Emma Bridgewater Factory
Emma Bridgewater Factory
Emma Bridgewater Factory
4.5
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Full view
About
The Emma Bridgewater factory lies in the heart of the historic Stoke Potteries region, in a sunny Victorian factory on the banks of the Caldon Canal. Join us on a factory tour, try your hand at decorating a piece of your very own unique pottery, relax for lunch in our beautiful cafe, or enjoy an afternoon in the garden behind the factory. We’ve got a gorgeous factory shop, full of your favourite pieces and a lovely gift shop selling our newest designs. The factory opens its doors for guided tours every Monday to Friday. Visit our website to make on-line bookings and for the latest event information (booking required for tours, decroating studio sessions and afternoon teas).
Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2023
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
787 reviews
Excellent
518
Very good
140
Average
67
Poor
32
Terrible
30
Mandy
Staffordshire, UK48 contributions
Sep 2023 • Family
Paint a pot at Emma Bridgewater, is absolutely fabulous. What a great experience, I went to the studio with my 18 year old daughter. What a beautiful time we had, it is really well organised, you choose your pot, select your paints and away you go. There are a range of stamps and brushes, plus a clear set of instructions.
Once finished you can either collect your pots or they post them at no extra cost.
Absolutely brilliant, we will be returning.
Once finished you can either collect your pots or they post them at no extra cost.
Absolutely brilliant, we will be returning.
Written September 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jules H
Colchester, UK34 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
Visited the factory shop in the hope of picking up some reasonably priced seconds for everyday use.
The factory shop is crammed full of imperfect pottery, but the prices do not reflect this.
£25 for a perfect mug down to around £18 for an imperfect one.
A bit of a rip-off I would say.
The factory shop is crammed full of imperfect pottery, but the prices do not reflect this.
£25 for a perfect mug down to around £18 for an imperfect one.
A bit of a rip-off I would say.
Written September 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1bungle
Bedford, UK222 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
Something my wife has wanted to do for a long time is visit Emma bridge water as she loves her pottery and has a selection of it. Unfortunately the factory was not open when we went to have a tour, they only do tours during the week but was still lovely to look around the shop and sit in the cafe for some tea and cake served in Emma bridgewater mugs and plates,
They have two shops the one at the front which is everything that comes from the factory perfect and a factory shop at the back which has items that have slight defects like a small smudge or name at an angle for an example, these are cheaper to buy but a bought a couple of mugs and wanted them to be perfect so bought from the main shop.
The cafe was nice we turned up late afternoon so they only did tea/coffee cake but they might do other food lunchtime,
You can sit inside or out in the courtyard to eat.
Over the other side of the courtyard there was a building that you could do you own design on a piece of pottery by the looks of it. I popped my head in and there were lots of tables with people making things, it looks like you can book this as something to do with friends or family,
We will be visiting again to do the tour during the week and I want to have a go a designing a piece of pottery to bring home
They have two shops the one at the front which is everything that comes from the factory perfect and a factory shop at the back which has items that have slight defects like a small smudge or name at an angle for an example, these are cheaper to buy but a bought a couple of mugs and wanted them to be perfect so bought from the main shop.
The cafe was nice we turned up late afternoon so they only did tea/coffee cake but they might do other food lunchtime,
You can sit inside or out in the courtyard to eat.
Over the other side of the courtyard there was a building that you could do you own design on a piece of pottery by the looks of it. I popped my head in and there were lots of tables with people making things, it looks like you can book this as something to do with friends or family,
We will be visiting again to do the tour during the week and I want to have a go a designing a piece of pottery to bring home
Written September 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark G
2 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
What a wonderful place this is! Despite us being a few minutes late due to traffic, the staff greeted us and made sure we caught up with the others on the factory tour. The tour was lead by Carol who was friendly and so knowledgeable about the business. She took us through the different stages and areas. All the staff at work were friendly and passionate about what they were creating. We had a sneak preview of the Christmas range!! The tour was approximately an hour. We spent time in the seconds shop and gift shop where we were spoilt for choice. What really stood out for us is that Carol came to find us as we had missed the first two stages of the tour (due to us getting stuck in traffic) and she took us back to show us around, what fantastic customer service that was greatly appreciated. Thanks Carol.
We finished the day with tea and cake which was fantastic.
Thanks to all the staff at the factory and especially Carol 😊😊
We finished the day with tea and cake which was fantastic.
Thanks to all the staff at the factory and especially Carol 😊😊
Written August 31, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peony39
Littlehampton, UK27 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
Did the breakfast, decorating, tour experience - an absolute bargain for £35. Enjoyed a lovely day learning about the factory and meeting the workforce in situ. The breakfast/hot drinks were delicious and it was fun designing and creating our own decorated plates. These are sent (free of charge) after firing. A wonderful day.
Written August 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joannepaws
York, UK53 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
This was my second breakfast experience day here and almost a year to the day apart. I noticed how much busier the whole place was this August, compared to last year.
Although we arrived at 10am for the start of our experience, we were left waiting for a long time for our full English breakfasts to arrive. As we left home just after 7am, we were very hungry. They could have been served hotter too but as we were due in the painting studio at 11, we had to get a move on!
Our time in the painting studio was very enjoyable and we can't wait to see our finished items. The staff in the studio were friendly and helpful but it was so busy in there and we were a few minutes late due to our breakfasts arriving late. This meant we didnt have as long as other people to paint our items once our pottery items and paint colours had been selected. Time in the painting studio is a set time only.
The factory tour was great, interesting and entertaining with a very personal touch. Lorraine knows her stuff but it was a bit chaotic at the start, as oddly, two tours set off at the same time, which led to a bit of overcrowding and made hearing Lorraine a bit difficult. My daughter and her friend hadn't been on the tour before like me and I felt they were a bit cheated because of this. Eventually the two tours went separate ways thankfully.
Overall we had a great day out. The pottery, factory, garden and shops are just lovely for an Emma Bridgewater fan like me. The majority of the staff are friendly but I felt some of the cafe staff needed reminding to be polite at all times, which includes holding the door open for customers who are waiting to go outside and not letting the door go in their faces when staff come in from serving customers outside!
I will visit again one day.
Although we arrived at 10am for the start of our experience, we were left waiting for a long time for our full English breakfasts to arrive. As we left home just after 7am, we were very hungry. They could have been served hotter too but as we were due in the painting studio at 11, we had to get a move on!
Our time in the painting studio was very enjoyable and we can't wait to see our finished items. The staff in the studio were friendly and helpful but it was so busy in there and we were a few minutes late due to our breakfasts arriving late. This meant we didnt have as long as other people to paint our items once our pottery items and paint colours had been selected. Time in the painting studio is a set time only.
The factory tour was great, interesting and entertaining with a very personal touch. Lorraine knows her stuff but it was a bit chaotic at the start, as oddly, two tours set off at the same time, which led to a bit of overcrowding and made hearing Lorraine a bit difficult. My daughter and her friend hadn't been on the tour before like me and I felt they were a bit cheated because of this. Eventually the two tours went separate ways thankfully.
Overall we had a great day out. The pottery, factory, garden and shops are just lovely for an Emma Bridgewater fan like me. The majority of the staff are friendly but I felt some of the cafe staff needed reminding to be polite at all times, which includes holding the door open for customers who are waiting to go outside and not letting the door go in their faces when staff come in from serving customers outside!
I will visit again one day.
Written August 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Holly_82
Reading, UK1,618 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
We had an absolutely brilliant hour with Liam. He was so friendly and informative - whilst we appreciated a lot of things were done by hand, we didn't appreciate just how much effort goes into things like "hand cutting the sponges" and the amount of work to decorate a single item of pottery.
The things that stood out the most for me was the culture. People had tattoos, people had pictures of their dogs / children / the queen on their desk, they had print outs of what mattered most to the company like culture / kindness - even things like "mental health support" and "menopause awareness" was mentioned.
Whilst the tour was utterly fantastic, the best thing was knowing that Emma Bridgewater seems to be an employer that genuinely cares about their employees, their health and wellbeing. Everyone was incredibly friendly and it certainly puts the prices charged into perspective.
Absolutely worth it and top marks to Liam being so awesome.
The things that stood out the most for me was the culture. People had tattoos, people had pictures of their dogs / children / the queen on their desk, they had print outs of what mattered most to the company like culture / kindness - even things like "mental health support" and "menopause awareness" was mentioned.
Whilst the tour was utterly fantastic, the best thing was knowing that Emma Bridgewater seems to be an employer that genuinely cares about their employees, their health and wellbeing. Everyone was incredibly friendly and it certainly puts the prices charged into perspective.
Absolutely worth it and top marks to Liam being so awesome.
Written August 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sallym
Inverness, UK8 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
We visited to decorating studio, what a lovely experience. Staff so friendly and helpful and such a lovely thing to do. Visited the cafe for lunch which was delicious. We had lunch but afternoon teas looked lovely.
Seconds shop had so great bargains and gift shop beautiful too!
Wonderful day out!
Seconds shop had so great bargains and gift shop beautiful too!
Wonderful day out!
Written August 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alison198
Wrexham County, UK14 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
We had lunch at Emma Bridgewater today and found the staff very rude and awkward. Our table was booked for 11:30, the children’s menu is very limited so I asked for a piece of toast for my 3 year old (which is on the breakfast menu and the breakfast menu does not state what time it finishes) the waitress said we couldn’t have toast because that was on the breakfast menu and that menu finished at 11:30. I questioned this and the waitress went to ask another member of staff, came back and said that the kitchen was too busy to make a piece of toast?!? This is ridiculous! We ordered a toasted tea cake instead….which they were not too busy to make??? When our food arrived the toasted teacake was black and hard, why on earth would the kitchen send this out, I did complain and a replacement arrived swiftly with an apology. On the upside the adult meals was extremely good but the annoyance of the ordeal ordering the food with the miserable waitress had put a dampener on the whole thing.
Written August 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ms Boba Fett
East Midlands, UK87 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
We booked in for lunch and pottery painting. 8 year old son enjoyed it. Lovely experience, staff really helpful and friendly. Gluten free vegan options in the cafe. Especially loved the vegan GF passion fruit cheeze cake. Will definitely be back to repeat.
Written August 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Verrucahsalt
Manchester19 contributions
Is the cafe dog friendly?
Rambleon
5 contributions
Dog friendly outside only
Raffles_12
Bury St. Edmunds, UK21 contributions
Are you dog friendly?
Teddy_Rachel
Rotterdam, The Netherlands38 contributions
You can take your dog, but I am not sure the dog may go inside, but there is a courtyard...
Janet J
Rotherham, UK10 contributions
Is the shop wheelchair accessible?
Steph W
Stoke-on-Trent, UK
Hello; yes both our shops, the cafe and the studio are wheelchair accessible. There is an outside ramp to the main door in the gift shop and there is a ramp down into the factory shop via the cafe entrance. Our factory tour, when it's up and running again, is also wheelchair accessible. We have two accessible toilets in the decorating studio. There are some cobblestones in the courtyard to be aware of too. If not being used, there is a disabled parking space right outside the main factory gates and the shop on Lichfield Street, or alternatively there are spaces on the main car park behind the factory, between the factory buildings.
If there's anything we can do to make your visit as enjoyable as possible, please do give the shops team a call on tel: 01782 201328 or speak to staff when you visit who will be very happy to help. We hope to welcome you soon.
musicqueenLondon
london93 contributions
Is there a cafe
Menu online to see?
Steph W
Stoke-on-Trent, UK
Hello and sorry for the delayed response. Our menu isn't online as we often change it but we have a daily selection of specials including a soup and salad plus sandwiches, toasted sandwiches, and breakfast dishes too. We offer a wonderful selection of homemade cakes including a gluten free option. We hope you might visit soon.
IntrepidKarl
Stafford, UK103 contributions
Hi is it possible to paint a 1 pint mug?
Hannah L
21 contributions
Yes!! You can paint however many pieces you fancy! But don't forget to book! It can get busy :).
Emma Bridgewater Factory - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Emma Bridgewater Factory Information
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