Happy 50th Gladstone!

Staff and volunteers thanked at event to mark landmark anniversary

- Gary Porter

GLADSTONE Pottery Museum is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its official opening.

The former Victorian pottery factory in Longton, which attracts thousands of visitors every year, was officially opened in 1975 by Prince Richard, The Duke of Gloucester.

The anniversary forms part of a double celebration as the city marks its centenary with a year-long programme of events.

Visitors to the historic museum can now view the bird baths created by potters in episode seven of Channel 4’s The Great Pottery Throw Down.

The six items on display reflect the area’s rich industrial heritage, vibrant green spaces and historic waterways.

Gladstone’s golden anniversary was marked by an event last week at which the Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent, Councillor Lyn Sharpe, and Kelvin the Kiln, the city’s Centenary mascot, met the staff and volunteers who give a warm welcome to visitors.

A pottery factory first opened on the site in 1787, but the bottle kilns were fired for the last time in 1960 and the site put up for sale.