Maps and photographs chart the evolution of the Etruria Valley from Wedgwood’s early works through industrial expansion to the Garden Festival and Festival Park.

• Together, they show the evolution of the area from industrial expansion, through decline, to regeneration and modern reuse.

• Despite the dramatic changes, certain features remain constant — most notably the Trent & Mersey Canal and Etruria Hall, once the home of Josiah Wedgwood.

• These enduring landmarks provide a thread of continuity through an otherwise changing landscape.

This map shows the estate acquired by Josiah Wedgwood, where his pottery works were established in 1769. The Trent & Mersey Canal already planned, was completed by 1777. 

Hargreaves’ 1832 map shows the Etruria Pottery Works and Etruria Hall set within open countryside, before the arrival of large-scale iron production.

An early engraving depicts the valley as a pastoral landscape of fields and trees, with the Wedgwood works and Etruria Hall set within a largely unspoilt setting.

An aerial view taken just six months before the opening of the National Garden Festival shows the site in transition. The canal and new marina are visible, with the remaining parts of the former steelworks.

The Festival map reveals the dramatic change from industry to parkland, with gardens, lakes, and visitor attractions replacing the former steelworks.

A modern view of the site shows retail, leisure, and open space, still shaped by the layout created for the 1986 Festival, with the canal and historic features remaining.

The origins of industrial Etruria

This map shows the estate acquired by Josiah Wedgwood, where his pioneering pottery works were established in 1769 — a key moment in the early industrial development of the area.

Key features include:

• The layout of the Ridge House Estate prior to large-scale industry

• The location of the early Wedgwood works and planned location of Etruria Hall

• The planned route of the Trent & Mersey Canal which would be completed by 1777
  

At this stage, industry is emerging within a largely rural landscape, with the canal set to play a crucial role in future growth.

"The line of the new Trent and Mersey Canal has been drawn across the existing fields. Below this the new factory is shown arranged around a series of courtyards next to the turnpike road to Newcastle-under-Lyme. On the other side of canal in Stone pit field is the site of Etruria Hall"

Andrew Dobraszczyc, Social History Walks -Josiah Wedgwood & Etruria.  

Industry within the countryside

An extract from Hargreaves’ 1832 map shows the Etruria Pottery Works and Etruria Hall set within open countryside — before the arrival of large-scale iron production.

Key features include:

• The clearly defined pottery works at Etruria

• The position of Etruria Hall within landscaped grounds

• Surrounding farmland and open space

The area still retains a rural character, with industry present but not yet dominant.

Etruria before large-scale industry

This engraving depicts the Etruria Valley as a pastoral landscape, showing how the area appeared before the rapid expansion of heavy industry in the mid-19th century.

Key features include:

• Open fields and scattered woodland

• The Wedgwood works set within the landscape

• Etruria Hall nestled among trees

The scene reflects a balance between early industry and countryside that would soon be overtaken by industrial growth.

The 1879 map shows the early development of the Etruria Ironworks from the first blast furnaces built in 1841 - a time when Stoke-on-Trent was rapidly expanding as an industrial centre.

Key features include:

• The growing ironworks complex

• The importance of the canal for transporting raw materials and finished goods

• Early railway connections serving the site

At this stage, the landscape is already heavily influenced by industry, but still retains elements of its earlier, more rural character.

This Ordnance Survey map, published in 1879, has been orientated to fit in with the National Garden Festival map shown below. 

The Trent and Mersey Canal runs across the top of both maps. 

• The purple rectangle is named on this map as "Etruria Forge & Mills" - although steel-making ceased in 1978 the relatively new rolling mill section survived and this is shown as a blank outline on the Festival map.   

• To the left of Etruria Forge & Mills and on the other side of the canal is the "Etruria Potteries" of Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Ltd. At the time of the Garden Festival this pottery works was no more - in 1940 the Wedgwood company built a new works at Barlaston and from 1940-50 manufacturing was transfer from Etruria to Barlaston.  

• The red rectangle is the location of Josiah Wedgwood's home built around 1770. Eventually becoming the headquarters and offices of Shelton Iron and Steel Company - fortuitously the building survived and was restored for the Festival. It is marked as 'Etruria Hall" on the Festival map.

Factories, railways, and growth

Photographs taken from the Shelton area show a landscape increasingly dominated by industry, as iron and steel production expands across the valley.

Key features include:

• Extensive railway tracks serving the industrial site

• The Wedgwood works visible in the background

• Chimneys, ovens, and furnaces rising above the skyline

By this time, industry has become the defining feature of the area, with infrastructure spreading across the valley.

By 1941, the site had become a fully developed industrial landscape dominated by the expanded iron and steel works.

The map reveals:

• A dense network of industrial buildings

• Extensive railway sidings and internal transport systems

• Almost complete coverage of the area by heavy industry

This represents the height of industrial activity at Etruria, with little remaining open space. The canal remains a key feature, running through the heart of the industrial complex.

Around this time the workforce amounted to more than 10,000. There were five coalmines on the site, steelworks and rolling mills, a coking plant, blast furnaces and a bi-product factory.

A landscape transformed by heavy industry

This view shows the Shelton Steel Works at or near its peak, with the surrounding landscape heavily scarred by decades of industrial activity.

Key features include:

• Large areas of slag heaps and spoil

• The extensive steelworks complex

• The Trent & Mersey Canal running through the site

• The Potteries Loop Line separating the steelworks from the Wedgwood works

The natural landscape has been almost entirely replaced by industrial features, leaving a stark and heavily modified environment.

From dereliction to renewal

An aerial view taken six months before the opening of the National Garden Festival shows the site in transition, as preparations for redevelopment are well underway.

Key features include:

• Cleared and regraded land across the former industrial site

• The Trent & Mersey Canal and newly formed marina

• Remaining industrial structures beyond the canal

The image captures the moment between past and future, as a derelict industrial landscape begins its transformation into the Festival site.

The Festival Guide map shows a complete reimagining of the site.

Where once there had been furnaces and spoil heaps, visitors now found:

• Landscaped gardens and open parkland

• Lakes and water features

• Pathways and visitor routes

• Attractions, pavilions, and public spaces

The industrial past had not been erased, but reshaped into a new environment focused on leisure, culture, and horticulture.

The site has evolved into a mixed-use area including:

• Retail parks and commercial developments

• Leisure facilities

• Retained green spaces and water features

Although much has changed since 1986, the underlying layout introduced during the Festival is still evident, particularly in the road patterns, lakes, and open areas.