Middleport Pottery in Burslem is the producer of Burleigh pottery. The Grade II* listed site is a red-brick maze, containing historic machinery, archives and historic collections. (
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The pottery was constructed in 1888, for Burgess & Leigh Limited, as a model factory for the production of what became the world-renowned “Burleigh” earthenware. (
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The scale and linear organisation of the buildings on the site, rather than being haphazard, was designed to make all production processes more efficient and to improve conditions for the workforce. A crane, placed next to the packing house, enabled finished pottery to be placed straight onto barges on the Trent and Mersey Canal waiting to take the ceramics out to the coast for international export. Alternatively they were sent out by horse and cart via the road. (
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In 2010 the cost of repairing the buildings was so great that the site had no viable operational future, and closure of the site was threatened.
In June 2011 The Prince’s Regeneration Trust / United Kingdom Historic Building Preservation Trust, (UKHBPT) stepped in to save this Victorian pottery from closure and to ensure that Burleigh pottery would continue to be produced in Burslem. They put together a private and public funding package that allowed the restoration and regeneration of the site.
The restoration meant that Burleigh was able to remain on-site, saving local jobs and craftsmanship.
The unused buildings have been developed to provide accommodation for workshops, enterprise space, craft and community areas, a café, a gallery and a heritage visitor centre.
The new visitor experience at Middleport Pottery includes tours of the Burleigh factory, where visitors can see the handcraft techniques that have been used there since the 1800s. Visitors can also step inside the industrial bottle kiln, which has sights and sounds from the Pottery’s past, and can see the mould collection, which is the largest in Europe. The restored Victorian offices also display a collection of Burleigh ceramics from across the years.
The regeneration of the site took three years and cost £9million, it was opened to the public in July 2014. It has resulted in the safeguarding of 50 local jobs and the creation of 66 more.
Since the Pottery re-opened in 2014 it has won the following awards:
2015 RIBA National Award
2015 RIBA West Midlands Awards: Building of the Year
2015 RIBA West Midlands Awards: Conservation Project of the Year
2015 RIBA West Midlands Awards: Regional Award
2015 Europa Nostra/ EU Prize for Cultural Heritage - Conservation
2015 Placemaking Awards: Best Heritage in Place-Making
2015 Civic Trust Awards: AABC Conservation Award
2015 Civic Trust Awards: Regional Finalist (North West)
2014 Heritage Open days Anniversary Awards: Community Champions
The restoration project was made possible through funding from several public and private sources, including English Heritage (£1.2m), the Heritage Lottery Fund (£1.5m), the Regional Growth Fund (£1.7m), and the European Regional Development Fund (£1.2m).
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"The factory too now has a secure future as one of the last surviving traditional potteries in the West Midlands of England, known as “The Potteries” and once characterised by its factory chimneys and distinctive bottle kilns. The techniques and skills of production have been revitalised and buildings and machinery carefully conserved to retain their unique atmosphere and spirit of place." Source: (
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The pottery was the filming location for The Great Pottery Throw Down. A television programme first broadcast on the BBC Two from 3rd November 2015. (
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