Stoke-on-Trent is a city and a unitary authority area in Staffordshire. Situated in the West Midlands county of Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent is the centre of what remains of the British pottery and ceramics industry. The city is unusual in that it comprises six towns, of which Stoke is only one, the others being Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton and Tunstall. Along with neighbouring Newcastle-under-Lyme, all of which form the built up area known as ‘The Potteries’.
Stoke-on-Trent is a significant commercial and industrial centre in the West Midlands. Located 40 miles north of Birmingham and 27 miles south of Manchester, it is approximately 160 miles north of London.
With a population of 249,000 (2011 Census) and a catchment population of 800,000 within a 30-minute drive, the city is the administrative centre for the area. Hanley has emerged as the primary commercial centre of Stoke-on-Trent and is now the heart of the conurbation and, according to the City Council, the main city centre.