Things you didn't know about... Stoke-on-Trent

Stoke-on-Trent potter Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) was ahead of his time
The first UK potter to install James Watt's coal-fired steam engine in his factory, Wedgwood wanted to "grind flint—grind enamel colours—temper clays", which are now all vital pottery processes. Village potters left thatched cottages and windmill power to join Wedgwood's newly industrialised workforce.

Stoke-on-Trent's a lot nearer than China
Local pauper's son, Josiah Spode, developed delicate, translucent bone china in the 1790s by combining Cornish china clay and stone with bone ash. This unique product replaced expensive Chinese porcelain imports and influenced a whole industry.

Stoke-on Trent has got a lotta bottle
Some 47 of Stoke-on-Trent's original 4,000 bottle-shaped kilns remain on the city skyline. Greedy for coal, kilns needed 15 tonnes per firing—temperatures reached 1,250°C—and the bottlenecks carried huge smoke clouds over the city. The 1968 Clean Air Act ended their productive life.

Stoke-on-Trent, home to the stars
TV presenters Anthea Turner, Frank Bough and Nick Hancock all hail from Stoke-on-Trent. Accompanying them are ex-Radio 1 and Top of the Pops presenter Bruno Brookes, Men Behaving Badly star Neil Morrissey... and Robbie Williams.

Back to Stoke with Robbie
In songs like Burslem Normals and Angels Robbie recalls his Stoke-on-Trent roots—the latter refers to a gold angel that sits atop Burslem Town Hall.

Stoke-on-Trent's a musical magpie
Old-time music-hall star Gertie Gitana and symphonic composer Havergal Brian came from the Potteries—as did rock-band Mötorhead's founder, Lemmy. The music scene today is still eclectic.

Stoke-on-Trent helped build the Welfare State
Famous son Arnold Bennett exposed the harsh realities of Potteries' life in his novels. His work is thought to have influenced George Orwell and contributed to Labour's 1945 Election victory... yet no local statue of him exists.

Legendary World War II plane had Stoke-on-Trent connections
Designer of the Supermarine Spitfire Reginald Mitchell trained at a railway works in Stoke-on-Trent.

Stoke-on-Trent escapes smoking ban
1 July 2007 came and went, but public smokers still puffed away in "Smoke-on-Trent". A council mix-up allowed them to enjoy a fag until 2 August, when they finally had to bin the butt.

The footballing knight of Stoke-on-Trent
Stanley Matthews avoided picking up a single booking throughout a career that lasted until he was 50. Knighted while still playing the beautiful game, he gained just one FA Cup winner's medal in his days playing for Stoke and Blackpool, but his devilish dribbling and phenomenal speed added thousands to the gate.

Stoke-on-Trent man ahead of his time
Primitive Methodism founder Hugh Bourne was an early advocate of gender equality and social welfare. He appointed women preachers, and gave children working 12 hours a day, six days a week a rare chance of Sunday education to better themselves. He was born in 1772 in Bucknall, now within the borders of Stoke-on-Trent.