The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery

The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery is located in Hanley, one of the six towns which form the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The museum has outstanding collections of Natural History, Fine Art, Local History, and Ceramics and now also jointly owns with Birmingham Museum Trust, the Staffordshire Hoard.

Now world famous, the Staffordshire Hoard is much more than a collection of Anglo-Saxon war booty – it’s the legacy of craftsmen whose artistry fashioned precious metals and gemstones into incredibly detailed sword hilt fittings, helmet items and other items. The items currently on display at the museum are exhibited within the wider context of Anglo-Saxon society with pottery and other ornamentation from the period.

The museum also houses the finest collection of Staffordshire ceramics anywhere in the world, reflecting the City’s heritage as the centre of the English ceramics history. The wares on display include: examples from Wedgwood, Minton and Spode and a comprehensive collection of British 20th century studio ceramics.

The local History collection at the museum promotes a strong sense of identity and place, inspiring a strong sense and identity in the City as well as celebrating the creativity and achievements of its people. Taking pride of place within this collection is the Mark XVI World War II Spitfire which represents locally-born R.J. Mitchell’s triumph of aircraft design and is now a cultural icon for the City.  

The museum also runs a lively programme of exhibitions and events ranging from contemporary art shows to children’s activities.