Bottle Ovens and the Story of the Final Firing
by Terry Woolliscroft and Pam Woolliscroft
 |
Commissioned and published in the 40th anniversary year of the The Last Bottle Oven Firing. In 1978, staff at Gladstone Pottery Museum in Stoke-on-Trent had the inspired and audacious idea of firing a potters' bottle oven, with coal, just one more time. The final firing broke the rules and was to be the last time. Ever. The traditional way of firing pottery in bottle ovens ended in the early 1960s following the introduction of the Clean Air Act of 1958. Before all the knowledge and skills of firing a bottle oven were consigned to history, the museum embarked on a project which proved to be an enormous undertaking, massively complex and tremendously daunting. 40 years later the final firing was commemorated with The Festival of Bottle Ovens. And, for the Festival, Terry and Pam Woolliscroft co-authored the book about it all.  The book is the only complete account of exactly how the firing was organised, and what happened before, during and after the event. The book, Bottle Ovens and the Story of the Final Firing, tells its full story. The details are drawn from contemporary film and audio recordings, photos taken by Gladstone volunteers and visiting professionals, committee meeting minutes, surviving notebooks, the event log book, media reports, management reports and remarkable recollections of some of the 72 volunteers involved. Ultimately, the book serves as a comprehensive archive of a defining industrial era, celebrating a monumental achievement that successfully captured a vital piece of ceramic history for future generations. The book was planned, researched, written, designed, published and distributed entirely in the Potteries. Printed in the UK. Designed by Caroline Dadd, of Stoke-on-Trent, and produced with the generous financial support of the Friends of the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery.   Second Edition Published October 2026 A4 Size – 297x210 mm 60 pages, 29,000 words 131 illustrations £15 Available from : Gladstone Pottery Museum shop and by mail order by phone with credit card +44 (0) 1782 237777  "Love this book's mixture of information, narrative, memories, snapshots, technical diagrams and the glossary of Stoke words." Val Bott MBE "...wonderful book! - superbly detailed and presented - the copious illustrations and photographs are terrific." Ray Johnson MBE "…incredibly interesting, informative and very well illustrated. I can recommend it to anyone who is interested in the history behind the pottery industry." Brian Milner "It's a delightful read and such an unusual and creative way of telling the story - the reader is drawn into it!" Professor Jennifer Tann, Director of 'Potbank' the official film of the firing "Congratulations, Terry and Pam. This is a remarkable work, and you've done something truly important for cultural heritage. Documenting the Last Bottle Oven Firing in 1978 preserves skills and stories that would otherwise have been lost forever. Reading through the manuscript, I can see the extraordinary depth of research and personal involvement that went into it. The fact that you were both on the organising committee - Pam kindling the first firemouth, Terry recording the audio and keeping the logbook - gives the account an authenticity that only first hand participants could bring." Anon 2026 |
Review by Zoe Sutherland, Project Officer, Heritage Action Zone, Stoke-on-Trent 2015
"The first part of the book provides an overview of the history of bottle ovens as well as an introduction to different oven types, giving context to the story of the last firing. Part two of the book is a fascinating account of the last firing, told with details of site, sound and sensation that give a real flavour of what it was like to be there and an understanding of the skills involved in such an operation. This part of the book also gave me an appreciation of the vision and tenacity required to conceive and plan the event; the time and effort involved and the willingness not only of the organisers and volunteers but also of the whole community. The book is illustrated with explanatory diagrams and plenty of interesting photographs of both the last firing and bygone days in the Potteries, and includes a useful dictionary explaining the terminology used in the account."
Extract courtesy PMAG Friends News Sept 2019