English Potteries: Stoke-on-Trent

Last spring, during our trip to London and Liverpool, we explored this pottery-rich area of England. I've had this in my drafts for quite some time! My husband, our friend Kissy, her husband, and I attended a Bruce Springsteen concert at Anfield in Liverpool, the home of the Liverpool Football Club, which both husbands are avid fans of. As we were preparing to leave our hotel in Liverpool, I noticed an ad for Wedgwood in the hotel guide. On a whim, I mapped out a route to visit some of these world-famous potteries.

The husbands were great sports, agreeing to pause in this area while Kissy and I went shopping. We visited Wedgwood, Portmeirion, and Emma Bridgewater. We began at Wedgwood, which, to my surprise, is owned by Fiskars, the scissors company! Fiskars also owns Waterford Crystal, so we had the chance to shop at a Waterford store located within the Wedgwood complex. What a win!

It turns out Fiskars owns many high-end houseware brands, including Royal Copenhagen, Arabia, Rogaska, Royal Albert, and Royal Doulton. Portmeirion, another pottery we visited, owns Spode, Royal Worcester, and others. Almost all of my favorite potteries were represented!

I purchased several Jasperware ornaments in the classic Wedgwood blue, though I could have easily spent a fortune in the Wedgwood stores. I was thrilled to see tables displaying Wedgwood and Waterford pieces—I could have spent the entire day admiring the different items.

During our visit to Wedgwood, there was a local craft fair taking place on the grounds. It was so fun to explore genuinely homemade crafts and baked goods.

The Wedgwood store was incredible, there were many displays of high-end objet d'art pieces of Jasperware and crystal. They featured breathtaking displays of the Wedgwood Wild Strawberry pattern. Wild Strawberry is on my dream list of china, but at $300 per place setting, it remains a dream. Picture courtesy of Wedgwood.com.

The next stop was the Portmeirion Factory store. Photo courtesy of Google Maps. I visited with the hope of finding pieces of my Royal Worcester Evesham, but I discovered it was discontinued in 2015! The girl at the counter suggested visiting several antique shops in the area, as they might have a lot of it, but it was late on a Sunday afternoon, and most were closed.

The store had a wide selection of Spode items, including the classic Blue Italian and Christmas Tree patterns. Since the store also carried Portmeirion products, there was an abundance of the Botanic pattern. I came across some large serving pieces with lilacs but realized they wouldn't fit in my suitcase. It was wonderful to explore the various pattern options from both companies.

Our last destination was Emma Bridgewater. I love the casual floral patterns and polka dots on these dishes. They offer charming mugs featuring various dogs and even ones with the Royals. The factory store was charming, complete with a tea room and garden.

Kissy and I purchased a few items at this store, including tea towels for gifts! You might be curious about Springsteen's performance at Anfield—Sir Paul made an appearance! Liverpool was a fantastic city to explore, with plenty to do and see. The Magical Mystery bus tour was incredible, the churches were breathtaking, and the Cavern Club was a blast!

Anfield Stadium and the fans were warm and welcoming! We took a side trip to Wrexham, alas Ryan Reynolds was not there!