Council orders urgent works at historic Wade building in Burslem

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has ordered further urgent works at the Grade II listed Wade building after inspections identified parts of the historic Burslem pottery works that pose a safety risk.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has ordered further urgent works to the historic Wade building in Burslem after inspections identified parts of the structure that pose a safety risk.

The owner of the Grade II listed former pottery works has been formally instructed to remove the affected sections to reduce the risk to the public.

The action follows emergency works carried out after a fire in April 2025 to make the site safer and reduce the risk of further collapse. Those works have since been granted retrospective Listed Building Consent.

Further inspections have now identified additional areas of concern which require action.

While the immediate priority is public safety, the council has made clear that a long-term plan is still needed to secure the future of the building and prevent further deterioration.

The Wade building is one of a number of important historic buildings at the centre of Stoke-on-Trent's heritage emergency.

The action forms part of the wider response to the city's heritage emergency - declared in response to growing concerns about the condition of some of the city's most significant heritage assets.

Over the past year, the council has taken more than 100 actions relating to historic buildings across Stoke-on-Trent. Alongside enforcement activity, the council is also investing in historic buildings it owns, including Burslem Market Hall, the Wedgwood Institute and the School of Art.

Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, Cabinet Member for Growth, Regeneration and Transport, said:

“People across Stoke-on-Trent are tired of seeing our historic buildings deteriorate. I feel the same way.

“The Wade building shows why we declared a heritage emergency. Nobody wants to see parts of a historic building lost but when buildings are allowed to deteriorate to this point, difficult decisions can become unavoidable and public safety must come first.

“We’ve been clear that a long-term plan is needed for the Wade building. The longer problems are left unresolved, the greater the risk to its future.

“This is one of more than 100 actions we’ve taken on historic buildings across the city over the past year. We’re using all of the powers available to us, investing in the buildings we own and working with partners to protect our heritage.

“But we can’t tackle the heritage emergency alone. Protecting our historic buildings will require owners of historic buildings to step up and play their part before more buildings reach the point of no return.”