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Potteries Museum & Art Gallery facts for kids
Museum entrance
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| Location | Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom |
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| Type | Art museum & local museum |
| Visitors | over 100k per annum |
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery is a super interesting place in Hanley, which is one of the six towns that make up Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, UK. It's totally free to visit!
This museum is one of four main museums in the city. The others are Gladstone Pottery Museum, Ford Green Hall, and Etruria Industrial Museum. The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery brings together amazing collections. These collections show what makes the area known as "The Potteries" so special.
You can see a huge collection of Staffordshire ceramics here. All the items in the museum are very important. They are called "Designated Collections." You can explore galleries filled with beautiful art and decorative items. There are also displays about old costumes, local history, and archaeology. Plus, you can learn about natural science. A real Second World War aircraft is also on show. It's a Supermarine Spitfire, designed by R. J. Mitchell from nearby Butt Lane.
Contents
Museum History and Highlights
Opening and Early Days
The museum opened in 1956. It was first called the Stoke-on-Trent City Museum & Art Gallery. The building was designed by the city's architect, J. R. Piggott.
The Famous Spitfire
The museum got its Spitfire plane in 1972 from the Royal Air Force. In the winter of 1985 and 1986, the Spitfire moved. It went from a glass building outside to a special gallery inside the museum. In 2021, after three years of work, the Spitfire was put back in a brand new gallery.
The Staffordshire Hoard
Since February 2010, the museum has been home to parts of the Staffordshire Hoard. This is a huge collection of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver. It's one of the most important finds ever!
In 2010, 52,500 people came to see 118 items from the Hoard. This was during a 23-day show. Now, the Hoard is owned by Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and Stoke-on-Trent Museums. You can see pieces of it at both places. Over 80 items are on permanent display here. The museum updated its Saxon gallery in 2010. This helps visitors understand the Hoard better.
Titanic Connections
In 2012, the museum had an exhibition about the Titanic. It showed how Stoke-on-Trent was linked to the famous ship. You could learn about people from the area who died when the ship sank. There was also old video of Captain Edward Smith. He was the captain of the Titanic and was born in Hanley.
Ancient Gold Jewellery
On February 28, 2017, something very exciting happened. The Leekfrith torcs were shown to the public. These are gold necklaces from the Iron Age. They are thought to be the oldest Iron Age gold jewellery found in Britain. They went on display the very next day.
Arnold Bennett Statue
In June 2017, a bronze statue was placed outside the museum. It's a statue of Arnold Bennett. He was a famous writer from the area.
See also
- Mercian Trail
- List of surviving Supermarine Spitfires