The
Staffordshire Potteries is the industrial area encompassing the six towns,
Tunstall,
Burslem,
Hanley,
Stoke,
Fenton and
Longton that now make up the city of
Stoke-on-Trent in
Staffordshire, England. North Staffordshire became a centre of
ceramic production in the early 17th century, due to the local availability of clay, salt, lead and coal. Hundreds of companies produced decorative or industrial items.