This directory details all of the registered events taking place within Stoke-on-Trent during the Heritage Open Days festival between the 12th and 21st September 2025. Click on the Heritage Open Days logo for more information.

Ford Green Hall

Sun, 13/09/2026 - 11:00

Ford Green Road, Smallthorne
Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST6 1NG

Sunday 13th September

13:00 - 15:30

Find out what life was like for an ordinary person working and living at the Hall. Meet a Civil war soldier and handle replica weapons and armour. We'll have a display promoting our ancestry project and inviting visitors interested about exploring their family tree will be able to sign up to join the Ancestry group we are establishing at the Hall with a display promoting the project. We will also have a display (in addition to our Archaeology display) with details about the archive work at the Hall. We will be available to talk to visitors and answer questions about the Ancestry project and the Archive work.

Booking: Not required

Website: fordgreenhall.org.uk

Gladstone Pottery Museum

Fri, 18/09/2026 - 10:00

Gladstone

Gladstone Pottery Museum, Uttoxeter Road
Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, ST3 1PQ

Friday 18th September

10:00 to 17:00

Visit the only complete Victorian pottery factory from the days when coal burning ovens made the world's finest bone China. Gladstone Pottery Museum offers a fascinating insight into the history of Stoke-on-Trent, famously known the world over as The Potteries. Experience what conditions were like for the men, women and children who worked at the centre of the world’s pottery industry. Visit the Tile Gallery featuring one of the best decorative tile collections in the country and ‘Flushed with Pride’ a remarkable gallery dedicated to the history of the toilet. A fun noisy, touchy feely display, kids will love it!

Booking: not required

Website: stokemuseums.org.uk/gpm

Hanley Park Heritage Event

Sat, 19/09/2026 - 11:00

Dudson Bottle Oven

The Bandstand, Hanley Park

Cleveland Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 4DX

Saturday 19th September 11:00 to 14:00

Join The Friends of Hanley Park, to celebrate 'Everyday Histories' and the working lives of the potteries. 19th September 11:00-2:00 Fun for all the family, as we celebrate the heritage of our city and look at how the park was maintained. Come along and discover stories, memories and history that have shaped Hanley park and the local community. Whether you're a history enthusiast, a regular park visitor, or simply curious about the past, there's something for everyone: brass band, clay crafts, bouncy castle and self-led heritage trail

Booking: not required

In the Footsteps of Palaeontologist John Ward

Mon, 14/09/2026 - 14:00

Meet at Longton Station PHS logo
King Street, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, ST3 1EZ

Monday 14 September

14:00

Max 25 people

Follow in the footsteps of John Ward (1837-1906), an amateur geologist, palaeontologist and ichthyologist, known for collecting fossils from the coal mines of Staffordshire. Ward grew up in Fenton and ran a drapers shop in Longton, but the fossils and specimens he collected are now to be found in museums and significant scientific collections throughout the world. He was a founder member and president of the North Staffordshire Naturalists Field Club and played an active role in the civic life of his home town of Longton. The walk is hosted by the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery and Potteries Heritage Society and led by ichthypaleontologist Rob Gagliano.

Booking: Pre-book online: potteries.org.uk/footsteps-john-ward-book

Website: potteries.org.uk

Inside Etruria: Past, Present & Future

Sat, 19/09/2026 - 11:00

Shirley's Bone & Flint Mill

Etruria Industrial Museum
Etruria Vale Road, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 4RB

Saturday 19th September

11:00 - 15:00

Come inside a part of Etruria you don't normally get to see and discover the past, present and possible future of this extraordinary industrial landscape. For Heritage Open Days, the former Canal & River Trust Maintenance Yard at Etruria will open its gates for a relaxed day of discovery, activities and conversation. Sitting at the meeting point of the Trent & Mersey and Caldon canals, the yard is right at the heart of one of Stoke-on-Trent's most fascinating historic landscapes. Around it are canals, locks, industrial buildings, Etruria Industrial Museum and Shirley's Bone & Flint Mill – all reminders of the industries and everyday working lives that shaped this part of the city. Drop in, explore the site and discover some of the stories hidden within the wider Etruria Valley. There will be historic and contemporary maps, photographs and information to explore, alongside activities for children and families.

Booking: not required

Website: theteapotfactory.com

Inside the Church of Fenton

Fri, 11/09/2026 - 11:00

Christchurch St, Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 3AQ

Friday 11th September

11:00 to 16:00

Christ Church is an Anglican church in Fenton, Staffordshire, England. It is in the parish of Stoke-upon-Trent and Fenton, and in the Diocese of Lichfield. The building is Grade II listed.

Booking: not required

Website: achurchnearyou.com/church/4279/about-us/

Lost and Found: Josiah Clowes and the Norton Colliery Canal

Sun, 13/09/2026 - 14:00

Caldon Canal and the Norton Colliery Branch PHS logo

Meet at the Lychgate, St Bartholomew's Church
Norton Lane, Norton-le-Moors, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 8BY

Sunday 13th September

14:00

Join Potteries Heritage Society on the trail of a pioneering canal engineer and a forgotten branch canal. Find out about the life of The Potteries' locally-born canal engineer and a lost canal hiding in plain sight. This three-mile walk has stunning views over the City and the Moorlands, descends 160ft (50m) into the valley of the River Trent, and along a section of the Caldon Canal, before returning to St Bartholomew's Church. Led by Andy Perkin.

Booking: Pre-book online: potteries.org.uk/lost-found-clowes-book

Website: potteries.org.uk

Middleport Pottery - Search our 1940's Employment record cards

Wed, 16/09/2026 - 10:30

Middleport Pottery, Port Street
Stoke-On-Trent, ST63PE

Wednesday 16 September
Thursday 17 september

10:00, 11:15, 12:00 & 12:45

In this session you will get to visit Middleport Pottery, where you will find our employment cards from Burgess and Leigh, recorded between 1941-1942. See if you can find a relative, family name or even a complete stranger and learn about their job.

Booking: Pre booking required: https://reformheritage2.beaconforms.com/form/78fb3fdb

Website: re-form.org/

Middleport Pottery - Search our 1940's Employment record cards

Thu, 17/09/2026 - 10:30

Middleport Pottery, Port Street
Stoke-On-Trent, ST63PE

Wednesday 16 September
Thursday 17 september

10:00, 11:15, 12:00 & 12:45

Booking: Pre booking required: https://reformheritage2.beaconforms.com/form/78fb3fdb

Website: re-form.org/

Oliver's Mill: Past Lives, Future Stories

Tue, 15/09/2026 - 16:00

Oliver's Mill, Newport Lane, ST6 3NJ

Tuesday 15th September

16:00-18:00

Step inside one of Stoke-on-Trent’s remarkable surviving industrial buildings and discover the story of Oliver’s Mill – from the everyday working lives that supported the world-famous Potteries to ambitious plans for its future. The surviving mill buildings, kilns, engine house and chimney still tell the story of its industrial past, while the vast interiors retain much of their extraordinary scale and character. Years of vacancy have also taken their toll: roofs have failed, water has entered the buildings and parts of the site are no longer safely accessible. For Heritage Open Days 2026, Teapot Factory CIC is offering a rare opportunity to see Oliver’s Mill in its current state and hear about an ambitious new chapter in its story. Limited access to the inside of the Mill so will therefore be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis (2 tours of 10).

Booking: Not required

Website: theteapotfactory.com