Where Are The Potteries In England?

The Potteries is the 'unofficial' title of Stoke on Trent, a city in the north of Staffordshire which is situated midway between Manchester and Birmingham  (it is roughly 40 miles between these two cities).
The Potteries actually are made up of six towns, Burslem, Fenton, Hanley Longton, Stoke and Tunstall.  They were formed into the town of Stoke on Trent in 1923.
They became informally known as The Potteries because Wedgwood first started manufacturing pottery in Barlaston, a village on the outskirts of Stoke.  The earth is particularly suitable for pottery, since it is high in clay content and the canal sysytem offered ready access to transport.  
In addition to Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, Beswick and Moorcroft Pottery was all produced in Stoke (The Potteries).
However, in recent times the pottery industry has been re-located with most manufacturing now done in Asia, where production costs are said to be lower than in the UK.