Enjoy a magical day out at The Trentham Estate

Famous for its gardens in particular and open all year round, today I visited The Trentham Estate. Boasting not just beautiful and scenic gardens, I found this attraction a fun place with many activities and things to do for the whole family. Whether you’re a shopper, a gardener, an active person or someone who just wants a fun day out with the kids in either summer or winter – The Trentham Estate has it all.

I found this attraction one of the easiest to get to due to it’s easy to spot location on a main road and due to it being frequently signposted on brown and white signs throughout the city. There is ample free parking for visitors on site, and if you are arriving by public transport there are various bus links which you can use. The 101 runs every 20 minutes, along with the X1 every 60 minutes, and is a short drive by taxi or bus from Stoke-on-Trent station if you are arriving via train.

When I entered the Estate, I instantly noticed there was a Premier Inn on site which makes this an ideal location if you are looking to stay overnight in Stoke-on-Trent. There is also a Frankie and Bennys restaurant if the unlikely event occurs that you do not fancy anything to eat at one of the many high quality cafés that the Trentham Estate has!

Prior to visiting the gardens, I decided to visit the Shopping Village, as this (along with the Garden Centre) is one of the first attractions you see upon entry. When you hear the phrase ‘Shopping Village’, like me, you might instantly think that this is just a variation of the name ‘Shopping Centre’ to make it stand out and seem more unique. However, a ‘village’ is exactly what this shopping venue is. Hosting a variety of shops in around 60 timber Lodges, you are sure to find an array of brands, from big names like Bench and Superdry to the Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Thorntons, to much smaller names. As this is Stoke-on-Trent, no retail experience would be complete without a range of famous pottery industry names! The Trentham Estate has various pottery stores for famous names such as Aynsley China, Portmeirion, Spode and Royal Worcester.

One of the best features I found in The Trentham Shopping Village were the eclectic range of stores selling a wide range of products, from pet products right through to stores selling knitted fabric products. Other stores in the Shopping Village are Holland and Barrett and a Brown and Green, selling a variety of quality produce, from Artisan and ethical, right through to locally produced food and drink. Carrying on with the food and drink theme, there is also a massive sweet shop and even a Whiskey Shop! In my opinion, The Trentham Shopping Village is a foodie heaven! The Shopping Village also has a variety of cafés and restaurants if you’re looking for somewhere to relax after all of that shopping. You’re sure to find something you fancy, as I saw there were venues to cater for any meal – if it’s a light snack, breakfast, a dinner or a family lunch. There are big names from Pieminister all the way to a traditional Fish and Chip Shop.

Next, I decided to take a trip to the gigantic Garden Centre. To be honest, I’ve been to quite a few garden centres in the past but so far I’ve seen none as big or versatile as this one. A haven for all gardeners, or even house proud people, you are sure to find a purchase. From indoor and outdoor products, there is plenty to keep you occupied and browsing for at least an hour. Not only does the centre sell typical garden centre products like plants and flowers, it also sells a range of outdoor and indoor decoration for your home, along with clothes and games, books and DVDs for children. To keep the kids occupied, there is also a children’s play area for them too.

If you have enough of shopping and want somewhere to relax and have a bite to eat, the Garden Centre also gives you a variety of options of where to eat and drink. There is largely an Italian theme throughout the centre, and this is reflected by the types of restaurants and cafés they have. There are two restaurants in total, one called the Terrazzo del Giardino, and the largest restaurant, the Six Arches. The former serves a large variety of Italian food and wine overlooking the Italian Garden with space to sit outside on the terrace. The latter is the largest restaurant serving a variety of food for breakfast, lunch and in the afternoons, home-baked cakes and cream tea. There is also a café, which I visited, called Café Bello. Again, this is Italian themed, serving a selection of delicious Italian snacks, including bruschetta, Panini’s and pastries, along with a selection of hot and cold drinks.

Now that I had visited both the Shopping Village and the Garden Centre, next it was time to visit arguably the main attraction – Trentham Gardens. I must admit, when I visited the weather wasn’t very good (surprise, surprise – British weather!) however it was still spectacular, and I imagine even more spectacular in the summer when the weather is a lot warmer and the sun is shining! I think this part of the Estate is the most family friendly, with an array of activities to keep the children entertained. With so many activities to fill a whole day, this attraction is certainly value for money.

I accessed the Gardens through the Shopping Village, and they were easily signposted. I firstly visited the Italian Garden, which is apparently the largest perennial plantings garden in Europe. This stunning garden made from Chelsea Flower show Gold medalist Tom Stuart-Smith, is definitely worth a look and in my opinion, one of the highlights of the attraction and should definitely not be missed.

As I mentioned previously, the Gardens are very children orientated with plenty of activities. First off is Trentham Lake, which is suitable for both adults and children alike. You can take part in boat rides, including chartering you own rowing boat! But if being on the water isn’t your thing and you prefer to keep your feet on dry land, there is also a pathway where you can take a walk around the lake. There are miniature train rides at certain times of the year. The Lake and in fact the whole of the Gardens themselves are interactive with children, as it is encouraged to see if they can spot ‘The Trentham Fairies’. The Garden’s are also perfect if you are bird or nature lover, as Trentham is known for the wildlife that can be found there. Notably Badgers, Hedgehogs and Foxes are amongst the many wildlife creatures that reside there.

Next, I visited the Eastern Pleasure Ground and the Western Pleasure Ground. The Western Pleasure Ground I found was the most child orientated, as this is where there is an adventure playground perfect for the kids, parkland and an amphitheatre which doubles up as an ice rink in the winter months. This amphitheatre is also where Trentham host Hot Summer Saturday events through July and August. This is also the part of the gardens where the child friendly maze and the Barefoot Walk is located.

The Barefoot Walk is an exciting attraction which is fun for the whole family, as we all know kids love getting messy! As the title suggests, you take part barefoot, and go on a scenic walk over a variety of textures such as mud, bark, logs, hay, grass and pebbles.

Other activities for both adults and children alike is Aerial Extreme. A High ropes adventure course, perfect for family days out and anyone looking for a bit of adventure. This is a perfect family day out where no experience is needed.

Trentham Monkey Forest is one of the main attractions within the Estate, and enables you to see how they live in a natural environment and up close across acres of breathtaking Staffordshire woodland. This attraction is open seasonally everyday from the 23rd of March up until the 3rd of November, and opening times vary depending on the day.

I would recommend this attraction to anybody, whether you are an adult on your own or with children. With plenty of things to do, you could easily spend the whole day here, and even then you would struggle to see everything!

Admission into the Gardens is £8.50 for an adult, and £7.25 for a concession and a child between the ages of 5-15 years. Also, family tickets can be purchased for £29.50 or £22.00 depending on the amount of adults and children per family.

Admission prices for the Monkey Forest slightly vary at £7.50 for an adult, and £7.00 for a concession. For children between the ages of 3 and 14, admission is just £5.50 and children under the age of 3 get in for free.

For more information about this great attraction and to see a full list of events held at The Trentham Estate, visit our website on www.visitstoke.co.uk

Middleport Pottery – the home of Burleigh

Today, I visited the Burleigh Factory Shop at Middleport Pottery, next to the Trent and Mersey Canal. Similar to Gladstone in charm and character, however this factory is the only working Victorian Pottery Factory still in existence and producing high quality pottery products today. Originally a family run business; this is now a part of Denby Holdings Ltd, which is a parent company of Denby Pottery.

This Victorian Factory, establised in 1851, has been manufacturing the highest quality pottery for 150 years now and is recognised around the world, mostly for its distinct Blue and White designs. Located in Burslem, this charming factory has 1 original biscuit oven left standing, and still uses traditional methods today, which is one of the reasons why it is so unique. Once a common process, the timeless decorating method of under glaze transfer printing from engravings is now extremely rare and can only be seen in practise at Burleigh.

Although Middleport Pottery is under development by the Princes Regeneration Trust to regenerate the factory whilst still keeping with its traditional values and processes, the factory shop is still open as usual. Selling an array of products (including factory seconds) – dinner sets, jugs, mugs, cups and saucers, bowls, plates, platters, kitchenware and bathroom ware can still be puchased. Other well-known pottery names can be purchased in the factory shop, namely Poole Pottery, and Leeds Pottery is due to be included soon. The shop is very cosy, offering a warm coal fire in the winter months and free coffee, tea and biscuits are provided to factory visitors.

Factory tours are available; however it is absolutely essential that these are booked in advance and prior to your arrival date. Factory tours are available on Monday and Wednesday’s at 2pm along with Friday’s at 10am. Unfortunately, the main car park to the site is closed during the developments, however this is compensated by a small car park being opened across the road from the factory entrance and there being unrestricted parking on the street which the factory is located on.

The Middleport Pottery Visitor Centre development is due to be completed in the spring of 2014, and from then on the factory will be holding more frequent factory tours. Also, a visitor and education centre and a café are expected to be built which will enhance the visitor experience and make this a great visitor attraction in the Stoke-on-Trent area.

The factory shop is open 7 days a week. 9am until 5pm on Monday to Saturday, and from 10am until 4pm on Sunday’s.

For more information about Burleigh and its home Middleport Pottery, visit www.visitstoke.co.uk

Discover Gladstone Pottery Museum

Today I visited the Gladstone Pottery Museum in Longton. I was expecting a standard museum, showing the usual artefacts and then having written displays about them, along with a few interactive buttons to press or videos to watch. Not here!  If you’re looking for an authentic trip back in time which is fun and very interesting yet educational, then this is the place for you. This museum enables you to discover what it was like in Stoke-on-Trent in the midst of the thriving pottery industry. Although it was not one of the world famous pottery names, it is accurately reminiscent of a typical pottery factory in the Stoke-on-Trent area. The only complete Victorian Pottery Factory in Stoke-on-Trent to remain; this amazing museum shows what working conditions were like for the men, women and children working in a factory, complete with bottle kilns and a cobbled yard.

The museum was a short drive from the city centre, and was easy to find due to the brown and white signs leading up to it. There is a huge car park to the museum which is free although you have to obtain a coin from inside the museum in order to get out again. The museum is easily accessible by public transport, as it is just approximately a 10 minute walk from Longton Train Station. The bus service 6 and 6A also run every 20 minutes. 

When I had parked, the entrance to the museum was a short walk from the car park but this is easily sign posted and is only about 1 or 2 minutes. Upon entering in the reception area and paying your admission, you are given an orange sticker to wear and a map detailing all of the sights in the museum, so you can plan your walk around. Before you go outside into the museum, you can watch a short video clip so I had to wait for a few minutes until the previous group had viewed the video. This gave me time to browse through the gift shop which is located in the reception area. There are a variety of things which you can buy, and most being souvenirs from your Stoke-on-Trent visit. Products sold include things such as mugs, t-shirts, stationary, key rings and games for children.

When it was time to go through, you enter a small room where there is plenty of seating, to watch a short film detailing the history of Stoke-on-Trent and Gladstone. I found both the clip and the room very interesting, as dotted around there were old newspaper clippings and posters about pottery and manufacturers on the walls from old times. I then went through to the actual museum, which is located in the cobbled courtyard, surrounded by bottle kilns and various rooms showcasing different things. First I saw a room which displayed an old machine used in the pottery industry to make clay. Normally, in a museum you would see a replica or the actual machine itself but it would not be working. But in Gladstone, the machines were actually working and you could see the whole process. All of the rooms in Gladstone are a display of what working conditions were like, so naturally, although as clean as they could be, they were not sparkly and represented a realistic view of working life which is what I think makes this museum one of the best I have ever been to, and one which you should definitely include in your visit.

Other things you could see were actual workshops which would be used by potbank workers such as clay workshops. What I found great about the museum especially, was that every room had a sign explaining what each room was used for, and who worked there and I was surprised to find how many rooms had children working there instead of adults. I found out that children mostly did the jobs which involved a lot of running about and lifting and carrying. On the signs, there were also descriptions of jobs by actual pottery industry workers, which really captured how hard working was in those days.

You can also go inside actual bottle kilns, and see what conditions were like inside. I found this particularly interesting, as it explains what these famous objects were used for. I was surprised to find that someone actually worked inside these to fire the clay; I can only imagine how hot it must be for people to work in there all day. What made the museum original as well was the fact that there were plenty of different smells and sounds included, to show you the typical smells and sounds you would encounter in a factory. The museum also involves you, as I noticed there are again your usual TV screens, buttons to press and some questions for children. I even learnt what a Saggar Maker’s Bottom Knocker is!

At this point, I found the map that we had been given at reception very helpful, as it enables me to tick off the attractions that I’d seen – and what I had left to see. Next, I went to the Doctor’s House, which is a replica of what a Doctors surgery would have looked like in the 1890’s. I thought this was very interesting and very unique to all of the other museums I have visited. This part of the museum showed what common illnesses were common amongst factory workers in the past, and how the Doctors were not able to cure the disease, they would just give the patient something to cure their symptoms. Something else which was interesting in the Doctor’s House was that the Doctor’s surgery was usually located inside their house. At Gladstone, you are able to see the surgery, the waiting room and the Doctor’s private kitchen, although you weren’t allowed upstairs to the living quarters. In the waiting room, there was a variety of comical posters on the walls giving people particularly bizarre health advice and there was a TV screen which showed period actors acting out a typical scene in the Doctor’s surgery.

Next I visited the Tile Gallery, which shows a selection of decorative tile collections, from gothic revival to art deco. I then went up the stairs in The Tile Gallery to the toilet exhibition ‘Flushed with Pride’. If, like me, you think Stoke-on-Trent has nothing to do with the evolution of the toilet, then you couldn’t be more wrong! I know what you’re thinking: “An exhibition about toilets? Boring!” but no, the Gladstone Pottery Museum makes this fun and interesting, with various sounds and even smells to make this more interactive. However, before you enter the ‘Flushed with Pride’ exhibition, you step into what can only be described as a farm yard type scene, with uneven ground and a smell replicating what a Victorian slum would smell like in those times. I must admit the museum did a very good job of creating this, as even when I got back I could still smell it!

Various demonstrations were taking place at the museum, from pot throwing to flower making. As I have already experienced throwing a pot at Wedgwood, I opted out of doing it again as I was bad enough at it the first time! So instead I made a flower and took it home with me, you can also take the pot you have thrown home with you too. To have a go at anything and take it home with you at the Gladstone Pottery Museum, there is a small fee in addition to your admission price, but this is very small and not very expensive. I found that everything in the museum is signposted, and it is easy to find your way out and to common facilities like the toilets.

After I had explored the museum to its full extent, I then decided to go into the tea room. This is an old fashioned little tea room offering a selection of snacks and cakes and the local Stoke-on-Trent delicacy – Oatcakes! If you’re visiting Stoke-on-Trent, you would be silly to leave without trying an Oatcake! The tea room in the Gladstone Museum is also open to non-museum visitors too.

I would highly recommend this museum to anyone, either adults or children. This is one of the best museums I have ever been to, and is a far cry from your usual boring museum with no interactivity and just standard artefacts and then a standard display explaining them. So if you’re looking for something which captures the lives of people living within the pottery industry, then this is the perfect museum for you.

Admission to the Gladstone Pottery Museum is £7.25 for adults, £5.14 for children ages 4 to 16 years and £5 for concessions. Family tickets can also be purchased for £21 and this includes a family of 2 adults and 2 children. The Pottery Museum has seasonal opening times. From October to March it is open 7 days a week from 10am until 4pm, and from April to September it is open from 10am until 5pm.

For more information about this unique museum, visit our website on www.visitstoke.co.uk

Wedgwood Visitor Centre and Museum

Today I visited the museum dedicated to the world famous Potter Josiah Wedgwood. Situated in quite a beautiful country setting, this attraction is surely one of the most interesting and in-depth museums that Stoke-on-Trent has to offer, showcasing the amazing work of one of the world’s most famous potters, whose innovative products are still sold worldwide.

Expecting to be in the typical lively city atmosphere that Stoke-on-Trent boasts, I was somewhat surprised to discover that the Wedgwood Visitor Centre and Museum was surrounded by fields and situated on a country lane, with people taking early morning strolls. Despite this, I found that the attraction was sign posted on brown and white signs and was very easy to get to. There is also a bus link from Stoke-on-Trent station if you are arriving by train. Or if you are more adventurous and are arriving by canal, the Wedgwood Visitor Centre and Museum is close to Bridge 104 on the Trent and Mersey Canal. When I arrived, there was a huge car park on site which hosts free parking for visitors, and everything was very easy to find due to the appropriate signage as you drove in.

I went to the visitor reception, where I was greeted by friendly staff, and explained of the procedure for the factory tours. Factory tours at the Wedgwood Visitor Centre and Museum are very frequent, and there are up to 15 tours a day. So, at whatever time you arrive, there is sure to be one being held around that time. Or if not, there is plenty to occupy yourself with in the meantime.

The tour that I was on started at 10.15am and lasted for roughly 45 minutes. Anyone can take part in the Factory Tour, whether you are an adult on your own or if you have young children, making this an excellent family friendly day out. Firstly, we were taken on a minibus to the factory itself, as the Wedgwood Visitor Centre is quite large, so the factory was about a 3 minute drive away. Whilst on the minibus, the tour guide explained to us a few facts and some history about Josiah Wedgwood himself, and how the brand that he created is still world-renowned today.

Once inside the factory, we were shown every department and each stage of pottery production. A nice touch that I found was that due to this being a working factory and therefore quite noisy, the tour guide spoke with a personal microphone which enabled us to hear what she was saying over the machine noise. As we went around the factory, we even got to touch some of the pottery while it was still in production, as well as the finished piece. I must say the tour guide that we had for the tour was very humorous, often making jokes and at one particular time claiming she designed one of the most famous pieces of Wedgwood pottery – which would probably make her more than 100 years old by now – somehow I didn’t think that was true, and obviously she explained she was joking afterwards!

The tour was very interactive and you are very much involved. As we went around, the tour guide was always speaking to us personally, and doing fun things such as asking us to guess how much some products were, to see who was the closest. To be honest, I wasn’t very shocked at how pricey some pieces were, as most of them had actual Gold on them! It was interesting to see how some pieces have stood the test of time and are still on sale today.

After the factory tour had ended at about 11:00am, we were taken on the minibus, back to the reception area. Whilst we were driving, the tour guide explained in detail other things we could do to occupy our day, and where on the site we could find each activity.

A good place to start and where I started after I had been on the factory tour was the film theatre. In the film theatre, a 20 minute film about Josiah Wedgwood himself and the innovations he made is shown on a loop all day. I would recommend starting here, as this gives you a good piece of background information about the man behind all the pottery showcased in the museum.

The interactive theme continues throughout the whole museum, which is where I visited next. Unfortunately, you cannot take photographs inside the museum. An in-depth view of Josiah Wedgwood’s life and company awaits, beginning on his birth date of 1730, right through to today, with a series of artefacts showing how pottery has changed over time, including the changing fashions through Wedgwood’s time and beyond. There is also a display of the very first innovation he made, namely a teapot manufactured and designed when tea was becoming more prominent in England, and was shifting from being a wealthy drink that only the rich indulged in.

I found that the museum was interactive and informative throughout, boasting various things such as TV touch screens where you can do various things like take a tour of Etruria, and find out more about different aspects of Josiah’s life and work, along with displays that you could ‘touch and feel’. For example, you can feel how a piece of pottery feels at various stages of the production. You were also invited to press a button, and then an audio piece was played, where you hear words spoken by Josiah Wedgwood himself, along with other influential people related to him and his work. Another fascinating thing I found at the museum was that it displayed pieces which Josiah Wedgwood had written himself. One aspect of the museum which I found absolutely stunning was the display of a map, which was detailing Wedgwood’s prominence during the Grand Tour era of the 18th century. It was also in the museum where I found out that the famous naturalist Charles Darwin is actually the grandson of Josiah Wedgwood!

The Wedgwood Visitor Centre has a range of activities available for you to try out yourself – such as throwing a pot, turning, lithography, painting a plate or a mug and ornamenting. There are also demonstrations of all of these skills on site, which are very interesting to watch. I had a go at throwing a pot myself,and this was extremely fun but is a skill I have yet to master!

The museum has an award-winning café and restaurant, serving home cooked food including traditional and international favourites using locally produced food where possible, along with a selection of freshly baked cakes and scones (which were delicious!). Also served are a selection of salads, sandwiches and soups. To accompany your meal or to just relax and chill out, you can have a glass of wine or one of the Wedgwood Visitor Centre’s local beers. However, if it’s something more special you are looking for, the Wedgwood Visitor Centre also offer an afternoon tea service, served on a three-tiered stand – made by Wedgwood of course!

If you want something to commemorate your visit to Wedgwood, and to take a piece of world-famous pottery home with you, I discovered there are two shops at the Visitor Centre; including a factory outlet store, which offers a range of discounts on Wedgwood pieces. I thought the main shop next to the museum was particularly worth a look, as it is very beautifully arranged, and the ambience is lovely and relaxing whilst you are having a browse.

You can also take a walk in the largest area of Woodland in Stoke-on-Trent from the Visitor Centre – which would be lovely if you are an active person or if you enjoy walking (better when the weather is good though of course!)

Admission is £10.00 for an adult, £8.00 for a child between 5 and 16 years and concessions. Wedgwood also offer you family tickets, for up to 2 adults and 4 children for £32.00. Tickets for factory tours are £2.50 per person, and are additional to the admission price. Group bookings can also be made. The Wedgwood Visitor Centre and Museum is open 7 days a week, at 10am until 5pm Monday to Friday, and from 10am until 4pm on Saturday and Sunday.

With enough to do to occupy a whole day, I would really recommend this attraction to anyone, whether a family or an independent visitor. I think that it is a really special, value for money experience that will definitely enhance your stay in Stoke-on-Trent. Finding out about the man behind the pottery which can be found all over the world, and pottery which has been used by the Royals, will surely be an unforgettable experience.

For more information about this insightful attraction, visit our web page at www.visitstoke.co.uk

Blood Brothers at The Regent Theatre

Blood Brothers is one of my favourite musicals and when I found out it was playing locally at The Regent, I jumped at the chance.

The showing I booked for was the one at 7:30pm on a weekday evening, however there are showings at this time at the weekend and also a matinee performance, depending on which show you are going to see.

I arrived at the city centre early so I had chance to have a meal and a drink before the show started. As is advised by the Regent Theatre, I parked on the John Street car park which is a multi storey not too far from the entrance to the theatre. This was a very reasonably priced car park which is open until 11:30pm daily, and costs £3.50 to park until the specified closing time. If you are not travelling by car however, there are plenty of bus routes coming into the city centre (including from Stoke-on-Trent station if you are arriving by train), and the Regent is a short walk from the bus station.

We decided to go for a meal at the rustic Italian Restaurant Roberto’s in Hanley. This is a great restaurant which is ideal for anyone who is looking for a quiet meal before they see a show at the Regent. It is ideally located just a few minutes walk from the theatre and offers a perfect pre-theatre meal, offering 2 course’s for £9.50 or 3 courses for £14.99.

After our meal, we decided to go for a quick drink at the bar inside the Regent Theatre, offering a selection of soft and alcoholic drinks. The ambience is great in the Regent, offering a buzzing and busy environment (especially when there is a big theatre show playing) with nice decor and very smartly dressed and polite staff who are always willing to help. We then brought a programme specific to Blood Brothers, and made our way into the theatre, where a staff member was waiting at the door to assist us in finding our seats.

The show was brilliant of course, with a fifteen minute interval splitting up the two acts and finished at approximately 10.30pm, which I found was in plenty of time prior to the closing of the car park. Overall, I would say the Regent Theatre is a great venue, showing a variety of hit shows throughout the year.

Some other shows that are coming up at the Regent in the near future are:

• The Rocky Horror Show;
• Priscilla Queen of the Desert;
• Cats;
• West Side Story

Stoke-on-Trent not only has the Regent Theatre, there is also a number of other theatres in the city including the The New Vic Theatre, which is a unique layout of theatre-in-the-round which shows a selection of plays, musicals concerts and more. There is also the Victoria Hall, a concert hall showing a variety of music concerts, comedians and wrestling events. The Mitchell Arts Centre is a much loved theatre space in the city which hosts a wide range of Arts and Cultural facilities to the community of Stoke-on-Trent.

To book tickets for events at any of the above theatres, either pop in or contact the Tourist Information Centre, based in the Victoria Hall or by telephone on 01782 236000. For a full listing of theatre events, visit our ‘What’s on’ page on www.visitstoke.co.uk