Shopping: Great Britain : In Staffordshire, home of Wedgwood and Spode, the villages of Stoke-on- Trent sell some of the best ceramics at bargain prices

Looking for the quintessential English gift to take home; something classy, classic and history laced? After living in London for several years, I was in the same position. Having exhausted the usual tea-related gifts, I was searching for something new for the holidays. The obvious solution: a trip to Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire.

Stoke-on-Trent is the center of the Staffordshire pottery-making industry that produces almost all of Britain’s world-famous ceramics. A visit there last fall provided not just a shopping experience, but an introduction to some of England’s finest pottery.

It was in Stoke-on-Trent, during the mid-18th Century, that Josiah Wedgwood created the process for a new form of cream-colored earthenware that replaced expensive porcelain and black pottery as the first light-colored ceramics affordable to the English middle class. Prior to that, porcelain--which was developed by the Chinese and, centuries later, mastered by the Germans--had been available but at prices so high that only the wealthy could afford it.

The Staffordshire area was also home to other pioneers in the pottery industry, including Josiah Spode, who is credited with creating bone china (porcelain made with bone) in about 1799. And so it is that in Stoke-on-Trent almost all forms of ceramics--including porcelain, earthenware, bone china and fine china--were either created, perfected or amplified, and are manufactured and sold today in varying forms.

The county of Staffordshire is rich with industrial heritage and little has changed in its villages for hundreds of years. Filled with Victorian architecture and surrounded by beautiful countryside, each of its towns has a distinct identity and character, yet all share one common theme: pottery.

The potteries are contained within six different villages that are incorporated into the town of Stoke-on-Trent, along the River Trent. The villages of Burslem, Stoke, Hanley, Fenton, Longton and Barlaston are about a 3 1/2-hour drive northwest of London, or a two-hour ride by train. Taking the train is a viable option for travelers since threading through each village is China Link, a privately owned bus service that picks up travelers at the Stoke Railway Station, tours many of the china attractions and allows visitors to stop, shop and board the next bus when they wish. Buses run from village to village, manufacturer to manufacturer during business hours, Monday through Saturday, except on holidays. Tickets cost about $6.50 for a day pass and can be purchased on the buses.

The potteries of Stoke-on-Trent offer great bargains. Although individual shops vary greatly, most sell items 30% to 50% less than retail shops in London and are stocked with patterns and styles not seen in the United States. The shops contain everything from perfect-quality china to end-of-the-line close-outs to discontinued lines and seconds (imperfect pieces). Although discounts on perfect items are slight, excellent bargains can be found among discontinued lines and seconds. To search the shops is to take a lesson in history, as well as in design.

The factories don’t look impressive. They are mostly block-long brick buildings with, perhaps, a glass-fronted factory showroom. I noticed the characteristic brick bottle-shaped ovens at many, although most kilns are now fired by gas and electricity and the ovens are slowly disappearing.

Some of the factories have showrooms, brightly lit and neat; others seem less professional, more factory-like and are set up so that visitors need to rummage for treasures. We liked those the best.

Most conduct their own tours, demonstrating working methods and skills, and usually they take about two hours. This means that a day is really not enough time to visit all of the factories, museums and visitor centers, although we made it work as a shopping expedition. Were I to do it again, however, I would plan two or three days to explore the manufacturers, learn about the craft and shop at leisure.

A friend and I loaded up the car with a nice picnic lunch and embarked on a great shopping experience.

*

Following an early morning drive along easily navigated highways surrounded by farms, villages and tree-studded countryside, we arrived at our first stop, Burslem, birthplace of Josiah Wedgwood and--on site of his first factory--one of the first successful pottery towns. On Sandbach Road, east of the city center, we found Moorcroft Potters. Well-known among aficionados for its method of production and hand-painting, which involves putting the decoration on before the first firing, the pottery is still a family business. Moorcroft produces a special powder-blue china and the shop sells a variety of items including handmade pottery, bowls and plates that are all quite beautiful.

Not far from the center of Burslem, around the corner on Nile Street, is one of the many Royal Doulton pottery factories. Royal Doulton carries more than 30,000 individual items and manufactures such lines as Minton, Royal Crown Derby and Royal Albert. The Royal Doulton shop sells Royal Doulton figures, character jugs (mugs with a character’s face incorporated into the design), dinner and tea services, gift ware and child-size china called nursery ware.

We were interested in several pieces of Bunnykins nursery ware. Designed by a nun 60 years ago, the china is decorated with rabbits and delightful country nursery scenes. The baby set, which included a baby plate and two-handle mug, was priced at about $30 for perfect quality.

Next we drove to Stoke, about 20 minutes southeast, to visit Minton--one of the most famous potteries in all of England. Described by Britain’s Queen Victoria as “makers of the world’s most beautiful china,” the Minton factory on London Road sells bone china dinner and tea services, including perfect pieces and seconds. Visitors can also order perfect-quality items for shipment home, including limited editions of selected Minton Bicentenary commemorative pieces. A perfect-quality, five-piece place setting of Dutch Blue Delft china was about $95.

*

On Church Street, Spode Potteries sells slightly imperfect and best-quality fine bone china, stone china and imperial earthenware. Also available was boxed gift ware and a wide range of their famous Christmas Tree pattern: gold-edged pottery with decorated Christmas trees ornamenting each piece.

We traveled to Hanley to find Mason’s Ironstone, Land of Legend and Aynsley China potteries, as well as the Potteries Shopping Centre, which houses several of the city’s famous potteries under one roof.

At the Aynsley China shop I found a perfect-quality five-piece place setting of Moselle china, delicately edged in a scallop pattern for about $100.

At Mason’s Ironstone, near the center of town, I was quickly attracted to the Blue Denmark China, which is reminiscent of the Blue Dutch Delft. A perfect-quality, five-piece place setting was about $25 and seconds were 40% less.

But it was the Potteries Shopping Centre in Hanley that was our favorite stop for fast finds. Visitors can purchase brand-name china, gift ware, crystal and porcelain, including Royal Doulton, Spode and Royal Worcester at reduced prices. The center is ideal if you are on a tight schedule, although selections are more limited than at individual factories.

On Litchfield Street in Hanley is Coalport Pottery, a division of Wedgwood. Coalport’s fine bone china vases, flowers, earrings, figurines and tableware are known for exquisite hand-painted, lightly decorated floral designs.

The gift shop also has a selection of seconds, including Wedgwood crystal and tableware at reduced prices. One of my favorite figurines was eight-inch-tall, auburn-haired Bridget, who is demurely elegant in her periwinkle-blue gown for about $145.

Southeast of the village of Longton’s town center, on Normacot Road, is Portmeirion Potteries Ltd. A favorite of many china collectors, Portmeirion is best known for earthenware and durable white stoneware turned out as colorfully decorated wildlife and plants. The factory store sells seconds on boldly and colorfully drawn oven-to-tableware in famous patterns of botanical gardens, birds of Britain and summer strawberries.

Staffordshire Enamels on Weston Coyney Road in Longton had already produced its Christmas collection when I was there. I liked the limited edition enameled Christmas box decorated with a scene inspired by “nine drummers drumming,” from the Christmas song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” It sold for about $100.

The village of Longton also has many other small potteries, with names known to china collectors including Amber China Ltd., Birchcroft Fine Bone China, John Beswick and Royal Grafton.

About six miles south of Stoke is Barlaston, which was to be the last village on our tour. It was there that we visited the Wedgwood Visitor Center, which can be found by following brown signs decorated with a Portland vase logo posted on main streets around town.

Queen Charlotte, wife of George III, was fond of Wedgwood pottery. As a result, Wedgwood’s design became widely recognized as Queen’s ware. Wedgwood is equally well-known for its nursery ware, Mason’s ironstone, crystal and fine bone china.

Also at Wedgwood, we saw one of their newest designs, Cantana, a fine china pattern that has bands of deep blue and gold edging its borders.

Complementing pieces also feature a full border of the marbleized blue design. A best-quality teacup and saucer was about $30.

It was a long day as we loaded up the car with great gift bargains--including several pieces of Bunnykins nursery ware, a Royal Doulton picture plate, a set of Spode Christmas tree china, a small Coalport porcelain figurine, a Staffordshire enamel keepsake box and a large Moselle platter for Thanksgiving turkey.

We also bought a few beautiful pieces for ourselves, including Wedgwood trinket boxes, a pale blue Wedgwood Jasper cameo pin, dessert dishes and Minton bone china tea sets and headed back to London . . . grateful that we didn’t have to carry our purchases onto an airplane.

GUIDEBOOK

Ceramics in

Stoke-on-Trent

Where to buy china: Call for hours and to find out if factory tours are offered.

Aynsley: Sutherland Road, Longton; telephone locally 0782-593536.

Coalport: Litchfield Street, Hanley; tel. 0782-263934.

John Beswick: Barford St., Longton; tel. 0782-291237.

Mason’s Ironstone: Broad Street, Hanley; tel. 0782-205124.

Minton: London Road, Stoke; tel. 0782-292121.

Moorcroft: Sandbach Road, Cobridge; tel. 0782-207943.

Portmeirion: Normacot Road, Longton; tel. 0782-326412.

Potteries Shopping Centre, Market Square, Hanley: tel. 0782-289-822.

Royal Doulton: Nile Street, Burslem; tel. 0782-292292.

Royal Grafton: Nile Street, Burslem; tel. 0782-599667.

Spode: Spode Works, Church Street, Stoke; tel. 0782-744011.

Staffordshire Enamels: Weston Coyney Road, Longton; tel. 0782-599948.

Wedgwood: Barlaston; tel. 0782-204141.

For more information: Stoke-on-Trent Tourist Information Centre, Potteries Shopping Centre, Market Square, Hanley; tel. 0782-284-600.

China Link: For a brochure detailing service, “Visit the Potteries for a China Experience,” send a self-addressed envelope with 52 cents postage to the British Tourist Authority, 551 Fifth Ave., Suite 701, New York 10176, (800) GO2-BRITAIN.