Category: Hanley/City Centre

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.

Hanley: A nostalgic journey through time and the effects of neglect

My journey spans the transformative years between 1980 and 2007, documenting the vibrant nightlife, iconic local landmarks, businesses and the palpable atmosphere that once defined my hometown. A town full of so much hope for a future that never came.

In the 80s and 90s, Hanley’s nightlife was the heartbeat of the towns night-time economy. Iconic clubs like The Place, Chicos, Satchmos and Golden at the Academy, the latter attracting busloads from the West-Midlands and Manchester, hosted world famous DJs, featured on MTV and in numerous sub-culture magazines of the day.

Hanley: A nostalgic journey through time and the effects of neglect.

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.

Barry Winter, a popular lecturer from the Potteries

My cousin, Barry Winter, died recently. He was the loveliest person you could hope to meet. He was born in Stoke-on-Trent, the only child of my dad’s older brother, Clifford, and his wife, Fay, market traders in the Tunstall and Hanley markets.

Barry Winter was a father figure to so many

City Centre: Hanley Past and Present

The Tragedy of Lidice – A talk at the Potteries Museum

In June 1942, the small Czech village of Lidice, 12 miles from Prague, was destroyed. Its inhabitants were murdered or deported, and the village was wiped off the map.

The atrocity was a reprisal for a top-secret operation code-named “Operation Anthropoid,” to kill Reinhard Heydrich, a high-level Nazi official who planned the Holocaust, which murdered at least 6 million people.

On 9th June, the day of Heydrich’s state funeral in Berlin, Hitler ordered retaliatory measures against the Czech population. That very evening, German police and SS officials surrounded Lidice. Their behaviour was caught on film. The atrocities they committed caused an international outcry that strengthened the resolve of Great Britain and the United States to destroy Nazi Germany.

On Friday, 5 September, Dr Kate Vigurs, a Second World War Historian, will give a talk at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery telling the story of Lidice from Operation Anthropoid to 2025, revealing its special relationship with Stoke-on-Trent.

Her talk starts at 7.00 pm and ends at 9.00 pm. The bar opens at 6,00 pm. Tickets cost £12.

Telephone 01782 232323 or email museumevents@stoke.gov.uk to book your ticket.

£1.5 million given to help save city’s historic buildings

Regeneration experts in the Potteries are delighted that the Heritage at Risk Fund has given £1.5 million to help save Burslem’s Indoor Heritage Market and historic Bethesda Church in the City Centre.

The money will be used to repair the buildings.

If these buildings can be saved, they will make a significant contribution to the growth of North Staffordshire’s heritage tourist economy.

Molly Albin – Hanley’s Town Crier Who Terrified Married Men

In the 1820s, married men living in Hanley who spent their time drinking in ale houses feared Molly Albin.

Molly, who lived in Tontine Street, was Hanley’s town crier. She used her job to publicly shame men who went drinking during working hours or neglected their families.

Men who frequented ale houses were terrified when they heard Molly ringing her bell and calling out their names. Large crowds gathered to listen to what she had to say about them.

She told the crowd everything she knew about a man she had named.

Molly pulled no punches when she described a man’s character. She listed all his defects. She told the crowd how much he earned each week and how much he spent on drinks. It heard how much money he gave his wife to buy food and clothing for herself and the children. All aspects of his life were made public. If a man had borrowed money that he hadn’t repaid, she gave details of the amount he owed.

Sometimes, a man whose lifestyle she was describing threatened her with violence. Molly was not afraid. It was unlikely that he would assault her. She was physically fit and capable of defending herself.

She knew that a man who attacked her would be arrested and brought before the Petty Sessions (Magistrates’ Court). The court sat in a room at the Swan Inn. It had the power to fine him, put him in the stocks or send him to prison. Men who attacked women were usually sentenced to two or three weeks’ imprisonment with hard labour.

Walking in the City Centre

Hanley Park Wins Green Flag Award for the Fifth Year Running

Once again, Hanley Park has won the prestigious Green Flag Award. The park has received the award for five consecutive years. This confirms its status as one of the best parks in the UK.

Councillor Amjid Wazir OBE, the city council’s cabinet member for city pride, enforcement and sustainability, said:

“This is a fantastic achievement and a massive credit to the team who care for Hanley Park all year round. They always keep the highest standards. The Green Flag award is a clear sign of their dedication.

“Parks like Hanley are vital places where communities can come together. Congratulations to everyone involved. Your pride in our city can be seen by everyone.”