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An Introduction to Staffordshire

Staffordshire (shortened as Staffs) is in West/central England. Much of the land is devoted to cattle pasturage, but the county is primarily industrial.

In the North, the famous Potteries district centered at Stoke-on-Trent, is known for its manufacture of fine china like Wedgwood and Spode, as well as glass, bricks and clay pottery.

The Courtyards at Spode are home to the oldest pottery still on its original site. You can also see an extensive collection of figures at Royal Doulton and watch demonstrations at Wedgewood. The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery houses an unrivalled collection of Staffordshire ceramics, whilst the Gladstone Working Pottery Museum is the only Victorian pottery factory to remain intact with its original workshops, cobbled courtyards and huge bottle kilns.

In the South is the Black Country, with its formerly extensive coal fields, foundries, and iron and steel mills. Burton upon Trent is famous for its breweries and Lichfield for its cathedral. The region was once a part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia.

For the young at heart there is Britain's most popular theme park, AltonTowers. Set in 500 acres of beautiful Staffordshire countryside there is a world of magic, excitement, thrills and surprises. The rides are as white-knuckle as you can stand and the pleasure there for the taking.

Elsewhere, Drayton Manor Park combines white knuckles with wildlife, the Blackbrook zoo at Winkhill has a new indoor exhibition (as well as its children’s farm or under-5s play room), Amerton Farm at Stowe-by-Chartley, have more fun for families than their names might suggest. There’s also plenty to interest children and their parents at striking Tamworth Castle, and at those splendid great houses in similarly splendid grounds Shugborough, Boscobel House and Sandon Hall amongst others.

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