Category: North Staffordshire

Historic Tunstall: Absalom Read Wood (1851-1922)

Absalom Reade Wood was one of North Staffordshire’s leading Architects. He created Tunstall’s unique Victorian Civic Centre.

When Absalom Reade Wood died in 1922, North Staffordshire lost one of its leading architects. During his long life, Absalom had created numerous churches and chapels, houses and factories, schools and civic buildings throughout the district.

He was born at Burslem in 1851, and attended the town’s Wesleyan Day School. When he left school, Absalom was articled to Shelton architect Robert Scrivener.

Absalom was a small man, with ‘a comfortable, neat figure and a short beard’ and a warm, friendly personality that gave him an optimistic outlook on life. He was a keen sportsman who enjoyed cycling, swimming, and playing cricket, tennis, and golf.

He became an architect during the early 1870s and established his own practice in Tunstall in 1874.

A year later, Absalom became the town’s part-time surveyor, a position he held until the creation of the County Borough of Stoke-on-Trent in 1910. Working closely with John Nash Peake and the town clerk, Arthur Llewellyn, he modernised Tunstall’s market hall. He created the town’s unique late Victorian Civic Centre containing his piece de resistance the town hall, which opened in 1875.

Other civic buildings Absalom designed included Kidsgrove’s town hall and Longton’s Sutherland Institute. Burslem School Board employed him to build Jackfield, Park Road and Longport Schools.

Absalom married Mary Holdcroft, the daughter of pottery manufacturer William Holdcroft. The couple had five children – two boys and three girls. The Wood family were Methodist. They worshipped at Hill Top Methodist Church in Burslem. In 1889, Absalom was employed to enlarge and modernise the church.

Absalom’s best-known building in Burslem is the Art School in Queen Street. Situated on land opposite the Wedgwood Institute, which was given by Thomas Hulme, the school cost £8,500. The school opened in 1907, and one of its most famous alumni was pottery designer Clarice Cliff.

Clarice was born in Meir Street, Tunstall, on 20 January 1899. Before going to Burslem Art School, she attended High Street School, Tunstall, Summerbank Road School, Tunstall and Tunstall Art School, which was housed in the Jubilee Buildings in Station Road (now The Boulevard). High Street and Summerbank Road Schools were designed by Absalom, as were the Jubilee Buildings.

Absalom died at his home Hillcrest, Woodland Avenue, Wolstanton on 21 December 1922.

Absalom Reade Wood (1851-1922) is one of a series of articles about North Staffordshire’s history written by Betty Martin before her death. Other articles from the series will be posted from time to time.

A Walk from Kidsgrove to Biddulph via Mow Cop

Mow Cop’s craggy high point is crowned with Mow Cop Castle, an artfully ruined folly, constructed on the instruction of Randle Wilbraham, the lord of nearby Rode Hall ,in 1754. Since 1937 the castle and the gritstone rocks it sits upon have been owned and managed by the National Trust. These days the site is a country park.

Beneath Mow Cop Castle, it is very evident where gritstone was quarried over the centuries. These days, the village appears to be a quietly affluent place, but historically, quarrying meant that it was once an industrial hub.

Kidsgrove – Biddulph

Mow Cop, the birthplace of the Primitive Methodist Church, and Biddulph Grange Gardens will help to make North Staffordshire’s Industrial Landscape a World Heritage Site.

Friday NewsDesk

This has been a week of contrasts. We were delighted to learn that Longton is going to get a £2 million facelift. It will ease traffic congestion and attract more customers to the town’s shops and heritage market. Although disappointed, we were not surprised that production at Wedgwood’s Barlaston factory will cease from the end of September until January 5th 2026. The company’s accounts are due to be published in October. We wonder how economists will view them.

The Brownhills Murder (1797), the first post in our new series about Tunstall called Historic Tunstall, was posted this week.

Monday, September 15th, was Battle of Britain Day. Our post, North Staffordshire and the Battle of Britain, paid tribute to those whose courage in the face of overwhelming odds saved the world from Nazi domination and gave Britain its finest hour.

Although he is taking a Sabbatical to study Anglo-Saxon legal history, David will continue to edit our website.

We hope you have a relaxing and enjoyable weekend. Take care and stay safe.

Kidsgrove: Images of bygone days

Wedgwood to cease production until January 2026.

Wedgwood is ‘pausing production’ at its North Staffordshire factory. Pottery will not be produced at Wedgwood’s Barlaston factory between September 29th 2025 and January 5th 2026.

Wedgwood Factory Tours have also been cancelled between these dates.

The decision has been made before Wedgwood releases its accounts for 2024, which in October.

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.

Photo Walks in the Staffordshire Moorlands

GRAIN Project’s Autumn 2025 Staffordshire Moorlands Photo Walks

Bygone Kidsgrove

The Trent & Mersey Canal and the Harecastle Tunnels will help to make North Staffordshire’s Industrial Landscape a World Heritage Site.

Stoke-on-Trent’s Remaining Bottle Ovens

About half of Stoke-on-Trent’s remaining bottle ovens are featured in this short video.

A bottle oven or bottle kiln was a type of kiln used in the ceramic industry. For many years, Stoke-on-Trent’s bottle ovens and kilns symbolised our industrial heritage.

Some were built in the late 18th century. Many were built in the 19th century and a few in the 20th. They remind us that Stoke-on-Trent was once the centre of the world’s pottery industry.

Only 47 bottle ovens are left. They are all listed buildings. Longton has more than any town in the Potteries. Stoke-on-Trent’s remaining bottle ovens will help to make North Staffordshire’s Industrial Landscape a World Heritage Site.

Staffordshire History Festival

Staffordshire History Festival celebrates the county’s rich and diverse heritage. During the two-month festival, which ends on October 31, local history talks and exhibitions will be held at libraries and heritage sites throughout Staffordshire.

Councillor Hayley Coles, Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture said:

The Staffordshire History Festival is a brilliant chance to explore the stories that shape our communities. Whether you are interested in exhibitions, film screenings or hands-on workshops, there’s something for everyone. No matter where you are in the county, history is just around the corner – so get involved and discover what makes Staffordshire so truly special.

An exhibition, Staffordshire and Slavery, opens on September 16 at the Staffordshire History Centre. A film about the life of Fanny Deakin will be shown at Newcastle Kidsgrove and Biddulph Libraries. For more details of these and other events, please contact the Staffordshire History Centre or your local library.