Ceramica, a new visitor attraction exploring and celebrating Stoke's world famous pottery industry, will open its doors to the public on Saturday, April 12. The educational attraction is situated at the heart of The Pottery Quarter in Burslem, Stoke on Trent and has been supported by a Lottery grant of almost £2.1 million from the Millennium Commission.

Housed in Burslem's imposing, Victorian Old Town Hall, Ceramica offers the chance for visitors to learn about the history, the everyday application and future of the ceramic world. The attraction also features an exhibition of the life and works of the writer Arnold Bennett who was born in the town and set many of his novels in the area.

'Bizarreland' is an interactive zone in Ceramica for children of all ages to discover where clay comes from, how it is transformed into ceramics and how these products are used in the world around us. Here, visitors can also "leg" a narrowboat through a canal tunnel; dig for evidence of the past with the Time Team; and take a flying carpet ride over The Potteries.

Ceramica's 'Pavilions' area provides an exploration into the past, present and future of the ceramic industry, set around a central glass tower. Video presentations and interactive displays from famous manufacturers, including Royal Doulton, Moorcroft and Wade, provide an insight into the art and science of ceramics. Visitors can also explore a Memory Bank loaded with experiences and reminiscences celebrating the lives and work of the people of Burslem.

Director of the Millennium Commission, Mike O'Connor CBE, said "Burslem's industrial history, international reputation for quality pottery production, local literary connections and architecture deserve national recognition and I am proud that the Millennium Commission is supporting Cermaica a with a Lottery grant of £2.1 million. I spent my student days in the Potteries and I know both the area's history and its need for regeneration. Ceramica will help to both recognise the contribution which the Potteries made to the nation's history and its potential for the future."

With investment from the National Lottery, the Millennium Commission has created over 40 new and exciting, educational visitor attractions - from Conkers at the heart of the National Forest in Derbyshire to the internationally acclaimed Eden Project in Cornwall, Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh to the National Botanic Garden of Wales.

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Notes to Editors

• Around 200 new buildings, environmental projects and visitor attractions on over 3,000 sites across the UK.
• Over 100 Awards Schemes which distribute Millennium Awards to individuals for community based projects. Nearly 27,000 people have already received a Millennium Award and there are still Awards available. Further information is available on 0800 06801 2000;
• A UK-wide programme of community festivals which began on New Year's Eve 1999 and culminated on New Year's Eve 2000 with celebrations in 32 towns and cities across the UK.;
• The Millennium Encore Scheme which is enabling at least 50,000 young people across the UK to experience performing arts productions;
• The Millennium Experience at Greenwich and the National Programme.

For further information please contact the Millennium Commission Press Office on 020 7880 2007 out of hours 07775 812 820. Web sites can be accessed atwww.millennium.gov.uk andwww.starpeople.org.uk
To contact Ceramica : Ian Howe (General Manager), 01782 832001 or email ihowe@ceramicauk.com

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Copyright © 2003 The Millennium Commission  

Millennium Commission  11th-April-2003
Categories:  News Archive
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