Middleport Pottery Reviews Summary

Customer Service

Pros:

• "Excellent customer service from the lady on the Information desk."
• "Such friendly staff and store keepers."
• "The staff were very helpful, knowledgeable and clearly enthusiastic."
• "Staff were very helpful with my disabled son. Thank you!"
• "All of the staff we encountered on our visit were very helpful and friendly and were happy to answer any questions we had."
• "The staff are all very happy and helpful."
• "The staff were warm, friendly and very helpful, all the time carrying out an annual stock take."

Cons:

• "The Staff need to be re-trained and the place needs a deep clean."
• "Sadly though couple of staff/volunteer's were extremely rude and for me it spoilt our visit."
• "Tea rooms again very clean but service was slow and food served the bacon was cold."
• "The service at the on-site coffee shop is so slow its beyond belief."

Facilities & Accessibility

Pros:

• "Free parking, nice cafe, superb experience."
• "Disabled facilities, lifts, disabled toilets and a rubber surface over the cobbles were fantastic."
• "Wheel chair friendly."
• "A free shuttle bus is available."
• "The car park is on top of a reclaimed scrap yard and is of reasonable size."
• "Plenty of parking."
• "Free entry."

Cons:

• "The gift shop at the main entrance was dusty."
• "The under foot was tricky but there was a rubber path one one side for wheelchair users but everyone was using it and the wheelchair we saw was using the cobbles."
• "Very poor communications as no mention of cobbles in yard so wheel chair use almost possible."
• "The only thing we found wrong was the cafe is not big enough at busy times and when there are events on."
• "Your disabled access by the main door is unacceptable, ok the ramp is there but the rough stones you have to cross to get to it is awful."
• "There's a carpark but not many space's."
• "The car park was a bit hard to navigate."

Experience & Tours

Pros:

• "Just a Beautiful step back in History, yet it still produces Beautiful Pottery."
• "We have just had the most wonderful day at Middleport Pottery."
• "Had a lovely few hours walking around this historic pottery, lots of little businesses to see and explore."
• "A superb venue in Stoke-on-Trent that adds much to the city."
• "Absolutely excellent tours. The volunteers doing the tours were very enthusiastic and knowledgeable."
• "Our guide John did an amazing job explaining everything in the factory, from the history of the factory to the firing of the clay, it couldn't have been explained better."
• "The factory tour was great. You get to see the whole process of making the pottery."

Cons:

• "Disappointing prefer Gladstone in Longton."
• "The tour is not suitable for anyone disabled especially physically it's a nightmare so many inaccessible places."
• "A shame a number of them were shut on Sunday."
• "Visited and despite reading that you could go round on your own you couldn't, all you could see was the outside and the courtyard."
• "We would like to do a full guided factory tour but this is only available weekdays."
• "Many of the shops weren't open which was a shame and it was very quiet."
• "Probably not a visit for small children."

Food & Cafe

Pros:

• "The cakes are just great."
• "The cafe served very nice cake."
• "The Café was perfect with lovely real fire and great food."
• "Cafe is affordable and food good."
• "Excellent all day breakfast (incl veggie) in cafe."
• "The cafe food was tasty, especially the lobby and oat cakes."
• "Excellent coffee in the cafe."

Cons:

• "Cafe was a bit small very busy too."
• "Admitted the food was nice, just way too expensive."
• "However, today the food was terrible. Had to return a badly burnt tea cake, the replacement was barely warm."
• "Went for lunch which was nice, but way overpriced."
• "Only downside was the cost of the drinks and food, £4.95 for a hot dog is robbery, £4.20 for tea for two and nothing at all for veggies."
• "Apart from the food trailer closing before 4pm the bus load of disabled people could not have refreshments, the cafe was full and with nosy kids."
• "Then to cap it all we couldn't access the Fair because the lift was out of order."

Value & Pricing

Pros:

• "However it was quite expensive especially the Burleigh shop seconds even though they had mass reductions."
• "They also charge sensible money."
• "Still producing hand finished and unique pieces. Reasonably priced and friendly cafe."
• "Lovely place for a not so expensive day out, I really think middleport should supply gladstone with ceramics & pottery, as middleport have a much nicer range in their gift shop for sale, beautiful gifts or momentous to be bought here."
• "What a lovely place full of history and gorgeous expensive pottery too ;). Well actually they do have things that are affordable."
• "Fun factory shop with plenty of seconds which pleases the thrifty side of me."
• "Also some good bargains in the shop if you are looking for souvenirs or indeed a full dinner set."

Cons:

• "Gift shop is very expensive, relative to the price of some vintage pieces."
• "Well I can't afford a treat to breakfast at that cost I'm afraid."
• "The products were rather pricey in my opinion."
• "We walked around the pottery shop, shame really they are lovely pieces but I think they are a bit on the expensive side."
• "Shop was very expensive even when told items were seconds (still nice looking) one small vase was £60 WOW."
• "Shop isn't cheap but when you see the work which goes into each piece, then it's understandable."
• "You can understand the price of the pottery after seeing it done."