Ferguson Pottery Works, Stoke on Trent

I dont know much about the history of this place - It used to be part of Royal Doulton's Gainsborugh Pottery and became Shires Bathrooms who were bought out in 2000 by the irish based Qualcream group,
Producing Toilets and Sinks it employed around 600 people untill Qualcream outsourced production to the far east in 2006. Surprisingly all the machinery remains, The lights and fans are on and machinery is still running 3 years after the last toilet was produced.

Built on four levels the pottery uses a highly automated production line, the top two production floors were where the liquid clay was poured into plaster moulds and dryed in giant ovens before the leather hard toilet or sink is hung on a monorail which takes it to the lower floor to be biscuit fired. After which it continues on the monorail through a series of booths where robot arms spray the coloured glazes onto the item then it's fired again and any imperfections are polished out by workers before it goes back up the monorail to be packed and dispatched on the upper ground floor.

That's rather cool WOTS! I've never seen a closed down factory that looks so ready for action!

Nice shots. Might have to pay this a visit

Nice one! The factory reminds of Carry on Convienience! with the toilet moulds. Brill shots.

Good pics, especially like the one of the loo moulds. Looks like it could be ready to go next week.

mr_bones said:

That's rather cool WOTS! I've never seen a closed down factory that looks so ready for action!

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This place reminds me of TG Greens, which I bet looked similar not long after that closed.

85 Vintage said:

This place reminds me of TG Greens, which I bet looked similar not long after that closed.

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It's an odd thing, but every pottery I've seen still has loads of intact pots, moulds, etc...even several years after they've closed. Glad they do, though!
Excellent pics as always, WOTS. Another cool site.

Absolutely cracking set of snaps. Must have been surreal with the power, lights etc still on (did you wonder if everyone was on their break -only to walk back in at any mo?)

Thanks for sharing WOTS

There's a nice ambience to your photos, and they also have a real "documentary" quality. It looks like the pottery equivalent of Fletchers, ie a Marie Celeste.