The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent, England

Stoke-on-Trent is famous for its pottery, so it is only natural for the town to have a pottery museum. We visited in August of 2012 and had fun discovering the history of the local area.

The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery

Statue out front

On entering, we ran into an ancient warrior--one of the Saxons who filled the land before the Normans took over.

Saxon warrior

Shield detail

Helmet detail

The 2009 discovery of the Staffordshire Hoard resulted in a large display of local, Anglo-Saxon items dating back to the seventh century. The hoard included over five kilograms of gold craftworks, one and a half kilos of silver, and thousands of garnets. Almost all of the items are martial. Photography wasn't allowed for the hoard items, but some other things were.

Sample Anglo-Saxon man

Fierce J

Fierce Daddy

Side shot

The museum also has displays of more recent items of more interest to L.

Elaborate doll house

L dresses up with Aunt R

Fierce L

Pretty L

The museum also has a large, fine collection of pottery. I took pictures of their ancient Greek items (and some imitations).

Vase

Greek pot and a 1700s copy

Another fierce L

J rebuilds a temple

A more sombre moment

Some Greek mosaics and other works were also on display.

A Christian mosaic

Medusa mosaic

Modern Medusa Makeover

Europa and the Bull

The museum also has Reginald Mitchell's MK 16 Spitfire. Mitchell was a local who achieved fame through designing racing aircraft and the Spitfires used in World War II.

Spitfire

Wedgewood and Doulton Outlet, Stoke-on-Trent

The Wedgewood/Royal Doulton Outlet Store in Stoke-on-Trent was not my idea of a great destination. My wife wanted to go because she had heard from friends that the deals are really great. Also, she is really tired of drinking tea in England from Dave and Buster's coffee mugs. So she wanted a new tea set, or at least decent tea cups.

What's wrong with these? Other than the faded colors, the silly motto, etc.

Wedgewood and Royal Doulton Outlet, Stoke-on-Trent

We thought from their web site that they had a museum and a tea shop. The tea shop was quite nice but the only museumy part of the place was various posters on the tea shop wall describing random patterns in the history of the companies. Otherwise, the store looks like most any other outlet store in the UK or the USA.

Inside the Outlet

The store has many wonderful patterns of tea cup and tea sets, not only from Wedgewood and from Royal Doulton, but from many other cup and glass makers like Waterford Crystal.

Royal Albert at Royal Doulton!

The Peter Rabbit collection

We were worried about taking a four-year old and a three-year old into a china shop (possibly worse than the proverbial bull). Amazingly, Jacob was able to find the one unbreakable item in the store.

Brandishing the wooden serving set

When we went back outside, the children made a wonderful and unexpected find. The store has a playground! Well, at least the children thought it was a playground. We didn't set them straight, but who could blame us?

Great imagination, kids!

My wife did purchase some cups and saucers, a set of four for less than five pounds. Even ASDA (the Walmart equivalent in the UK) doesn't have such great prices. And they work so well for us. I am happy that we did go to the Wedgewood/Royal Dalton Outlet Store.

One of the new cups and saucers