Middleport Pottery

One of the last working Victorian potteries

Made famous as the first location for the Great Pottery Throwdown, Middleport Pottery is one of the last working Victorian Potteries in Britain.

While a partner at FCBStudios I worked with the architectural team and the client to craft a repair and refurbishment scheme that would allow the dilapidated Grade II* factory buildings to function more efficiently as a commercial pottery, while also inviting visitors and deploying unused space for much-needed business incubation in Burslem.

Retaining the architectural voice of the building

The atmosphere of the Victorian detailing, and the spatial organisation of the historic pottery were key design cues that informed our contemporary, light-touch interventions.

Retaining the architectural voice of the building, expressing its deepest narratives, while at the same time making the building fit for contemporary processes was at the heart of our approach.

Many of the potters who have worked in the building for decades said they loved the new building but couldn’t really see what had been done. Mission accomplished!

This short film I made describes our approach in more detail.

Quiet and restrained refurbishment

Now a popular visitor destination, the Pottery is bringing people into the area, and receiving extremely positive feedback with locals and international visitors alike.

The quiet and restrained refurbishment of the site has received several notable awards including the Europa Nostra Prize for European Cultural Heritage Conservation.