There was a time when the ceramics of the Staffordshire Potteries were famous the world over. For years Stoke-on-Trent was at the heart of an industry that exported goods across the globe.

Sadly the modern era has not been as auspicious: post-war industrial decline, years of economic hardship and the loss of offices from the city centre have taken their toll on Stoke-on-Trent.

Now, a major project, Smithfield, is under way in Hanley – the most developed of the Staffordshire Potteries towns that make up Stoke, known as the ‘city of six towns’ – that is intended to bring people, businesses and a spark back to the city centre.

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