Stoke

Stoke lies in north Staffordshire, in the district that became known as the Potteries. The later industrial city grew from several separate settlements. Clay, fuel, craft skills and transport helped pottery production expand from local markets to a wider trade.

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, north Staffordshire manufacturers developed wares and methods that changed the reputation of English ceramics. Josiah Wedgwood and other entrepreneurs combined technical experimentation with design and commerce. Canals improved transport for bulky materials and finished goods, helping the district reach distant markets. By the early nineteenth century the pottery towns formed a distinctive manufacturing region, though they retained separate identities.