No-one has done more to revive the fortunes of the Potteries than Emma Bridgewater who was the first to have faith in and rejuvenate local pottery when she began production of her decorated creamware in 1985 (later to include our own 2013 100 books commemorative 'Pomegranate' jug). In 1995, the company purchased a former Victorian factory in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, and converted the site (above). Emma Bridgewater now employs around 230 people, and there's a cafe, pottery painting studio, shops, and factory tour.