Ambitious plans to transform The Potteries Museum set out

The historic museum opened in Hanley in 1956 to bring the six towns' collections under one roof

An ambitious multi-million-pound project to transform a heritage museum and art gallery have been unveiled.

The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent will be extended and its collections improved, the council says.

"We want to see the museum become a new centrepiece for the Cultural Quarter," said council leader Abi Brown.

The proposal is give more room to display the city's collections and enable the story of the city and its people to be told, the council said.

This will including the important role women have played in the ceramics industry, in a project being run with Keele University.

"Our ambition is to create a must-see internationally renowned cultural destination that both showcases and inspires visitors to explore sites and attractions throughout the city," Ms Brown added.

The city's council's £1.5m spend follows its £4.7m refurb of the museum's Spitfire Gallery, which opened last year.

The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery houses a wide collection of ceramics and a reconditioned Spitfire

The authority is seeking funding from Arts Council England, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and private investors to realise its vision, which forms part of a wider strategy to put the city on the map.

Lorraine Beardmore, the council's cabinet member for culture, leisure, and public health, said the prospectus, in which the plans are laid out, was being used to attract investors.

"The proposals... have the potential to transform Stoke-on-Trent into one of the country's most exciting cultural destinations," she said.

The council plans to consult with the public on its plans next year.

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