Pam and Terry Woolliscroft - who we are and what we do


Pam and Terry

The husband-and-wife team from Stoke-on-Trent who are known for their work in ceramic history, local heritage, and the arts, and for their significant contributions to help preserve the heritage of the Potteries.

Terry and Pam’s collaborative interests merge history, art, and community heritage projects. They are recognised in local cultural circles for documenting and celebrating the history of the Staffordshire pottery industry.

The Mural - 100 Years 100 Faces
Terry on the mural just left of the Olympic torch - top right
Terry in real life - bottom right of the pic
"The mural features 100 portraits to honour the people
who have shaped the city's cultural identity."



Terence (Terry) Woolliscroft

Terry was born in Penkhull, Stoke-on-Trent, and has never left the area. He has 'slip' in his veins! If you don't know what 'slip' is, you can look it up in his Potbank Dictionary

He has a background in ceramic technology and industrial pottery manufacture, trained with Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Ltd., and has worked extensively in the ceramics sector. 

He is an artist and historian focused on the culture and heritage of bottle ovens and kilns in Stoke-on-Trent, and has created websites and resources about local industrial history. He is former award-winning international public speaker. 

His artistic work includes paintings of industrial landscapes, and he has exhibited his art in regional exhibitions; he also established the Bottle Oven Art Club in 2020 during the pandemic lockdown.

He has been a long-time member of the North Staffs Symphony Orchestra (NSSO), joining as a non-playing member, as a youth in 1968, 'to sit in and see what happens'. Then performing on the trumpet and cornet until he 'retired'. He, with others, established the 'Friends of the NSSO' and created the orchestra's official website and history blog. He now officiates on 'front of house' duties when he can, welcoming the audience and helping with queries.



Pamela (Pam) Woolliscroft

From Lightwood near Longton, Pam had the surname of Bott before marrying Terry. She is a museum professional, author and blogger specialising in the history of ceramics, especially the Spode factory and the pottery industry.

She has a background in ceramic history and during her career worked in four museums in Stoke-on-Trent:
  • Gladstone Pottery Museum
  • Chatterley Whitfield Mining Museum
  • Ford Green Hall Museum
  • Spode Pottery Factory Museum 
She has curated their collections and contributed to the archives.

She created and writes blogs such as Spode History and Spode ABC and volunteers with local archives. Along with Terry, she co-authored the book 'Bottle Ovens and the Story of the Final Firing' (2018), which documented a key piece of Potteries industrial heritage.

Ford Green Hall, Smallthorne, Stoke-on-Trent
Pam. Resident Curator.
November 1983 to August 1987
Evening Sentinel 20 Jan 1984

She also worked as Catalogue Coordinator for Art UK and Consultant for Stoke-on-Trent City Archives


Together

Their multifaceted contributions demonstrate their deep connection to the cultural and industrial heritage of the Potteries. 

One of their highlights was their work for the 1978 Last Bottle Oven Firing - a landmark event in the history of Stoke-on-Trent and Gladstone Pottery Museum. It helped safeguard vital knowledge about traditional pottery-making techniques. 

They also established Potteries Bottle Oven Day which remembers #PotBOD every August 29th.  

Pam and Terry
Gladstone Pottery Museum 2018
at the Festival of Bottle Ovens

Another highlight was living at Ford Green Hall Museum, before it suffered a disastrous flood and they were forced to leave.


Contact

terry(dot)wool@proton(dot)me    
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