Stoke-on-Trent's worldwide reputation is based on the products of pottery manufacturers. The potteries would not have existed without local clays and rich seams of high quality coal. Men such as Josiah Wedgewood and Josiah Spode used local raw materials and their innovative skills to build an industry of international fame.
Stoke-on-Trent is the name given to six famous pottery towns (the other five being Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton and Tunstall) which amalgamatd through industrial need, becoming a city in 1925. While each town maintains a separate identity, they have all provided the labour forces for the pits, potbanks, and furnaces, and the expertise and creativity to keep this conurbation in the forefront of international industry.
This book traces the history of this unique region, from the coal mine recorded at Tunstall in 1282, through the potters that have become household names - Wedgewood, Minton, Spode, Moorcroft - the important transport link, the Trent and Mersey Canal (started in 1766 near Burslem), and the influence of john Wesley, to the modern City of Stoke-on-Trent.
The author's lively narrative complements a splendid selection of illustrations. This is a book for all with an interest in the people and places that made the potteries.
Contents:
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Early History
2. The Medieval Period
3. Secular Growth and Civil Strife
4. Urbanisation and Industrial Revolution
5. Wealth and Welfare
6. The Modern Era
7. The Post-Modern Era
Notes
Bibliography
Index
