Historic England hoped demolished Hanley kiln would be preserved
The rare kiln was turned to rubble during demolition works on site
Historic England has told us they had hoped a rare pottery kiln in Stoke-on-Trent could have been protected - after it was knocked down during site works.
The muffle kiln at Falcon Works in Hanley was demolished as repairs took place.
It's thought to be one of the last kiln's of its kind.
A spokesperson from Historic England said: "We have been in discussions with Stoke City Council and developers' agents for some years regarding the Falcon Works in Hanley.
"The buildings were in a poor state of repair and plans for residential flats involved significant demolition and rebuilding. Unfortunately, recent fires have also made matters worse. The hope was to keep as much of the Muffle Kiln as had survived and could be disentangled from the surrounding unstable structures.
"We are aware that the City Council is investigating the extent of recent demolition work on site and await the outcome of this. We are ready to provide further advice as needed."
According to The Daily Focus, a publication by Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, council officials stated that the rare muffle kiln at Hanley’s fire-hit Falcon Pottery should never have been demolished.
In a response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request made in March this year, Stoke-on-Trent City Council confirmed that its Section 78 dangerous structures notice excluded the bottle oven and kiln.
The council are quoted as saying: “No works have been granted to carry out alterations to the bottle oven and kiln. The Section 78 dangerous structures notice specifically excludes any works to this area.”
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