Stoke-on-Trent (pop. 258,369), a unitary authority (local government area) in west-central England, is the pottery center of the United Kingdom. It lies on the River Trent. Stoke-on-Trent was formed in 1910 by combining six pottery-manufacturing towns. The English writer Arnold Bennett used five of these communities as the setting for his “Five Towns” series of stories.
As early as the 1300’s, crude pots were made from clays found near what is now Stoke-on-Trent. By the mid-1700’s, the manufacture of fine pottery had become a small, specialized industry. Josiah Wedgwood, a leading English potter, opened a factory in the area in 1759. Today, Stoke-on-Trent’s chief products include pottery, bricks, and tiles. Tourism is also a significant industry.
