Statement from the Board

We are deeply saddened to announce that, with immediate effect, The Potters’ Club within Federation House has been forced to close.

The Club has served the people of North Staffordshire and beyond, as a meeting place and a fine-dining restaurant, for almost 74 years, but market conditions in recent years, and the extensive, ongoing roadworks on Station Road, have put us into an untenable position.

Club Chairman, Dr Mary McCarthy said, ‘We have put our heart and soul into finding ways to keep the Club at Federation House open. Since the pandemic, we have introduced numerous initiatives to increase membership and visitor numbers, but, like many other high-end venues and star chefs’ restaurants, market forces that are particularly hitting the hospitality industry have challenged us time and again, and we have now reached the point where we cannot continue at our current location. I would like to place on record my thanks to the board who have spent the last 8 months tirelessly working to secure another venue that we were hoping we could move the Club to, but due to circumstances beyond our control this sadly is not something we could achieve.

The roadworks on Station Road have put the final nail in our coffin, causing visitor numbers to drop dramatically, meaning that we have been forced to close our doors, although we are still working hard to find an alternative venue to keep the Potters’ Club in the city in the coming weeks.

We want to thank all our loyal members and our dedicated team for their support over the years – this is a very sad day for us all.’

The Potters’ Club was established in 1951 by the British Pottery Manufacturers’ Federation, to serve the needs of the thriving ceramics industry. Housed on the third floor of Federation House on Station Road in Stoke – then the HQ of the Federation – the Club has served several generations of many local families, both inside and outside the pottery industry, and has hosted many Royal and other VIP visitors from home and overseas over the years.

The closure will result in the loss of ten full- and part-time jobs