Membership of the Potteries Bottle Oven Owners Club is exclusive to owners of bottle ovens and their representatives based in Stoke-on-Trent. This may include property managers, curators of museums and the owners' tenants - where responsibility for the oven or ovens is included within the lease.
Membership to the Club is currently free and owners simply need to share their time, knowledge and enthusiasm. If you are eligible and interested in joining please get in touch via the Potteries Bottle Oven Owners Club category on the contact form.
Meetings are generally held bi-monthly with members taking turns to host.
The Club's Chair is elected annually, sharing the responsibility between members, and is supported by a Secretary. It has been agreed that the Council's HAZ Project Officer will serve as Secretary for the duration of the HAZ scheme. The Club may appoint a Treasurer in the future should it have finances or project funds to manage.
For more information and resources available to Club members only, go to the private Member Resources pages.
Although there are also surviving bottle ovens outside the city of Stoke-on-Trent, there are no plans to extend membership to owners of these properties at this time, especially as the Club is currently supported by Ceramic Heritage Action Zone partners - Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Potteries Heritage Society - both of which have remits restricted to the city.
Those individuals and organisations who wish to support the conservation and regeneration of bottle ovens in the city can do so by joining the Potteries Heritage Society or supporting the individual members through volunteering or donations. You will find links to members' websites on the locations and links page.