Emma Bridgewater Factory

What it’s like

Tour a working Victorian pottery factory, then paint your own piece in the decorating studio.

This is a proper working factory, not a museum pretending to be one, and the family tours are built around that. You walk through the Victorian buildings where the pottery actually gets made, then head to the decorating studio to have a go yourselves. It's a nice mix of watching and doing, which suits kids who get bored just looking at things behind glass.

The decorating studio is the bit to save time for. Painting your own piece takes a while if you want it done properly, so don't try to squeeze it in at the end of the day. There's also a Factory Garden open in spring, summer and autumn, weather dependent, so that's a good spot to let the kids stretch their legs between the tour and the studio.

Food is well covered. The Factory Café does breakfast from 9:30am, hot and cold lunches, homemade soups and cakes, and there are children's lunchboxes so you're not stuck ordering off the adult menu for a fussy eater. Last orders are 3:30pm Monday to Saturday and 3pm on Sundays, so plan around that if you're after a late lunch. Afternoon tea is on offer too, which feels like the grown-up reward for sitting through the factory tour with small children in tow.

Opening hours differ through the week, Monday to Friday it's 9am to 5pm, but Sundays and bank holidays it shrinks to 10am to 4pm. It's open daily aside from Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Easter Sunday, so it's a solid option most of the year, garden aside in winter.

Facilities

Need to know

Food

Factory Café serves breakfast from 9:30am, hot and cold lunches, homemade soups and cakes, children's lunchboxes, seasonal specials

• The decorating studio takes a while if you want a proper go, so build in time.
• The Factory Garden shuts over winter, so it's not a year-round outdoor option.
• Sunday and bank holiday hours are shorter than the rest of the week.
• Last food orders are earlier on Sundays, 3pm instead of 3:30pm.

Plan your visit

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