Trent and Mersey Canal and Stoke-On-Trent Musuem

Friday, June 26th, we woke up to rain.  Martin had the mechanic coming to fix the boat engine so Sue and I caught a bus into the centre of Stoke-On-Trent, about 1 and a half miles and 30 minutes by bus.  We went to see the Stoke-On-Trent Museum where there is a display of all the Potteries and their pottery and The Staffordshire Hoard is displayed also.

We spent 3 hours there, first of all at the exhibition of the Staffordshire Hoard.  This is a hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure, the largest ever found.  It was found on 5th July 2009, when a guy with a metal detector, who used it to try and unearth gold nuggets, was using it in a Staffordshire meadow.  The hoard is over 1,000 items and includes fittings from the hilts of swords, fragments of helmets, Christian crosses and magnificent pieces of garnet work, gold, silver and garnets.

Some of the hoard before and after conservation.

Various Sword fittings and Items in the Hoard.

Most of the treasure came from an area of 5 x 4 metres and was given a value of 3,285,000 pound and was bought from The Treasury by the Staffordshire and Stoke-On-Trent Museum.  It has taken over 5 years to analyse, catalogue, X-ray and document each piece.  We saw approx. 500 pieces.  It contains over 5.2 kgs of gold and 1.5 kgs of silver, mostly small items.

A variety of items in the Hoard.

It is dated back to 600AD approx. and was found in the heartland of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia with Lichfield, Mercia's ecclesiastical centre, only 6.5 kms away.  It is not known why it was buried and was different to any other finds as it was almost entirely of war-gear and sword hilt fittings.

Helmet fittings and a replica of the Sutton Hoo Helmet.

A gold and cloisonné garnet pommel cap off a sword.

Some Christian objects were found, usually crosses, and a series of plates and strips set with finely cut garnets. 

Christian findings.

Missing were feminine dress fittings and combs.  The gold work on the plates and strips was exceptional.

A cone, a cylinder and at the top, a disc and a strip inlaid with cloisonné garnets with inset filigree panels.

Various other items they were able to date the collection from.

It was a fascinating collection of gold and silver, unbelievable the intricacy of some of it and a real find and now in history forever.  The photos of it have been taken from the book about it as taking photos of it wasn't encouraged.

Next it was the Pottery Museum.  I could have taken photos but my camera wasn't working, my card was too full and I couldn't have used a flash.  This was a wonderful collection, so much pottery is was mind boggling.  It was a history of the Staffordshire Pottery, the way it was made and the various collections dating from 1770's to 1970's.  The main collection was Spode, Wedgewood, Milton, Turners, Wheldon etc etc, too many to remember and then later ones including Susie Cooper, Poole, Moorcroft and Royal Doulton.  It was fantastic and the variety was amazing.  One would never have guessed that so much pottery had been made over the centuries and the history of it was fascinating, especially before the 19th century. 

After 1 and a half hours of pottyery we didn't even go to the Art Gallery which also contained famous art work, we were overloaded and caught a bus back to the canal where we met up with Martin just below Etruria after having the boat fixed and going well.  We spent a restful night moored there looking at an early start in the morning.

Up early next morning, June 27th and off back down the Trent and Mersey Canal which we came up on, on the 21st June, passed Barlaston and the Wedgewood Factory, that still wasn't open, through the 4 locks at Meaford and the Lime Kiln Lock to Stone and 3 locks.

The canal and boat and old Joules Ale factory in the background near Stone.

Part of the Stone Boatyard with dry docks and the Stone locks at the right.

Stone is a canal boat and market town, has a huge marina and large boat building facilities, boatyards and dry docks. 

The Market Square in Stone.

Another street in Stone.

Stone was famous for some local scandal as well and a statue to remind people of it.

Notice on the canal near Stone.

Bridge over the canal and a statue of Christina Collins near Stone.

We took a walk around the town, up the main street and then continued on our way to the Aston Lock, mooring on the side of the canal for the night, in the middle of open country.  This area is in the middle of the Trent Valley, with hills and woods and the side of the canal once again is very picturesque.  We had travelled 15 and a half miles and through 15 locks in total, quite a busy day !!!

Stoke-On-Trent and Middleport Pottery

Up early on June 25th as Martin wanted to get back to Stoke-On-Trent to get the boat fixed the next day.  It was back down the same canal, 8 miles and 8 locks to Etruia which we had started out from 5 days ago.  The weather was cloudy with sunny spells and met up with friends at Etruria and then turned right at the junction onto the Trent and Mersey Canal and headed north to Burslem, part of Stoke-On-Trent, passed a lot of industrial land and old potteries.

Trent and Mersey Canal in Stoke-On-Trent, industrial buildings.

A notice about the history of the Trent and Mersey Canal

We moored on the canal outside the Burleigh, Middleport Pottery and visited this for the afternoon.

Middleport Pottery on the Trent and Mersey Canal, the old crane and packing buildings.

This pottery was built in 1888 and started up in 1889 on this site by William Leigh and Frederick Burgess.  They had previously begun on a small site in 1868 and then 2 decades later needed to expand.  The new Middleport Pottery was the vision of William Leigh who died the same year before it was completed and Burgess also died in 1895.  The task of implementing their vision was up to their sons who purchased pattern engravings and moulds from other pottery businesses as they closed down, to build up a vast library of shapes and designs.  Eventually the founders' surnames were combined to form the brand name Burleigh.

The original chimney for the coal firing and view of buildings that have been restored and used today, on the edge of the Canal.

Middleport Pottery was described as the "Model Pottery of the Staffordshire pottery industry" when it was first built.  The layout of the buildings, in parallel ranges with ovens incorporated into the production line, was designed to minimise the distance travelled between each process.  This was an attempt to partially mechanise an essentially handmade craft.  It had 7 bottle kilns in a row, 3 as biscuit ovens (for the first firing) and 4 glost ovens (used to fire the pottery after it had been glazed).  Today only one biscuit oven survives and is not used. 

The one Bottle kiln used as a biscuit oven that remains and the drying kiln.  Neither are used now.

The first time the iconic brand name, Burleigh, was used to name a pattern was thought to be in 1901, Production continued through both World Wars with new shapes and bright colours being introduced including cheap and cheerful art deco style afternoon tea sets.  Charlotte Rhead, a prominent designer, worked there during this time with the workforce peaking at this production time of about 500.  Post war, modern electric and gas tunnel kilns were introduced which ultimately led to the demolition of all but one bottle oven at Middleport and in 1956, replacing the old polluting bottle kilns in Stoke-On-Trent became compulsory.  In 1933 there were around 2,000 bottle kilns in the Potteries, by 1957 there were only 550 working bottle ovens left.

Plan of Middleport Pottery as it was.

Further modernisation occurred with automated jiggering and jolleying machines plus state-of-the-art printing machines.  Despite this traditional underglaze tissue transfer printing continued to occur at Middleport Pottery for the more complex pottery such as cups and teapots.

By the end of the 20th century the challenge of maintaining the fabric of the historic factory and keeping up with developments in technology was proving too much.  In 1998 staff were asked to reduce their hours and in 1999, the directors made the difficult decision to go into voluntary receivership.  After 110 years, the Middleport Pottery gates were about the close for the foreseeable future.  It was rescued by Dorling of The China Box Company who revitalised the underglaze transfer printed kitchenware and tableware and promoted the mixed blue and white dresser look which is now a brand look for Burleigh.  However by 2008 the new company was struggling and was acquired by Denby Holdings Ltd, the manufacturer of Denby Pottery which owns it today under the original company.

Examples of special pottery fired and the Burleigh "mixed dresser" of blue and white wares as it was in 2003 and is still made today.

By 2011, it was again at serious risk of closure because of the very poor state of repair of the buildings.  The Prince of Wales Regeneration Trust stepped in to buy and save the historic site and began a 9 million pound project to regenerate and revitalise it.  Half the site has been leased back to the Burleigh company and production is now increasing and working conditions have improved in the original buildings.  Middleport Pottery and the site continues to produce, using traditional techniques, the Burleigh pottery for which is was originally built in Victorian times.

The Slip Room

Slip and clay mixing vats

We were taken on a 2 hours tour of the pottery, through all the making processes in the original buildings and it was fantastic.  This included the mould room and the making of the moulds for the hollow pottery, the slip and clay mixing areas and watched plates being formed and actual process from the first firing to the final product.  I was told there are now 80 people working in the pottery, some have been there all their working life.  They are trying to recruit more younger, keen people to learn the traditional techniques.

Pottery waiting for first firing.

Sponging of pottery before it is fired, all pottery has to go through this process.

Plates awaiting sponging and firing.

I was even persuaded to try my hand at sponging down a plate on a wheel, I was surprised I survived it without ruining it !!!

I didn't make a terrible attempt !!!

After the first firing, the pottery is all glazed by hand and then dried in an electric kiln and checked for defects after this.

Glazing plares, all dipped by hand and then fired in the kiln.

The next step if patterned is making the tissue transfer and applying the glue, then cutting out and fixing the transfer to the cup or plate or whatever.  The tissue is then hand brushed off the pattern and left to dry and washed by hand.

Cutting out the tissue transfer to fit around the cup handle, they were quick.

Next step, wiping it on and taking out the creases.

Brushing off the tissue paper as it dries.  The pattern is only on the outside.

Washing all the pottery after it has dried with the transfer pattern in place.

The pottery is now checked several times before final inspection when it is eventually packed and sent out of the pottery.  There are several different lines of the pottery made at any time.  Unfortunately we did not see the hand painting being done.  Pottery for Prince Charles' Highgrove Shop is also produced here under his brand.

Pottery of all descriptions awaiting to be checked.

More pottery to be checked for flaws.

Final inspection.

There is also a museum on the site containing displays of all the different types of pottery made on the site during the years, plus models of how it would have been.  They have over 1,900 moulds that have been used as well and are continuing to catalogue it all as some of them have only been discovered this year.  This is the only remaining pottery that continues to be based on its original site and buildings in Stoke-On-Trent and still uses traditional techniques which are labour intensive to produce the pottery.  It was a fantastic tour and the restoration that has been done is exceptional and it still continuing.  A piece of history preserved.

Summary of the Burleigh process, it involves 25 pairs of hands from start to finish.

Following this visit, we continued a short distance up the canal to a mooring beside Westport Lake, a recreational and wildlife lake built in an old coal quarry, very peaceful, a lovely spot, for the night.

Boat moored on the Trent and Mersey Canal next to Westport Lake.

A Notice about Westport Lake.

View of Westport Lake and the wildlife.

Cheddleton Flint Mill

On 24th June, on our way back down the Caldon Canal, we stopped at the Cheddleton Flint Mill to have a look at it as it was open.

The 2 large water wheels used to run the 2 mills.  The one on the right was running the day we visited.

View of the mills with steam engine room in the front.

The Flint Mill has been restored and is powered by 2 large waterwheels.  There has always been a mill on this site since the 13th century, then for corn, followed as a flint mill for the pottery industry from the 18th century.  The corn mill was enlarged and strengthened for grinding the flint.  Narrow boats brought the flint that had been carried from the south of England to the Mersey Ports by ship.  It was then brought by narrow boats on the canal to the Flint Mill.

Diagram of the Cheddleton Flint Mill Process.

Flint was principally used to whiten the pottery and ground flint was used in a white slip to wash the insides of buff coloured wares.  As flint dust caused destruction of the lungs, the flint was ground in water instead of dry to eliminate this.







The flint came by narrow boat, was unloaded by shovel and into the flint kilns, on a base of kindling and alternative layers of coal and flints and heated to about 1,000 degrees.  The flints would be calcined for 3 - 4 days in order to shatter their structure and make it brittle and render it easier to grind. 

Flint Mill and Jaw Crusher used to make the flintstone smaller.

Carried to the mill in a wagon, running the old plateway,  made of cast iron in 1777 and replaced in the 1920's by rolled steel and narrow gauged rails, the flints would be hoisted up to the top floor and charged onto the pan, with water.  The pan is paved with Chert stones, while the heavy stones, 'runners', also of Chert are driven round by the strong cast iron arms (gear wheels).

Gear wheels powered by the water wheels

Grinding pans and buckets.

After being ground for 24 hours, the slop was run off into a wash tub for thorough mixing with water before passing into the settling ark.  Here the flint settled and the clear water drawn off through the holes in the plug plank.  When settling had reached the correct stage, the slop flint was pumped over onto a slip drying kiln and when dry was sent by canal to the Potteries.

Single edge grinding pan used for mixing colours and a frame sieve.

Water power remained important for grinding the flint, stone and bone up to the 1950's until steam and now electricity has overtaken these means.

Examples of different types of pottery.

Description of Calcination and Cattle Bone which is used to make bone china.  I never knew that this was why it is called bone china.

The Miller's house was built in the early 1800's and the main room had a cast iron cooking coal range.

Miller's house to the left and the large warehouse.

Kitchen in Miller's Cottage

I was told the story by an elderly lady volunteer tidying up the garden in the Miller's cottage to the left of the photo that the lady, who is 96 years old and was born in the Miller's cottage, continues to live in the cottage in front of the base of the large warehouse in the photo.  These buildings were quaint and well preserved.

It was very interesting and educational as it explained the different clays and coals that were used in the pottery industry and were and are the main reasons for the development of the pottery industry in North Staffordshire as it continues to be today.