafford, in the county of Staffordshire (15.3 miles, 24.7 km, direction S)
Set in a landscape of contrasts with constantly changing scenery from the Royal hunting forests of Cannock Chase to the breweries...
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Ilam, in the county of Derbyshire (16.3 miles, 26.2 km, direction E)
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Milldale, in the county of Derbyshire (16.9 miles, 27.3 km, direction E)
Milldale is a glorious stone village lying in scenic countryside towards the southern fringes of the Peak District National Park.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

All towns in Staffordshire
Complete A to Z of towns in England

Nearby travel help

Etruria Station(0.6 miles, 1.0 km)
Stoke-on-Trent Station(1.0 miles, 1.5 km)
M6 Junction 15(3.8 miles, 6.1 km, direction SW)
M6 Junction 16(6.8 miles, 10.9 km, direction NW)
Manchester Airport(23.3 miles, 37.5 km, direction N)
Liverpool John Lennon Airport(34.9 miles, 56.2 km, direction NW)
Stoke-on-Trent to London(136.5 miles, 219.6 km, direction SE)

Hotels & Accommodation in Stoke-on-Trent

Hotel NameApproximate distance from Stoke-on-Trent center
Quality Hotel Stoke-On-Trent(0.4 miles, 0.6 km)
North Stafford Hotel(1.2 miles, 1.9 km, direction S)
Best Western Stoke On Trent Moat House(1.4 miles, 2.3 km, direction S)
Borough Arms Hotel(1.5 miles, 2.4 km, direction SW)
Express By Holiday Inn Stoke-On-Trent(1.8 miles, 2.9 km, direction S)
Plough Motel(2.1 miles, 3.4 km, direction S)
Stop Inn Newcastle-Under-Lyme(2.1 miles, 3.4 km, direction W)
The Ramada Newcastle-Under-Lyme(2.9 miles, 4.7 km, direction SW)
The Crown Hotel(3.2 miles, 5.1 km, direction SE)
The Weather Vane(5.6 miles, 9.0 km, direction SE)
All hotels in Stoke-on-Trent

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