The North Staffordshire ceramics industry was of global significance. From the beginning of industrialisation in the mid-18th century through to the industry's rapid decline following the Second World War, Staffordshire ceramics were exported globally, with consequent impacts on industrial history, material culture consumption, art history, commercial history, and many other sectors. However, while the archaeological and material culture impact of Staffordshire ceramics has been explored extensively internationally, there is often less awareness outside of the United Kingdom of the archaeological, built heritage, and museum collections research being undertaken in the city of Stoke-on-Trent itself. This paper offers a contextualising introduction to a session that aims to share recent current research in Stoke with North American and other international colleagues, alongside drawing connections with the rest of the UK and the US.

Archaeology in Stoke-on-Trent is about more than merely identifying, exposing and recording the structural remains of pottery factories. More important is the evidence for the processes employed and the products made at these factories. Given the leading role of the Staffordshire Potteries in the pottery trade in the late 18^th and 19^th centuries, ceramic assemblages excavated there can contribute to an understanding not only of typologies and chronology, but of markets, trading connections and consumer behaviour across the globe. Archaeology undertaken in Stoke-on-Trent ensures that discussion of the distribution and consumption of ceramics is informed by a clear understanding of the industrial context in which wares were made.

In its heyday Grade II* Bethesda Methodist Chapel (dating to 1798) seated over 2,500 people, making it the largest place of worship in the Potteries. As Hanley developed as a commercial centre, Bethesda became the Nonconformist church of choice, its congregation including the area’s civic and commercial leaders. As such, its significance goes far beyond its role in Stoke-on-Trent’s religious history. The chapel remained well used into the 20th century, but by 1985 a declining congregation and costly repairs led to its closure. In 2002, however, it was taken into the ownership of the Historic Chapels Trust, who undertook extensive repair works to safeguard its future. Now, under the ownership of Re-form Heritage, the chapel is entering a new phase of life with plans to regenerate it as a specialist educational college alongside performance, exhibition and heritage interpretation space, once again putting it at the heart of the community.

The V&A Wedgwood Collection is a record of over 250 years of the globally significant production of Stoke-on-Trent's best know pottery manufactory. Whilst Josiah Wedgwood I expressed his regret at not having collected a specimen of every piece he'd created, the 20th century practice of keeping one or more of each new product to pass through the factory seems perhaps excessive. Through select stories discovered during our unpacking project, this paper explores the shaping of a collection and what we can learn from both the collected and the omitted.

Scotland’s Ghost Industry: shared clay stories, global trade and intercultural connections made from the mid 18^th to the mid 20^th century. An exploration of Scotland’s contribution to Britain’s ceramic manufacture and trade. This paper will explore connections and influences between Stoke-on-Trent and Scotland’s pottery factories. It will focus on Glasgow as the major hub of Scotland’s pottery industry from the mid 18^th century and outline the global impact of Scotland’s industrial ceramic trade. It will consider the ability of Scottish ceramic industrial manufacturers to create export designs specifically made to appeal to destination countries and respond to gaps in global markets. The paper will consider porcelain, earthenware, and stoneware manufacturing, its trade and distribution and the historic intercultural connections made across the globe. It will pose the importance of future connections and collaborations for knowledge creation and dissemination, recognising historic and creating future intercultural connections around Scotland’s industrial pottery heritage.

Staffordshire-made ceramics have long been an important component of North American tables; in 1853 the value of English ceramics imported into the United States totaled just over three million dollars. This paper will consider 19^th-century Baltimore as one example of Staffordshire ceramic consumption patterns and how they changed over time. As sources, this paper will use Baltimore’s rich archaeological collections, including an assemblage from a china merchant, and primary sources, including the 1806-1832 letter books of Baltimore china and glass retailer Matthew Smith.