One month of the Home of Ceramics website being live. One whole month of ideas, conversations, stories, learnings and meetings around craft, culture and community.
Wanting to do as much as we can to support independent businesses in the local area, we thought we’d share the venues we’ve used for co-working and catch-ups in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, most with a link to ceramics.
Each month we’ll add to the list. Let us know where we need to visit next...
Emma Bridgewater Café
Part of their Victorian pottery site, the café at Emma Bridgewater in Hanley offers lots of seating inside and out. Great for a working lunch, with good coffee and a delicious seasonal menu, it can get quite busy with tables reserved for Afternoon Tea, so it’s best to make sure your laptop is fully charged and you get there early before the rush.
A beautiful site with a large carpark around the back of the building that’s free for visitors – find the latest café information and contact details on the Emma Bridgewater website.
The Packing House Café at Middleport Pottery
An award-winning venue, The Packing House Café at the beautiful Victorian Middleport Pottery site shares its home with Burleigh and Clay College. Sitting beside the historic Trent & Mersey canal, they offer traditional Staffordshire dishes and delicious coffee. With a selection of tables and chairs, the café can get busy with various visitors to the site. It does offer additional seating upstairs and outside but pre-booking is advised for larger groups.
A nice homely space, with coffee and snacks served on Burleighware, find the latest opening times and contact details on the Re-Form Heritage website.
Cotton at Goods Yard
Starting in Manchester, independent coffee shop and sandwich specialists Cotton have set up their next café-bar inside Goods Yard – the new canal-side neighbourhood. Just along from Stoke-on-Trent Train Station, look for the tall terracotta clay-inspired façade building and head for the main doors.
Inside you’ll find a small but perfectly formed offering of drinks and snacks from Cotton, with stylish seating options. Great if you’re meeting someone for a chat on your way to or from the station. With the site designed to encourage public transport, it doesn’t have its own parking but there is a council carpark we’d recommend nearby that won’t break the bank. Learn more about Cotton and progress of the Goods Yard site on Capital & Centric's website.
Lunar at World of Wedgwood
‘A workspace like no other – take your workday out of the ordinary and into The Parlour at Lunar.’ Located on the World of Wedgwood site in Barlaston, this fine dining restaurant offers a premium coworking space. Free to use for the whole day, with free parking a couple of minutes walk away, it’s best to book your place in advance.
A 'cool' venue aesthetically and literally (we recommend their iced coffees and aircon on a warm day) – the only downside is the patchy phone signal if you need to make any phone calls while there. You do however get free access to their fast Wi-Fi. An inspiring setting with seating options indoors and out, ‘it's a place to think, create and connect’. Find out more and book your coworking space on the Lunar website. We'll be back to sample the lunch menu!
Keele in Town
Previously a nightclub and restaurant, this three-storey building in Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre features modern working and meeting spaces. Created with students from Keele University in mind, it’s open to the public too, with popular local coffee shop, Piccoloco serving food and drinks downstairs.
With good coffee, lots of tables, seating options and charge points, one thing to be mindful of is where to park if you’re coming by car. Find the latest information about opening hours, parking and more on the Keele in Town website.
Article last updated on 7th July 2026