Heritage Open Days 2025 | Potteries Heritage Society

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Every year in September, places across the country throw open their doors to celebrate their heritage, community and history. It’s your chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences – and it’s all FREE. This year Heritage Open Days returns with a 10-day festival taking place from Friday 12th to Sunday 21st September. You can have free access to events and properties that are usually closed to the public or normally charge for admission or choose one of the many events that take place especially for the festival.

Colour Key

Here in Stoke-on-Trent, there will be the the usual chance to explore our fantastic heritage and enjoy a wide range of events and activities that bring local history and culture to life. This year the national theme is ‘Architecture’, providing an opportunity to highlight our distinctive heritage buildings and our iconic Bottle Ovens! In this special anniversary year for Stoke-on-Trent, there are lots of new events designed to celebrate the City's Centenary. These events have been supported by the Heritage Fund and Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

The programme is co-ordinated nationally, by the National Trust and with support from players of the People's Postcard Lottery, and locally by The Heritage Network for Stoke-on-Trent, bringing together local hosts and heritage enthusiasts.

As events are still being developed, this page will be a work in progress until registration closes on 8th August. See our "At a Glance" guide below.

Colours indicate general location: Pink=Tunstall; Orange=Burslem; Yellow=Hanley & Etruria; Green=Stoke & Hartshill; Blue=Fenton; Purple=Longton & Trentham; Grey=Multiple Locations.

Themes: A=Architecture B=Bottle Ovens C=City Centenary P=Pre-booking required

The Festival - At a Glance

Click on the event titles for more information and booking. Clicking on the HODs logo on the bottom right of the event pages takes you further information and maps on the HODs site.

Fri 12 Sep	Middleport Pottery Free Heritage Trails 1000-1600 A B	Gladstone Pottery Museum 1000-1500 B		Bottle Ovens of Longton Walk 1100 A B P	Charles Barry & his Grand Designs for Trentham 1900-2100 A
Sat 13 Sep	Middleport Pottery Free Heritage Trails 1000-1600 A B	Following in the Footsteps of Charles Barry 1100 A P	Trentham Parish Church Open Doors 1100-1600 A		Trentham and its Architects 1100-1600 A
	Stoke Minster 1000-1400		Tower, Pinnacles and Parapets of St Mark's 1100-1700 A		Architecture of Bottle Ovens 1400 A B
	Chatterley Whitfield Colliery Tours 1000-1600 A P	Tracks Through Time Exhibition 1030-1600 A	Stoke-on-Trent Railway Station Guided Tour 1100, 1300 & 1500 A P	Bethesda Chapel 1200-1400
Sun 14 Sep	Chatterley Whitfield Colliery Tours 1000-1600 A P	Tracks Through Time Exhibition 1030-1600 A	Ford Green Hall 1100-1530		In the Footsteps of the Fords 1400-1630 A P
Mon 15 Sep		Tracks Through Time Exhibition 1030-1600 A	Stoke-on-Trent Railway Station Guided Tour 1100, 1300 & 1500 A P	Oliver's Mill 1600-1800 A B
Tue 16 Sep		Tracks Through Time Exhibition 1030-1600 A	A Century of Land Reclamation in Fenton 1100 C P
Wed 17 Sep	Middleport Pottery Archive Open Morning 1000, 1115 & 1215 A P	Tracks Through Time Exhibition 1030-1600 A	Power in The Potteries: Energy Exhibition 1100-1630 B C	Power in The Potteries: Energy Then and Now 1400 B C P	Power in The Potteries: The Evolution of the Bottle Oven 1730 A B C P
Thu 18 Sep	Donation of a Legacy: from Pottery to Communities 1000-1400 B C	Tracks Through Time Exhibition 1030-1600 A	Power in The Potteries: Energy Exhibition 1100-1630 B C	Power in The Potteries: From Black to Green 1100 C	Power in The Potteries: From Waste to Resource 1730 C P
Thu 18 Sep	Unpacking the V&A Wedgwood Collection: Behind-the-scenes 1100 P	Tracks Through Time Exhibition 1030-1600 A	Power in The Potteries: Energy Exhibition 1100-1630 B C	Arnold Bennett Dudson Heritage Walk in Hanley 14:00 B C P
Fri 19 Sep	Unpacking the V&A Wedgwood Collection: Behind-the-scenes 1100 P	Tracks Through Time Exhibition 1030-1600 A	Walking Tour of Arnold Bennett's Burslem 1100-1400 A C	Inside the Church of Fenton 1300-1600
Fri 19 Sep	Donation of a Legacy: from Pottery to Communities 1000-1400 B C	Secret Museum \| Open Doors 1000-1500 A	Secret Museum \| Factory Tours 1200 A	Salt, Pepper & Vinegar Bottle Ovens 1300-1600 B	Secret Museum \| Evening Reception 1700-2000 A
Sat 20 Sep	Donation of a Legacy: from Pottery to Communities 1000-1400 B C	Secret Museum \| Open Doors 1000-1500 A	Secret Museum \| Factory Tours 1200 A	Bethesda Chapel 1200-1400
		Keith Murray: Wedgwood Architect and Designer 1100 A P	St Bartholomew's Church Norton-le-Moors 1100-1600		Minton in Hartshill 1630 A P
	Chatterley Whitfield Colliery Tours 1000-1600 A P	Victorian Potter's Mill & Stationary Engines 1100-1630 B C	Power in The Potteries: Energy Exhibition 1100-1630 B C	The Architecture of the Potteries Canals 1200 A B C P	Minton in Hartshill 1630 A P
Sun 21 Sep	Chatterley Whitfield Colliery Tours 1000-1600 A P	Victorian Potter's Mill & Classic Vehicles 1100-1630 B C	Power in The Potteries: Energy Exhibition 1100-1630 B C	15 Bottle Ovens Built in the City 1000 A B C P	Holy Trinity Church, Hartshill 1300-1600

Anytime during the festival	Bottle Oven Facts QR codes at 29 sites A B C	Walking to Bottle Ovens in Burslem Self-guided walk A B C	Walking to Bottle Ovens in Hanley & Etruria Self-guided walk A B C	Walking to Bottle Ovens in Stoke & Fenton Self-guided walk A B C	Walking to Bottle Ovens in Longton Self-guided walk A B C

Alternatively, check out:

The HODS Diary

for Stoke-on-Trent

The HODs Events Directory

for Stoke-on-Trent

The Full HODs Directory

for the whole of England

During Stoke-on-Trent's Centenary Year, the Heritage Network is co-ordinating Heritage Open Days in Stoke-on-Trent with support from the City Council and funding from the Heritage Fund. Thanks to players of the National Lottery.