Potbank - A Story of Change in the Potteries Seen from the Gladstone Pottery Museum

Description

The film begins with voiceover commentary which explains about the past dominance of bottle kiln chimneys in Stoke-on-Trent. He adds that although these chimneys are being demolished the pottery industry in the city is still thriving. We then see the on-screen presenter David Sekers, the director of Gladstone Museum, as he walks around the site of Gladstone pottery works. He talks about how Gladstone is known as a potbank and is the last of its kind. He also explains that the site is to be transformed into a living museum. In the sequence after this there are scenes of people giving demonstrations of traditional pottery-making techniques. David gives a brief history of how the site was acquired in 1971 because it was to be demolished. This is accompanied by archive footage showing workers putting items into a kiln. We hear from retired pottery manager Douglas Challinor about how the bottle-shaped kilns worked and also the employees' working conditions. There is archive film showing Stoke-on-Trent's urban landscape with chimneys and smoke. We also hear a number of local contributors talking about living in the areas near the chimneys. Some comment on how they didn't realise how bad the air quality was until recently. They talk about the differences to everyday life that have been made by the Clean Air Act such as being able to see the surrounding hills in the landscape. There are scenes inside a modern pottery factory with a number of machines making plates and saucers. David's voice over reflects that with the modern mechanisation of the pottery industry, the history may be left behind. After this there are shots inside the museum of steam engines that powered some of the earlier machinery. We see these in operation. Next a woman talks about the previous working conditions and the improvements for employees in the new factories. Another woman explains about how the working conditions led to many long-term health problems including Silicosis. This is followed by a sequence featuring street scenes around Stoke-on-Trent. This is accompanied by local people explaining about how Stoke-on-Trent was formed from six towns but that each town still retains individual character. There are street shots of Hanley and Etruria. It is explained that the development of the pottery industry also developed the city's transport links and there are views of the canal system. The next part of the film features interviewees discussing their working lives. One woman explains about her work as a flower maker. We see her giving a demonstration on making flowers out of clay for an audience. Another female contributor talks about her job painting decoration on pottery by hand. This is followed by shots of modern painting techniques with machines. There are a number of shots of the landscape of Longton and the exterior of the Gladstone Pottery Museum. In the next section of the film we hear about the different types of jobs at pottery factories and the experiences of some of the employees. They also talk about the training and salaries they received. This is followed by shots of streets in Burslem. After this the film looks at the museum. There are views of the exterior and inside a gallery. David introduces some of the displays and we see examples of ancient pottery. The final part of the film is about tile making. We see different examples of tiles and are given a brief history of tile making in Stoke-on-Trent. There are shots showing the processes of modern tile-making. A sequence features machines shaping and firing the tiles. We hear interviewees talking about how much the industry has become mechanised and that the level of skills required to work in the factories has changed. There are shots of workers in a tile factory. One of the contributors defends the mechanisation of the industry. He remarks that had the technology been available, founders of potbanks such as Wedgwood and Spode would have used them.

Credits

Narrator - David Sekers, Film Camera - Peter Salkeld, Film Sound - Murray Clarke & Derek Fuke. Written and Produced by Edmund Marshall