Artist Design Guide for Longton
Urban Wilderness CIC worked in partnership with Historic England and Stoke-on-Trent City Council to create a new Heritage Shopfront Design Guide and heritage colour palette for Longton. This work forms part of the wider Longton Heritage Action Zone, supporting the restoration of historic buildings and strengthening the identity of the Longton Town Centre Conservation Area.
Why a Design Guide for Longton?
Longton’s conservation area is home to some of the city’s most distinctive industrial architecture — including historic frontages, bottle kilns and Victorian commercial buildings. The new Design Guide provides clear, accessible advice to help business owners make sympathetic design decisions that protect this character while updating their properties for contemporary use.
The guide covers:
A new heritage colour palette inspired by Longton’s ceramic history, botanical illustrations and the tones of traditional shopfronts
Guidance on signwriting, typography and traditional signage
Recommendations for materials, lighting and façade repair
Case studies showing how sensitive design can reveal historic details and improve the overall appearance of the high street
Practical advice for business owners navigating planning permissions within a conservation area
A Creative, Place-Based Approach
Urban Wilderness CIC developed the guide using both historic research and contemporary creative engagement. The colour palette draws on archival imagery, historic paint shades and ceramic pigments, while the typography section is informed by 150 years of local shopfronts and signage styles.
As artists based in Longton Exchange, our interest lies in how public spaces shape community wellbeing and belonging. Through our heritage photo walks and conversations with residents and businesses, we have seen how deeply people value the town’s built heritage — even when buildings have fallen into disrepair. The Design Guide reflects this local pride and supports business owners to enhance their frontage while retaining individuality.
Supporting Longton’s Regeneration
The Design Guide sits alongside building restoration funded by the PSICA (Partnership Schemes in Conservation Areas) programme, which is helping to stabilise and repair priority buildings. The guide ensures that both funded and independently-led improvements contribute to a cohesive, heritage-led identity for the area.
By bringing together heritage research, artist insight and practical design advice, the guide supports Longton’s ongoing regeneration — aiming to create a more welcoming, walkable and characterful high street.
Urban Wilderness CIC remains committed to working with local businesses, residents and partners to celebrate Longton’s industrial heritage and nurture a thriving town centre.