Stoke-on-Trent is a city in central England, that’s roughly halfway between Manchester and Birmingham. The city is well-known for its pottery because production started here in the 17th century, and then the city went on to become the largest pottery producer in the country. Stoke-on-Trent is home to names such as Wedgwood and Royal Doulton.
By train, there are many cities that are less than an hour away, including Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Nottingham. There are services to London running every half an hour, and it takes less than 90 minutes to reach the capital. For those travelling by car, the M6 provides easy access to Manchester, Birmingham and Derby.
For travel further afield, there’s a range of airports within good reach of Stoke-on-Trent. Manchester Airport is just a 45 minutes drive away, whilst Birmingham Airport and East Midlands Airport are both just an hour away.
There is a range of good schools, including Endon High, Westwood, Newcastle Sixth Form College, and Stoke Sixth Form College. Stoke-on-Trent has several well-respected private schools nearby too, including Newcastle School and St Joseph's Preparatory School.
Stoke-on-Trent was formed through its history of pottery and its world-renowned for it. There’s so much pottery and history to explore within the city, including factories like the Emma Bridgewater Factory, and lots of visitor centres including LoveClay Ceramics Centre, Gladstone Pottery Museum and World of Wedgwood.
There are plenty of other shopping facilities in Stoke-on-Trent too. The city centre has all the high street brands as well as independent stores too. The Potteries Centre has a great range of high street fashion brands, phone stores, sportswear, stationery and much more. There’s also a Cineworld cinema and plenty of food and drink outlets. Trentham Shopping Village provides a unique shopping experience with shops, cafes and restaurants all housed within 78 timber lodges. There are beautiful gardens to explore here too, and a lovely fairy trail that goes through the woods, which is lots of fun for children.
Stoke-on-Trent has a fantastic range of restaurants to enjoy, from national chains such as Pizza Express and Gourmet Burger Kitchen to formal dining, like David’s Brasserie at the Trentham Estate. There are great independent restaurants in the city. Baby Russets is a traditional English restaurant serving up some hearty options like good pies, and KLAY pizzeria and bar with amazing pizzas.
There are good healthcare facilities in the city with plenty of doctors, pharmacies and dentists, as well as Royal Stoke University Hospital.
There’s plenty to experience in and around Stoke-on-Trent too, such as Trentham Monkey Forest with 140 Barbary macaques wandering free among the forest. There are two canals running through the city, providing lovely walking routes and narrowboat trips.
Stoke on Trent is the closest city to Alton Towers, which has more than 50 rides and attractions. Waterworld is a fantastic indoor waterpark in Stoke-on-Trent, which makes a great day out for the family.
