Longton: The World Capital of Bottle Ovens | Meet the 20 Survivors

Within just one mile in the heart of Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, twenty historic bottle ovens still stand — more than anywhere else on Earth. 20 survivors in what is now the World Capital of Bottle Ovens. Each one tells part of the story of Longton: the factories, the people, and the fiery craft that shaped Britain’s ceramics industry.
In this documentary-style film, I visit all nine surviving pottery works where these remarkable kilns can still be found. Filmed during the Heritage Open Day 2025 walk organised by Phil Rowley, chair of the Friends of the Gladstone and booked by the Potteries Heritage Society, the film combines new footage, archive images, and narration to bring these silent ovens back to life.

🏺 The Nine Sites Featured

Gladstone Pottery Museum – 4 updraught bottle ovens & 1 enamel kiln
Roslyn Works – 2 updraught stack ovens
Sutherland Works (West) – 1 updraught skeleton oven
Sutherland Works (East) – 2 updraught skeleton ovens
Enson Works – 4 updraught stack ovens
120 Uttoxeter Road – 1 calcining kiln
Minkstone Works – 1 skeleton updraught oven
Commerce Street Works – 2 skeleton updraught ovens
Phoenix Works – 2 updraught bottle ovens

Together, these make up 20 surviving ovens within a 1 mile walk — the world’s greatest concentration of traditional pottery kilns.

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🧱 About the Film

Filmed and narrated by Potteries Author – David W. Smith OBE
Oven classifications courtesy of the Potteries Heritage Society (2025 Heritage Open Day) You can join the society at https://www.potteries.org.uk/
Street and archival imagery reveal how Longton’s industrial landscape evolved — and why these rare survivors still matter today.

📍 Chapters (suggested timestamps)

0:00 Introduction – The World Capital of Bottle Ovens
0:12 Gladstone Pottery Museum
1:34 Roslyn Works
2:04 Sutherland Works West
3:08 Last Bottle Oven Firing 1978
7:09 Sutherland Works East
7:24 Minkstone Works
8:15 Enson Works
9:39 120 Uttoxeter Road
10:03 Commerce Street Works
10:30 Phoenix Works
11:41 20 Ovens in 1 Mile / Outro

🗣️ Join the Conversation

Have you visited any of these potbanks, or worked in one of them?
Share your memories in the comments — every story helps preserve the living heritage of The Potteries.

Like Pottery or Ceramics? Discover more of the legacy of the British Potteries and its world heritage on the ‪@PotteriesAuthor‬ Channel. All the links to find out more about me at https://linktr.ee/authoronthepotteries

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