the Potteries

Map showing the location of the Potteries region in England, centered on Stoke-on-Trent.

the Potteries, region in the north of the geographic county of Staffordshire, England, traditionally the country’s main producer of china and earthenware. It is centered on the city and unitary authority of Stoke-on-Trent and includes areas in the neighboring borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme. Wedgwood and Minton are the two famous family names connected with the area’s china. The pottery industry developed using coal from the north Staffordshire coalfield and the local coarse clay. Though the industry declined across the 20th century, the region continues to produce pottery as a craft, and its heritage is recognized through local museums and tours of ceramics factories.