Royal Doulton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire

The next port of call during the 2007 Urbex meet-up was Royal Doulton when it was still intact, although obviously abandoned and derelict. (The other places can be seen in the previous three posts).

My other friends ventured inside but due to a disability, and being exhausted in the afternoon after a very long journey the day before, I decided to give it a miss. I went back to the car of our host to have a rest and found the front of the factory nearby, so I just enjoyed a leisurely wander around the outside and took some exterior photos before having a much needed snooze.

The brick building (above and below) was probably the main office for callers; with a rather lovely Italianate front elevation.

Another of the many potteries that have closed due to cheap imports from overseas, Royal Doulton was a household name of distinction that produced ceramics and tableware for about 200 years. Although only 22 years old at the time, John Doulton invested his savings of £100 in a small pottery in the year of 1815, and began producing both practical and decorative stoneware. The business, which was started in Lambeth, London, was eventually relocated to Stoke-on-Trent by his son, Henry, 60 years later.

The three main ingredients for Royal Doulton wares included cornish stone, china clay and calcined bone ash. This resulted in translucent chinaware, with the added advantage of strength. More than 2000 different figures have been produced by Royal Doulton over the years.

Some of the ingredients, in lovely colourful tubs, above.

The 15 acre site closed completely in September 2005. The land was sold to property developers with the intention of building housing on the site.

I managed to get partway around to take the above photo, which shows some of the extent of the factory site.

Only a shortish one this time. Next up, and last one, which is even shorter - having only a few photos - Silverdale ROC Post. :)

Simpsons (Potters) Ltd, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire

This was another of my favourite explores; the third one undertaken on the Urbex Meet-Up weekend in Stoke-on-Trent in 2007 (please see the previous two posts for the first ones). Sadly, the factory has since been demolished, presumably including all the stuff left behind. 

Stoke-on-Trent is famous for its potteries, known locally as Pot Banks, and was the main industry in the area. Unfortunately, due to cheap imports from China and elsewhere, many of them were closed down, left abandoned and derelict until being demolished. Even well-known brands, such as Royal Doulton, have suffered the same fate.

Interestingly though, unlike many abandoned places, these factories were largely left intact with hardly any vandalism inside. It always amazes me how much pottery remained stacked on pallets, very little of which has been broken.

The ascendants of the Simpsons have allegedly been pottery makers since the 16th century. As a firm however, they have operated since 1904, firstly under the name of Soho Pottery Ltd, then under the name of Simpsons itself. In 1918 they moved to these premises in Cobridge called The Elder Works, and continued there until 2004.
 

Above, a selection of moulds and several of the many pallets left remaining in the factory. Some are in pristine condition, still wrapped in plastic with all the crockery intact. Below, the factory floors, where rubbish has been strewn about, including broken pallets, which seems a bit odd when there are still piles of crockery left standing.

There were huge, walk-in kilns on this floor (below), but it was too dark in that part to get a decent picture of them.

 In the offices upstairs there were some samples of glazing and coloured pigments.

Some odd corners and another pallet...just for a change! ;)

And finally, a peep through a high window with a view of the factory roofs.

Such an amazing weekend comprising three of my all-time favourite explores. The fourth stop on our tour is another pottery - Royal Doulton - coming up in the next post.

Stallington Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire

A delightful Italianate style house with an air of decaying elegance, it has been left empty and derelict even though it's a Grade II listed building. Built in the late 18th century, and later extended around 1900, it comprises varying heights of one, two and three storeys, and has some lovely features including a stone balustrade above the ground floor front, an arched portico at the entrance and a rather grand square tower. I love the blending of the red brick and the stone quoins & dressings, the exterior brickwork having faded in parts to a soft orangey-pink.

This was the second explore during the Urbex Meet-Up in July 2007 (please see the previous post for the first one).

Interesting remains inside include 18th century staircases, panelling in some of the rooms and carved wood chimneypieces in the Jacobean style. The front room, in the photos below, also contain paired Doric columns and interior arched windows. There was also a rather grand fireplace, but I was unable to pick out any details as the photos were taken from outside looking in through the unglazed windows.

Above; the panelling and free-standing columns. Below shows the arched windows and screen containing paired columns in relief, called pilasters.

The fireplace, below.

The photo below shows a combination of stately home and red brick industrial, which always makes me think of a Shakespearean play set in a factory. ;)

There were 12 households in the village of Stallington during 1881 when the census wes taken, included Stallington Hall (originally known as Stallington Grange), being then described as a fine red brick building standing in its own parkland and having extensive views over the surrounding countryside. It was occupied by the MP for North Staffordshire, Sir Bart Smith Child, his wife Sarah, daughter Elizabeth and eleven staff. After his death in 1896, his grandson Hill Child inherited the Baronetcy as well as Stallington Hall. He sold Stallington Hall to the City of Stoke-on-Trent in 1928, after which it was then used as a hospital for mentally ill adults and children.

I had a wander around the left side in what remained of the overgrown garden. I didn't get any photos as it really was nothing more than a lawn badly in need of a mow, with tussocks that the unwary can trip over.

The metal stairs outside were presumably added when it later became a hospital.

The photos below are of a side entrance on the right, with a rather hairy 2ft jump across an open basement, which I surprised myself by doing. Unfortunately, the steep climb down to the access inside proved too difficult for me, so I just wandered around taking photos outside. I really enjoyed it though, as I often prefer the exterior of buildings than the interior, and it was one of my favourite places to visit.

And finally, a view through the fence to what was also once part of the grounds.
 

And a slightly different view of the front.

The third stop on our tour was Simpson's Potters - another great explore - coming up next!