Description:Elijah Cotton's Nelson pottery stood at the junction of Commercial Road (left) and Botteslow Street (right) in Hanley. Botteslow Street leads down to the bridge over the Caldon Canal, just visible on the right hand edge of the photograph. The Nelson Pottery dates from 1885 although there had been a pottery factory here since at least 1756. The company had a second manufactory, the Victoria Works in Broad Street in Hanley.
Elijah Cotton was best known for producing jugs and at one time claimed to be the world's largest jug manufacturer. However they produced a wide range of earthenware including tea and nursery ware and "fancies" at Nelson Pottery. The factory closed in 1981, the factory lay derelict for many years until demolition in 2017.