ENTHUSIASTS hope to have a national museum honouring iconic chimney pots open in Stoke-on-Trent within 12 months.

Members of the Chimney Pot Preservation and Protection Society say the museum, which would be the only one of its kind in the country, would attract visitors to the city and be a useful learning centre for school visits.

The group is trying to raise up to £10,000 to get the centre in Station Street, Longport, up and running.

Museum curator Lance Bates, who owns a collection of 2,500 chimney pots, has been collecting the items for almost 30 years.

Mr Bates, aged 63, from Longport, said: "The museum is something which has been planned for a while but funding has been a problem.

"We had been hoping to get some money with a lottery bid, but it's proved difficult because of the credit crunch.

"We're confident of raising the money ourselves. We've got an exhibition planned for Christmas and we're looking at opening the museum in early spring.

"The idea is to have about 800 of the 2,500 pots on display at any one time, and then rotate them.

"It would be the only museum of its kind in the country and by far the largest collection under one roof."

News of the fund-raising drive comes as 33 chimney pots went on display in Ceramica, in Burslem.

The pots, part of Mr Bates's collection, date back to 1820.

Mr Bates added: "I've been interested in chimney pots since I was a teenage boy.

"There used to be hundreds of companies producing chimney pots all over the UK, but now there are only two.

"They come in all shapes and sizes but they all had the same job of controlling down drafts.

"It's important we preserve them because they were an iconic part of our skyline until 1956 when the Clean Air Act came in.

"The furthest I've driven to pick up a chimney pot is the Isle of Skye in Scotland, which took me 13 hours, but it was unusual so it was worth it."

The Chimney Pot Preservation and Protection Society, which is a registered charity, was launched two years ago to encourage people to look after their chimney pots and highlight the visual value they can have to the architecture of buildings.

Chairman Roger Warrilow, from Leek, said: "A chimney pot is a key part of a building and once it is removed, it doesn't look complete.

"The collection of 2,500 pots is fantastic and it is something we should be highlighting and encouraging people to come and see."

Community Voice councillor Peter Kent-Baguley, who is treasurer of the charity, said: "We're hoping this exhibition will raise awareness of chimney pots and the plan for the museum."

The exhibition at Ceramica is open between 11am and 3pm from Tuesdays to Fridays until the end of September. Admission is free.