Sharpe’s Pottery Museum, Heritage & Arts Centre
Source: https://www.sharpespotterymuseum.org.uk
Archived: 2026-04-23 15:40
Sharpe’s Pottery Museum, Heritage & Arts Centre
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Welcome!
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Sharpe’s Pottery Museum is nestled in the market town of Swadlincote at the heart of The National Forest.
Explore our iconic grade II listed Bottle Kiln and discover stories of the Sharpe’s family toilet invention. You will also learn about the significant changes from 19th century coal mining, clay extraction and associated industrial activity in South Derbyshire, to a 21st century sustainable landscape led by the creation of The National Forest!
Museum Opening Hours
Sunday: Closed
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10am-5pm
Wednesday: 10am-5pm
Thursday: 10am-5pm
Friday: 10am-5pm
Saturday: 10am-5pm
Sweet Caroline Café Opening Hours
Sunday: Closed
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 9.30am-4pm
Wednesday: 9.30am-4pm
Thursday: 9.30am-4pm
Friday: 9.30am-4pm
Saturday: 9.30am-4pm
Our Museum
From toilets to teapots and tiles to Toby jugs; Sharpe’s Pottery Museum has them all. From the early sixteenth century the rich clay deposits of South Derbyshire attracted many entrepreneurs. They included, amongst many others, ‘farm boy to gentleman potter’ Thomas Sharpe, rich businessman T. G. Green, and the creative partnership of Henry Tooth and William Ault at Bretby Art Pottery.
Find out more
What’s on
We offer an exciting programme of events and activities throughout the year; including art & craft workshops, artisan markets, music and comedy in the Kiln, murder mystery evenings, wellbeing sessions, school holiday activities, valuation Days, seasonal events and much more!
Keep checking our website and social media sites for updates.
Find out more
Story of Sharpe’s
Did you know that the Grade II listed and original bottle kiln, together with substantial attached workshop buildings are believed to be the oldest surviving sanitary pottery works in the country and maybe the world?
The founder was Thomas Sharpe. He came from a farming background and established the pottery in 1821.
Starting with the manufacture of functional wares such as tea pots and pie dishes the family business quickly responded to a growing demand for making ceramic sanitary wares including toilets, urinals, wash basins and clay pipes.
Find out more
Story of South Derbyshire
South Derbyshire is a local government district and was formed on 1 April 1974 as a merger of the Swadlincote urban district along with Repton rural and part of South East Derbyshire rural districts.
It contains a third of the
National Forest
and the council offices are here in Swadlincote.
Our museum tells this story and of how the products of the earth (coal and clay) resulted in business prosperity but a deterioration in the environment because of the impact of coal fired kilns.
Find out more
How to get here
ACCESS
At Sharpe’s Pottery Museum we want everyone to be able to enjoy our building, exhibits and events, and we have taken every measure to ensure that we are as open and accessible to as many people as possible. The Museum is fully wheelchair-accessible and assistance may be provided if required.
BY CAR
We have dedicated spaces for up to 5 vehicles. The nearest off site car parks are Grove Street and Rink Drive, they are free all day. There are 2 clearly marked Blue Badge parking spaces available free of charge on-site off West Street, or on the roadside nearby.
BY BIKE
There are bicycle racks on West Street outside the post office, 5-minute walk away.
BY TRAIN
The nearest train station is Burton on Trent. Travel by taxi for 20 minutes or on the bus to Swadlincote Bus Station, visit
Trainline
to plan your route.
BY BUS
There are frequent and regular bus services into the town centre, operated by
Midland Classic
and
Arriva
. Swadlincote Bus Station is a 10-minute walk away.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
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0 Items
Welcome!
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Sharpe’s Pottery Museum is nestled in the market town of Swadlincote at the heart of The National Forest.
Explore our iconic grade II listed Bottle Kiln and discover stories of the Sharpe’s family toilet invention. You will also learn about the significant changes from 19th century coal mining, clay extraction and associated industrial activity in South Derbyshire, to a 21st century sustainable landscape led by the creation of The National Forest!
Museum Opening Hours
Sunday: Closed
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10am-5pm
Wednesday: 10am-5pm
Thursday: 10am-5pm
Friday: 10am-5pm
Saturday: 10am-5pm
Sweet Caroline Café Opening Hours
Sunday: Closed
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 9.30am-4pm
Wednesday: 9.30am-4pm
Thursday: 9.30am-4pm
Friday: 9.30am-4pm
Saturday: 9.30am-4pm
Our Museum
From toilets to teapots and tiles to Toby jugs; Sharpe’s Pottery Museum has them all. From the early sixteenth century the rich clay deposits of South Derbyshire attracted many entrepreneurs. They included, amongst many others, ‘farm boy to gentleman potter’ Thomas Sharpe, rich businessman T. G. Green, and the creative partnership of Henry Tooth and William Ault at Bretby Art Pottery.
Find out more
What’s on
We offer an exciting programme of events and activities throughout the year; including art & craft workshops, artisan markets, music and comedy in the Kiln, murder mystery evenings, wellbeing sessions, school holiday activities, valuation Days, seasonal events and much more!
Keep checking our website and social media sites for updates.
Find out more
Story of Sharpe’s
Did you know that the Grade II listed and original bottle kiln, together with substantial attached workshop buildings are believed to be the oldest surviving sanitary pottery works in the country and maybe the world?
The founder was Thomas Sharpe. He came from a farming background and established the pottery in 1821.
Starting with the manufacture of functional wares such as tea pots and pie dishes the family business quickly responded to a growing demand for making ceramic sanitary wares including toilets, urinals, wash basins and clay pipes.
Find out more
Story of South Derbyshire
South Derbyshire is a local government district and was formed on 1 April 1974 as a merger of the Swadlincote urban district along with Repton rural and part of South East Derbyshire rural districts.
It contains a third of the
National Forest
and the council offices are here in Swadlincote.
Our museum tells this story and of how the products of the earth (coal and clay) resulted in business prosperity but a deterioration in the environment because of the impact of coal fired kilns.
Find out more
How to get here
ACCESS
At Sharpe’s Pottery Museum we want everyone to be able to enjoy our building, exhibits and events, and we have taken every measure to ensure that we are as open and accessible to as many people as possible. The Museum is fully wheelchair-accessible and assistance may be provided if required.
BY CAR
We have dedicated spaces for up to 5 vehicles. The nearest off site car parks are Grove Street and Rink Drive, they are free all day. There are 2 clearly marked Blue Badge parking spaces available free of charge on-site off West Street, or on the roadside nearby.
BY BIKE
There are bicycle racks on West Street outside the post office, 5-minute walk away.
BY TRAIN
The nearest train station is Burton on Trent. Travel by taxi for 20 minutes or on the bus to Swadlincote Bus Station, visit
Trainline
to plan your route.
BY BUS
There are frequent and regular bus services into the town centre, operated by
Midland Classic
and
Arriva
. Swadlincote Bus Station is a 10-minute walk away.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settings
ACCEPT
Manage consent
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT