The Last of the Giants: A Rare Look Inside the World’s Largest Bottle Oven

I visited the Middleport Pottery and explored the last surviving Bottle Oven with the highest number of firemouths. With 11 firemouths it is the largest in Stoke-on-Trent and possibly the World. Step inside one of the last great icons of The Potteries – the last surviving Middleport Pottery bottle oven – and uncover the secrets of how it once fired thousands of pieces of pottery. This 25-minute film is for educational purposes only and takes you on a rare guided tour inside the largest surviving bottle oven in the world, revealing its history, construction, and how it functioned. New videos every 2 weeks or so: Don’t miss future editions by clicking HERE    / @potteriesauthor   0:00 Intro Middleport 1:34 Inside the Oven 2:22 Baiting the Firemouths 4:26 Inside the Hovel 5:26 Placing the Saggars 11:45 Middleport 12:33 Placing House 13:42 Making Saggars 16:28 Placing House 17:40 Filling the Saggars 20:30 Kiln Furniture 21:59 Drawing the Oven 23:39 Biscuit Ware 24:13 Outro 🔹 What You'll See in This Video: ✅ A detailed walkthrough of the last bottle oven at Middleport Pottery, part of the Middleport Pottery Heritage Trail ✅ Rare 1978 footage of the last-ever bottle oven firing at the Sutherland Works, Longton – a historic event that was filmed ✅ A breakdown of the traditional firing process, including: Baiting the firemouths – how coal was fed into the oven to generate intense heat Placing the saggars – how pottery was carefully stacked inside protective clay containers Filling the saggars – how unfired ware was loaded before the firing Drawing the saggars – removing the finished pieces once the firing was complete ✅ Live narration from inside the bottle oven and placing house, explaining their role in the firing process ✅ A celebration of the skills and craftsmanship that defined Stoke-on-Trent's ceramic industry 📜 Why This Matters: Bottle ovens were once the beating heart of Stoke-on-Trent's pottery production, with over 2,000 dominating the skyline. Today, only 47 remain, preserved as monuments to a vanished way of life. With the last commercial firing taking place in the 1960s, the 1978 firing was a final opportunity to capture the knowledge of the firemen, placers, and saggar makers who kept this industry alive for centuries. The Middleport oven, with its 11 firemouths, is a unique survivor. This video records and celebrates its place in history, ensuring the story of bottle oven firing is never forgotten. 🏺 Want to Learn More? If you love pottery, industrial heritage, or the history of The Potteries, subscribe to the channel for more in-depth videos on the world of ceramics. 📌 Subscribe here: ‪@PotteriesAuthor‬ All the links to find out more about me at https://linktr.ee/authoronthepotteries #BottleOven #Middleport #Pottery #StokeOnTrent #Heritage #Ceramics #Saggars #worldslargest #bottlekiln #heritagetrail #biscuit #firemouths #saggars