Dining club open 74 years blames closure on roadworks

Bosses at a fine-dining restaurant open for nearly 74 years have blamed its closure on roadworks, falling visitor numbers and difficult market forces.

The Potters' Club, based at Federation House in Stoke, Stoke-on-Trent, was established in 1951 by the British Pottery Manufacturers' Federation.

It closed with the loss of 10 jobs, citing construction work on Station Road as "the final nail in the coffin", but hoped to find an alternative venue.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has been contacted for a comment.

The Potters' Club was located on the third floor of Federation House and has hosted royal and VIP visitors over the years.

It was originally set up to provide somewhere for the directors of local pottery firms to entertain overseas visitors.

Club chairman, Dr Mary McCarthy said: "We have put our heart and soul into finding ways to keep the club at Federation House open.

"Since the pandemic, we have introduced numerous initiatives to increase membership and visitor numbers, but, like many other high-end venues and star chefs' restaurants, market forces that are particularly hitting the hospitality industry have challenged us time and again," she said.

Dr McCarthy added it had reached a point where they could not continue at their current location.

Work to secure a new venue would continue in the coming weeks, she said, adding: "We want to thank all our loyal members and our dedicated team for their support over the years – this is a very sad day for us all."

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