“A Century of Us” is an art exhibition that celebrates Stoke-on-Trent’s Centenary.
“A Century of US”, an exhibition at the Potteries Centre, runs until Tuesday, September 30. It showcases work by local artists and honours Stoke-on-Trent’s rich heritage. The exhibition features original 2D and 3D artwork, including paintings, drawings, photographs, textiles, ceramics, and sculptures, linked to the Potteries.
Amy Whittaker, The Potteries Centre’s Director, said: “This exhibition is a celebration of our city’s centenary. We’re excited to showcase the talent of local artists while honouring the history, culture and people that have shaped Stoke-on-Trent over the past 100 years.”
Admission Free. The exhibition is open from 10:00 to 17:00.
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 1790s.
This edited extract from the book describes Goldenhill as it was in the 1790s.
One would imagine from its name that Goldenhill is a large, splendid place. But names can be deceptive. In fact, Goldenhill is the smallest village in the Potteries.
Nonetheless, the valuable coal mines, which gave the village its name, make ample amends for its deficiencies.
At the upper [North] end of the village is Green Lane, which commands an extensive view of the surrounding areas. On one side of the lane, the Cheshire Plain can be seen with the Welsh Hills in the distance. On the other side, there is the best view of the Potteries and the countryside beyond it.
The filmstrip ‘The Township of Tunstall’, last seen in the 1990s, was shown again last Saturday in Tunstall Town Hall.
Made by Highgate School in 1960, the filmstrip depicts life in the town during the 19th century and features images of historic buildings that have been demolished. Members of the audience were introduced to Anglo-Saxon Tunstall and told about the lives of Sir Smith Child and John Nash Peake.
A railway revolution swept Britain in the 19th century, changing the country forever. A predominantly agricultural society became an industrial superpower.
To read this post, click on “A Brief Introduction to the History of the Railway in England” beneath the photograph.
An appeal has been launched to find the relatives of Stoke-on-Trent’s Second World War hero, Lance Sergeant John Baskeyfield.
John, who came from Burslem, was killed during the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944. During the battle, he single-handedly manned two anti-tank guns and refused to leave his post. For his remarkable courage, he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
As part of Stoke-on-Trent’s Centenary Celebrations, the city council is planning to commemorate John’s bravery.
Councillor Lyn Sharpe, Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent, said: “Our city is proud of Lance Sergeant John Baskeyfield. His bravery will never be forgotten in Stoke-on-Trent and beyond.
“We hope any relatives can be found so they can be part of the special events we are holding this year in his memory.”
The events in November are expected to include an expanded exhibition in the Spitfire Gallery at the Potteries Museum. Additionally, there will be an act of Remembrance at John’s memorial in Festival Park.
If you are one of John’s relatives or can help trace them, email sot100@stoke.gov.uk
These shops in High Street, Tunstall, built in 1898, were designed by Absalom Reade Wood. Many local historians believe that Absalom was North Staffordshire’s leading architect.
In 1935, Arthur Cotton shared his memories of late Victorian Tunstall with a Sentinel reporter.
Arthur, who was born at Goldenhill in 1857, became an estate agent with an office in Market Square (Tower Square). He and his wife, Gavina, lived in Tunstall. They had six children – four boys and two girls. The family were Methodists. They worshiped at the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Wesley Place (Wesley Street).
Arthur took a keen interest in local politics and joined the Liberal Party. He became a Staffordshire County Councillor and an Urban District Councillor in Tunstall.
From 1905 to 1907, he was chairperson of the Urban District Council.
Arthur opposed the scheme to amalgamate the six towns and create the County Borough of Stoke-on-Trent. He believed it would undermine local democracy by transferring power from councillors to senior local government officials.
A man with a retentive memory, Arthur was a local historian. He told the Sentinel what Tunstall was like during the latter part of the 19th century, saying:
During the past 70 years or so, the district has changed beyond all recognition. The Tunstall of my boyhood days was an industrial town of small pottery factories. Many of them have long since disappeared, giving way to an industrial era that demands fewer factories, but bigger ones.
Many small collieries were scattered throughout the district. There were collieries at Goldenhill, Clanway, Newfield, Greenfield, Scotia and on the slopes leading up to High Lane… All these have ceased to exist because of flooding.
There were hardly any public buildings in the town. The old town hall stood in the centre of Market Square [Tower Square].
Much of the land now occupied by streets, houses, and factories was open country. The public library was built in Phoenix Park, which local people called Cope’s Running Ground. The Memorial Gardens were laid out in the park.
The Second World War ended eighty years ago in 1945. Victory from Home: How we Helped Win the War is an exhibition at Newcastle-under-Lyme’s Brampton Museum.
The exhibition examines life on the home front. It highlights the vital role that those who stayed at home played in helping the Allies win the war. The exhibition closes on 16 September.
Admission to the museum and the exhibition is free.
The area was named by Josiah Wedgewood when he built his new pottery works here in 1769 (it was named after the region of Etruria in Italy in an early example of somewhat fanciful marketing). By the early 1970s, the pottery works had been moved, and the old canal was caught in the doldrums between commercial and leisure traffic.
Note: We viewed Alan’s photographs with great interest and were most impressed by their quality.
During the late 1960s, David photographed the Trent & Mersey and the Caldon Canal for a group of canal enthusiasts opposing British Waterways’ plans to close the canal and turn it into a feeder channel for the Trent & Mersey Canal.
North Staffordshire Heritage 