Last Bottle Oven Firing 1978

THE LAST BOTTLE OVEN FIRING - 1978 The first time in 20 years. The last time in history


In August 1978 a group of  elderly men who still possessed the stamina and the skills required, together with a massive team of (younger) volunteers and staff from Gladstone Pottery Museum, organised The Last Bottle Oven Firing.



This was the last firing, in The Potteries, of a traditional coal fired oven, in the traditional and time-honoured way, at the nearby Hudson and Middleton Works. The whole process took 8 days, actually much longer than for a commercial oven firing. It was recorded on film for posterity.


The Last Bottle Oven Firing
https://youtu.be/HWNiBD2TDYI


The mastermind behind the project was David Sekers, Museum Director at the time.  The fireman responsible for the event was Alfred Clough, the local master potter and retired pottery manufacturer.

Read more about the The Last Bottle Oven Firing here> on The Potteries Bottle Oven site. 




Potteries Bottle Oven Day - Every August 29th
the day the last bottle oven was kindled


£12.99 available from Gladstone Pottery Museum shop
and by Mail Order - phone +44 (0) 1782 237777
ISBN 978 0 9505411 3 6
http://www.stokemuseums.org.uk/gpm/

Produced with the generous support of 
The Friends of The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery

Conceived, planned, researched, written, designed, printed, 

published and distributed entirely in Stoke-on-Trent

"...wonderful book! ...superbly detailed and presented - 
the copious illustrations and photographs are terrific."  
Ray Johnson MBE

"Love this book's mixture of information, narrative, memories,
snapshots, technical diagrams and the glossary of Stoke words."  
Val Bott MBE

"…incredibly interesting, informative and very well illustrated. 
I can recommend it to anyone who is interested 
in the history behind the pottery industry." 
Brian Milner

"It's a delightful read and such an unusual and creative 
way of telling the story - the reader is drawn into it!" 
Professor Jennifer Tann, 
Director of 'Potbank' the official film of The Last Bottle Oven Firing