Month: Sep 2025

Burslem and Cobridge in the 1790s

This image shows Wood & Caldwell’s Fountain Place Works in Burslem. In the 1790s the company made Staffordshire figures, earthenware and stoneware. Enoch Wood and James Caldwell were partners in the firm. The firm owned Bycars Colliery, where it mined coal to fire the factory’s bottle ovens and kilns.

A Description of the Country From Thirty to Forty Miles Round Manchester, a book published in 1795, was compiled by Dr John Aikin. The book tells us about Newcastle-under-Lyme and North Staffordshire’s pottery towns and villages in the 179os

This edited extract from the book describes Burslem and Cobridge as they were in the 1790s.

Burslem

Burslem is the home of North Staffordshire’s pottery industry. Earthenware has been made there for many centuries. Dr Plot, in his History of Staffordshire, written in 1686, said that the factories making pottery in Burslem were the largest in the district…

The town has two weekly markets. A large market is held on Monday, and a smaller one is held on Saturday. Four or five years ago, cattle markets were established. These markets are well attended by cattle dealers and butchers.

Burslem is a parish in its own right. The parish church, St John’s, has a good organ. The church has recently been enlarged and regenerated.

There are a large number of [Wesleyan] Methodists in the district. The Methodists have built a large chapel in Burslem and erected chapels in several pottery towns and villages. There are many other religious sects in the Potteries. Few areas have such a great diversity of sincerely held religious opinions.

Cobridge

Cobridge is an industrial village where earthenware is made. It is partly in Burslem Parish and partly in Stoke Parish.

World Heritage Sites: The Ironbridge Gorge

The Ironbridge Gorge showcases the advancements made in iron production during the Industrial Revolution. It is a testament to technological innovation and reflects the social changes that began in the 18th century. In the gorge, there are industrial archaeological features. including mines, foundries, and workshops. They tell the story of an industrial valley.

Having viewed this video, North Staffordshire Heritage is asking why North Staffordshire’s Industrial Landscape is not a World Heritage Site.

Aviation History: North Staffordshire and the Battle of Britain

Monday, 15th September, was Battle of Britain Day.

It’s the day we pay tribute to the courage of the pilots who, fighting against overwhelming odds, won the battle. We also remember members of the armed forces killed in action and the civilians who died when enemy bombs fell on British towns and cities.

The role North Staffordshire played in the battle must not be underestimated. RAF pilots were trained at Meir. Firefighters from the Potteries were sent to help their colleagues in Coventry when it was bombed.

Two of the world’s leading aircraft designers, John Lloyd and Reginald Mitchell, grew up in the Potteries. Both men were educated at Hanley High School and served their engineering apprenticeships with local firms.

John Lloyd designed the Whitley, a heavy bomber. During the Battle of Britain the Whitley bombed and destroyed strategic targets in Germany and Italy.

The Spitfire, designed by Reginald Mitchell, became a living legend. It was the aircraft that gave Britain its Finest Hour and saved the world from Nazi domination.

Went the day well?
We died and never knew.
But, well or ill,
Freedom, we died for you.

Aviation History: The Armstrong Whitley Bomber

Did you know that the Armstrong Whitley Bomber was designed by John Lloyd, who grew up in Etruria? He was educated at Hanley High School. When John left school, he became an apprentice at Shelton Bar. During the First World War, he worked at the Royal Aircraft Factory. When the war ended, John went to work for Armstrong Whitworth, becoming the company’s chief aircraft designer in the 1920s.