Mad March Hares
Spring is a good time to see Brown hares in the countryside. Although normally nocturnal and cautious of daytime predators, the warmer weather makes them more active and they can be seen chasing each other in fields and meadows alongside the edges of woods and hedgerows. The famous ‘boxing’ activity is between a male and […]
Phillip Connard, The Lilac Dress
This rather enigmatic portrait of a lady, known as The Lilac Dress, is one of the earliest paintings purchased for the museum’s fine art collection in 1926. The Lancashire-born artist Phillip Connard RA (1875-1958), first worked as a house painter and studied art part-time until he won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art. […]
Museum Treasures: Roman Sarcophagus
The precise origins of this stone sarcophagus or coffin (currently held in our museum stores) are unknown. It is likely to have been produced in mainland Europe, perhaps in Rome itself, but had found its way into the collections now held by The Potteries Museum by the late 19th century. The sarcophagus is decorated along […]
Museum Treasures: A Burslem Boy
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery has a long tradition of exhibiting and supporting local artists. One such artist is John Shelton (1923-1993), two of his paintings are held in the museum’s permanent fine art collection. Shelton studied at the Burslem School of Art along with fellow students, Arthur Berry and Norman Cope. In 1944 […]
Museum Treasures: Ozzy the Owl
Our Spitfire may have flown the nest for a little while but our favourite ceramic owl has stayed put. Ozzy first came to the world’s attention on an episode of the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow in March 1990. He was acquired shortly afterwards by the museum to join the significant slipware collection and is one of the museum’s […]
Museum Treasures: Brown long-eared bat
Eleven species of bat have been recorded in Staffordshire and four of these – the common pipistrelle, the brown long-eared bat, the noctule and natterer’s bat – can be seen in the habitat displays in the natural history gallery. This is located on the ground floor of The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in a […]
Museum Treasures: Sopwith Camel propeller
The designer of the iconic Spitfire, Reginald J. Mitchell (1895 – 1937), attended Hanley High School from September 1909 to November 1911. He retained a great affection for the school and in subsequent years was a contributor to the school magazine. Mining subsidence caused the closure of Hanley High School in 1940. It was replaced […]
Museum Treasures: The Dolls House
One of the most popular exhibits on display in the museum is the dolls house, which can be seen in the Design Gallery. This house was completed in 1982 by local craftsman Peter Hall. In addition to the house, he also made several other pieces contained within it. The house was donated to the museum […]
Museum Treasures; Joseph Grimaldi Figure
Staffordshire potters have been making figures since the mid 18th century. While most were purely decorative, in the 19th century they began making figures showing the celebrities of the day. Many figures depicted royalty or politicians but some of the most popular showed the stars of the stage. One was Joseph Grimaldi (1779-1837). The original […]
Stoke Museums launches new Website
Noticed a few changes around here? Stoke-on-Trent Museums has just launched its new and improved website. The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery and Gladstone Pottery Museum each has a new dedicated site in which you can find information about all of our upcoming events, exhibitions and blog stories from behind-the-scenes. Please take the time to […]