Category: Heritage and Culture

Heritage NewsDesk: Listed Status for Threatened Museum

In announcing the listing, Historic England noted that “We recommended listing the buildings at Grade II due to their historic and architectural interest. Leather working is strongly associated with Walsall, and the town is still a major centre for the industry. The workshops on Wisemore are among a very small group of such buildings of this date surviving in Walsall, and so are of particular significance for the town as they embody the industry that played a major part in the lives of many local people.”

In response to the listing, Walsall Council’s leader Mike Bird was quoted in the local press as saying: ‘It might be heritage to them but at the end of the day it’s an old factory, simple as that.’

DO YOU AGREE WITH COUNCILLOR BIRD?

We don’t. A town that destroys its heritage is a town without a future. Think again, Mr Bird. Your response is pathetic.

Walsall Leather Museum Given Listed Status

Heritage NewsDesk: Tunstall’s Clock Tower Chimes Again

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has repaired Tunstall’s historic clock tower, and its chimes ring again.

The Grade II listed Clock Tower in Tower Square was erected in 1893. Its chimes, which fell silent in November 2024, are working again. The clock tower was built to honour local philanthropist Sir Smith Child. It features a life-size bust of him that was paid for by the Ladies of Tunstall.

The project that restored the chimes is part of a major improvement scheme aimed at regenerating Tunstall.

Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, the cabinet member for regeneration, infrastructure and transport at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said:

The Clock Tower is an essential part of Tunstall’s story and a visible reminder of the civic pride that built the town. When a landmark like this falls silent, something important is lost. Restoring the chimes is a statement of intent: that Tunstall’s heritage matters, and that we will look after what previous generations built.

NewsDesk: Potteries Museum Launches Appeal to Keep Ellastone Fastener in Staffordshire


The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery has launched a £150,000 appeal to keep the Ellastone Fastener in Staffordshire.

A Bronze Age treasure, the gold fastener was discovered in the region.

To keep it here, the museum needs your help.

For more information and to donate, please visit www.stokemuseums.org.uk/pmag/help-save-the-ellastone-fastener/.
Visit the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery website and discover the City of Stoke-on-Trent’s unique history and heritage.

Hotel Review: Doubletree by Hilton Stoke-on-Trent

This review gives a comprehensive description of the Doubletree by Hilton Stoke-on-Trent. It also introduces its readers to Middleport Pottery, the Emma Bridgewater Factory, the Gladstone Pottery Museum and Biddulph Grange Gardens.

Review: Doubletree by Hilton Stoke-on-Trent

Keep Walsall Leather Museum Open

North Staffordshire Heritage supports the campaign to save Walsall Leather Museum. This fascinating and unique museum must be saved. It is a local and regional asset that can easily be transformed into a significant national and international heritage tourism attraction. North Staffordshire Heritage takes no pleasure in reminding the local council that a town or city that destroys its heritage is a town or city without a future. We ask everyone in the UK who cares about our country’s history and heritage to sign the Petition to keep the museum open. Remember that once it’s gone, it’s gone!

Petition Opened to Stop the Closure of the Walsall Leather Museum

National Trust to Take Over Ironbridge Gorge Museums

National Trust Take Over Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust in ‘Landmark Moment’ for UK Industrial Heritage

Celebrate Diwali at the Potteries Museum

Visit the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery on Saturday, October 18, to celebrate Diwali.

Diwali is the colourful and vibrant Hindu and Sikh Festival of Lights.

Visitors will see different traditional Indian dances performed by professional and semi-professional artists. They will show you Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Kaikottikali, Bhangra and Bollywood dances which come from different parts of India.

There will be stalls in the foyer where you can buy Indian clothes, jewellery and vegetarian street food.

The celebration starts at 11.00am and ends at 5.30pm. Free Admission.

World Heritage: The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales

Government Refusing to List Heritage Buildings

The government’s refusal to list historic buildings that Historic England has recommended for listing worries the Victorian Society.

Ignoring Historic England’s advice can erode trust in the listing process and put heritage buildings at risk.   

Historic England recommended listing the part of Medlock Mill in Manchester, which was built in the 1790s or early 1800s. The government refused to list them.

There have been other instances where the government has decided to reject Historic England’s recommendations.

The Victorian Society and similar groups want to see greater public accountability in the way the government makes its decisions.

Celebrate Black History Month at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery

Come to the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery on Saturday, 4 October to celebrate Black History Month.

The event is a creative cultural day that celebrates the art, music and food of people of African or Caribbean descent.

This year, Black History Month’s theme is ‘Standing Firm in Power and Pride’, a tribute to the resilience, strength, and unwavering commitment to progress that define the Black community.

During the day, there will be a wide range of events including craft workshops, dancing, music and singing, Ghanaian acrobatics, stalls and many more things to enjoy.

 The celebration starts at 11 am and ends at 5 pm. Admission is free.