Ceramica was a museum in

Burslem Burslem ( ) is one of the six towns that along with Hanley, Tunstall, Fenton, Longton and Stoke-upon-Trent form part of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. It is often referred to as the "mother town" of Stoke on Trent. ...

, Stoke-on-Trent, which explored the history of the area's

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...

industry. It was located in the former Burslem Town Hall. Exhibits included displays about

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

s manufacturers

Wade Ceramics Wade Ceramics Ltd is a manufacturer of porcelain and earthenware, headquartered in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Its products include animal figures for its Collectors Club, whisky flagons, and a variety of industrial ceramics. In the 1950s, the ...

Royal Doulton Royal Doulton is an English ceramic and home accessories manufacturer that was founded in 1815. Operating originally in Vauxhall, London, and later moving to Lambeth, in 1882 it opened a factory in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, in the centre of Engl ...

, Sadlers, Dudson, Steelite, Royal Stafford, Moorland,

Burleigh Pottery Burleigh Pottery (also known as Burgess & Leigh) is the name of a pottery manufacturer in Middleport, Stoke-on-Trent. The business specialises in traditionally shaped and patterned domestic earthenware of high quality. The pottery occupies nin ...

Moorcroft W. Moorcroft Limited (trading as W Moorcroft Ltd) is a British art pottery manufacturer based at Burslem in Stoke-on-Trent, England. The company was founded by William Moorcroft in 1913. History In 1897, Staffordshire pottery manufacture ...

and Cobridge Stoneware.Cobridge Stoneware
the Pottery Studio There were interactive displays and video presentations for children on ceramic history and local history. The museum was set up using National Lottery money from the

Millennium Commission The Millennium Commission, a United Kingdom public body, was set up to celebrate the turn of the millennium. It used funding raised through the UK National Lottery to assist communities in marking the close of the second millennium and celebra ...

and managed by a Trust. In March 2011 the museum closed as a result of a significant drop off in paying visitors following the closure of adjacent pottery manufacturers. The Trust was wound up and the buildings returned to the City Council. The main building, the former Town Hall, is now home to Haywood Academy sixth form college whilst the modern extension was demolished as uneconomic to repair.

References

Buildings and structures in Stoke-on-Trent Museums in Staffordshire Decorative arts museums in England Art museums and galleries in Staffordshire Ceramics museums in the United Kingdom Industry museums in England Museums disestablished in 2011 2011 disestablishments in England Defunct museums in England {{UK-museum-stub