Ceramica was a museum in

Burslem Burslem ( ) is one of the six towns that along with Hanley, Staffordshire, Hanley, Tunstall, Staffordshire, Tunstall, Fenton, Staffordshire, Fenton, Longton, Staffordshire, Longton and Stoke-upon-Trent form part of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in ...

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire ...

, 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 raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

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, porcela ...

s manufacturers

Wade Ceramics Wade Ceramics Ltd was 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 Dudson is a British company that manufactured tableware, glassware and porcelain, in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. It is one of the oldest brands of its industry in England, founded in 1800. The former pottery works is the location of the Dudson C ...

Steelite Steelite International is a British ceramics manufacturer headquartered in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. They specialise in alumina-strengthened vitreous tableware for the hospitality industry. The company had a turnover of £117 m ...

, Royal Stafford,

Moorland Moorland or moor is a type of Habitat (ecology), habitat found in upland (geology), upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and the biomes of montane grasslands and shrublands, characterised by low-growing vegetation on So ...

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 decorated earthenware tableware. The factory is a nineteenth-century grade II* lis ...

Moorcroft W. Moorcroft Limited (trading as W Moorcroft Ltd) is a British art pottery manufacturer specialising in richly decorated earthenware, based at Burslem in Stoke-on-Trent, England. The company was founded in 1913 by William Moorcroft. In 2025 ...

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 National Lottery may refer to: *National Lottery (Ireland), the state lottery of Ireland *National Lottery (United Kingdom), the lottery franchise in the United Kingdom *South African National Lottery, established in 2000 *A number of countries con ...

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 Haywood Academy is a secondary school with academy status for 11- to 19-year-olds located on High Lane in the Stoke On Trent town of Burslem Burslem ( ) is one of the six towns that along with Hanley, Staffordshire, Hanley, Tunstall, Staf ...

sixth form college whilst the modern extension was demolished as uneconomic to repair.

References

Buildings and structures in Stoke-on-Trent Museums in Stoke-on-Trent 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