IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Port Street, STOKE-ON-TRENT, ST6 3PF

Trent and Mersey Canal, Middleport - Burleigh Pottery - originally Burgess and Leigh, old of the oldest surviving industrial potteries in the area

Trent and Mersey Canal, Middleport - Burleigh Pottery still operational

Used until c.2006 when its ticket expired. Mechanically fired it ran the steam engine next door. Image]

A preserved period office in this site that is both a museum and a working pottery.

Just one small corner of this store that contains all the moulds that have been used since the pottery's opening. I had seen another room on an earlier visit that was billed as a mould store but it contained relatively few moulds compared to this. Middleport is owned by the Prince's Trust and functions both as a museum and as a working pottery leased by Burgess and Leigh. This is seen as part of a self guided tour for which there is a charge but this room can only be visited with a member of staff - the other areas are accessed with a special electronic fob.

This would make a good 'mystery object' photograph. The white ring is a Bullers ring. This is a precisely formulated and dimensioned unfired ceramic ring that would be placed in a bottle kiln via a port in the inner kiln. The heat causes it to shrink proportionate to the temperature and it can then be measured in the device that allows the temperature to be read off. Believe it or not these are still in use after over 100 years.

This was installed in 1920 to move wares from one floor to another. The chain of open shelves revolve in a loop continuously. A similar device is used in the mangle tower where glazed wares are slowly revolved on shelves over hot steam pipes. Paternoster comes from the first two words of the Lord's Prayer in Latin (Our Father) as the continuous loop resembles rosary beads that are counted when reciting a prayer. I remember travelling in a passenger carrying version in the now demolished library at Birmingham University.

The Burleigh Pottery factory and shop at Middleport.

Thanks to Chris A. for arranging access to this engine and to the Prince's Regeneration Trust for letting us have a look. This engine, in-situ was built in 1888 and ran the slip room next door (still in use). Image] This shows the flywheel and crank.