Home > England > Stoke on Trent
Car Hire Stoke on Trent
About Stoke on Trent
Also known as the Potteries, Stoke-on-Trent is viewed as the centre of the pottery industry in England and, indeed, it is often referred to as the Potteries. Household names including Royal Doulton, Spode and Wedgwood were established there, with the availability of coal and clay conducive to the development of the local pottery industry. Stoke on Trent is no longer the manufacturing hub it once was, however, and nowadays it is better known as a focus for service industries and distribution centres.
You can see the city's ceramics collection in the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Hanley, with other museums including the Etruria Industrial Museum on the Caldon Canal, and Gladstone Pottery Museum in Longton. Factory shops and visitor centres at the major pottery companies are also worth a visit.
Hire a car in Stoke on Trent and visit one of England's most famous attractions, the Alton Towers Resort, which is just 16km away. Alton Towers is a theme park, waterpark, and hotel complex featuring the world's first 14 inversion roller coaster - The Smiler. Stoke on Trent also makes a good base for visiting other major cities and towns in northern England, including Manchester (70km), Liverpool (92km), and Sheffield (119km).