Burslem, Stoke On Trent
3 January 1999

In the late 18th century, a bright young man opened his first factory in the village of Burslem, later part of Stoke-on-Trent. It was the fact that this young man was Josiah Wedgwood and his first factory started him on the road to creating some of the most exquisite china ever produced that led Time Team to try and find if anything remained of these early ceramic manufacturing premises. Excavating trenches in the very heart of the town, closely watched by its inhabitants, the Team never dreamed that they would find what they did.

Further reading

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Beneath the Six Towns: The Archaeology of the Staffordshire Potteries by David Barker (City Museum & Art Gallery, 1991) 80p
This pamplet describes archaeological work at kiln sites around Stoke. Burslem is one of the oldest centres, starting production in the medieval period, while other kilns thrived from the 17th to 19th centuries.
To obtain a copy or for more information about the Potteries, contact: The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 3DW, tel: 01782-232323, website: www.stoke.gov.uk/museums/

Fieldwork in Industrial Archaeology by Kenneth Major (Batsford, 1975) paperback £3.95
Written by an experienced amateur researcher, this little book suggests exactly how to go about studying the industrial past. Everything – from photography techniques to field survey recording standards – is covered.

Industrial Archaeology: Principles and Practices by Marilyn Palmer and Peter Neaverson (Routledge, 1998) paperback £25
This book considers how much we can learn about our manufacturing past, using archaeology. The authors discuss how to use documentary evidence and field techniques to discover how ordinary people lived and worked, and how modern landscapes have been shaped by industrial society.

Industrial England by Michael Stratton and Barrie Trinder (English Heritage, 1997) paperback £16.99
Absorbing guide to the changes in the economy and in manufacturing in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries and their effects on the English landscape. Lots of good pictures and discussions of key sites.

Josiah Wedgwood by Richard Tames (Shire, 1995) paperback £3.50
An authorative and informative account of Wedgwood's life and ceramics.

The Potteries by David Sekers (Shire, 1998) paperback £2.95
Explains how Stoke-on-Trent became the most important centre for pottery production, and describes manufacturing processes and working conditions.

Organisations

Stoke on Trent Museum Archaeological Society

City Museum
Bethesda Street
Hanley
Stoke-on-Trent ST1 3DW
Tel: 01782 232323
Fortnightly lecture series during winter. Summer programme of walks, visits and fieldwork including resistivity surveys, fieldwalking and topographical surveys. Society has an extensive library.

Stoke-on-Trent City Museum and Art Gallery

Bethesda Street
Hanley
Stoke-on-Trent ST1 3DW
Tel: 01782 232323
Fax: 01782 232500
E-mail: museums@stoke01.stoke-cc.gov.uk
Curator and contractor in Staffordshire. Maintains Sites and Monuments record for Stoke-on-Trent. Volunteers accepted for museum, post-excavation and excavation work.

Websites

Stoke-on-Trent: The City of Pottery
www.netcentral.co.uk/steveb/sot.html
Includes a biography of Josiah Wedgwood and background information on Burslem.

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