Staffordshire’s Mining Past

Staffordshire had a number of coal fields. The North Staffordshire Coalfield was the most well-known, and this was 100 square miles large. It was situated within the city of Stoke-on-Trent.

The coalfield was at its busiest during the Industrial Revolution, when the coal produced was used within the local pottery industry. Staffordshire - with its easy access to coal, clay, salt and lead resources - was once the largest producer of ceramics in the UK, and the work of the separate industries went hand-in-hand. Innovative new transport methods such as the railway and canals also contributed towards this success.