Smoke On Stench 100 | A Tongue-in-Cheek Tribute to a Century of Stoke
Some tiles are commissions, some are experiments and some are pure, industrial-strength mischief.
This one falls firmly into the last category.
To mark the centenary of Stoke-on-Trent, I wanted to create something that honoured the city’s heritage… but with a wink. After all, what better way to celebrate 100 years of Stoke-on-Trent being awarded city status than with a lovingly sarcastic ode to its bottle-oven past?
A Tile Steeped in Smoke, History, and Questionable Humour
The piece - Smoke On Stench 100 - features a towering bottle oven proudly stamped with “100”, surrounded by swirling, smoky typography spelling out Smoke on Stench. The font itself curls like rising fumes, echoing the gritty industrial landscape that shaped the Potteries.
It’s not an insult. It’s shared history.
Stoke had its smoky skyline; Edinburgh, my home, was historically called Auld Reekie for the same reason. Two cities bound by the unmistakable perfume of progress — soot, sweat, chimneys, and innovation.
So this tile is a gentle bit of banter between two places built on coal, craft, and… questionable air quality.
Lots of love from Auld Reekie - An encaustic tile celebrating Stoke-on-Trent… with a nudge and a wink
Crafted in Scotland, Inspired by Stoke
This tile is handmade in Scotland, using clay from Valentine Clays — a nice little full-circle moment, considering how integral Stoke-on-Trent is to the ceramics world.
Part of “Shared Stories Vol. 2”
You can see Smoke On Stench 100 — along with an array of encaustic tiles, oddities, and collaborative works with @ceramiccitystories — at Shared Stories Vol. 2, hosted inside the atmospheric Winkhill Mill:
a dust-press tile factory powered by century-old machinery, tradition, and community memory.
The exhibition runs as part of Heritage Open Days, with opening hours, tours, and even an evening reception within the mill’s historic walls.
Ceramics by artist Danny Callaghan for Shared Stories Vol:2
A Whiff of the Past
This tile is a celebration — of grit, history, humour, and the wonderfully smoky lineage that connects Stoke to Edinburgh.
Because if you can’t mark a centenary with a bit of ceramic mischief… when can you?
Your new encaustic tile could be just as fun. If you’ve got an idea, a place, or a piece of local history you’d love captured in clay, I’d be delighted to make something just for you. Get in touch!
