Category: Stoke-on-Trent

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.”

Daydreaming at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery

Daydreaming is Stoke-on-Trent College’s 2025 end of year art exhibition at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. A vibrant mixture of students’ work will take you into a world of surrealism, imagination and different perspectives.

Short films created by students will be shown. A presentation, “The Plastic Ocean”, will raise your awareness of plastic pollution and highlight its impact on marine ecosystems.

The exhibition runs until Sunday, 31st August.

It’s Friday Again

It’s Friday again. How quickly time flies.

We have had a busy week planning a series of talks and posts about Tunstall’s history. Our plans include talks about Tower Square, the Jubilee Buildings and the Memorial Gardens.

Have a good weekend. Relax and keep safe. We’ll see you again on Monday.

Arthur Berry: The man who was Stoke-on-Trent’s Poet Laureate

Arthur Berry, who has been called Stoke-on-Trent’s Poet Laureate and the Potteries’ Lowry, was an artist, author, playwright and poet. In this video, he shares his unique and sometimes controversial views about the people he painted and wrote about. Use our Comments section to share your memories of Arthur.

Aerial Views of Longton’s Architectural Heritage

This aerial view of Longton showcases its distinctive industrial landscape and rich architectural heritage. How many buildings and places featured in this video do you recognize? If you live or work in Longton, please use the Comments section below to share your memories with us. Let us know about your family and friends, the schools you went to, the games you played and your hobbies. Tell us about your first job and your working life.

Longton’s Architectural Heritage will help to make North Staffordshire’s Industrial Landscape a World Heritage Site.

Pop-up exhibition to celebrate Arthur Berry’s life and work

Appetite has organised an open-air pop-up exhibition to celebrate the life of Arthur Berry.

Berry was a playwright, poet and painter. The exhibition explores his life and the impact he had on art and culture in the Potteries.

The exhibition opens in the City Centre on August 4th. It runs there until September 14th. Then it moves to Newcastle-under-Lyme. It reopens there on September 20th and runs until October 1st.

For the Love of Stoke – an exhibition of Donald Morris’s photographs

For the Love of Stoke is an exhibition of Donald Morris’s photographs of the Potteries at the Spode Museum

Taken in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, Donald’s photographs capture the atmosphere and character of Stoke-on-Trent as it was. His pictures show us a way of life that no longer exists. They record a cityscape that has undergone dramatic changes over the years.

Factories and canals, bottle ovens and gas lamps, corner shops and public houses were included in his comprehensive photographic survey.

Admission Free. Open from 10:00 to 16:00. Contact the Museum for more details

Art Exhibition Celebrates City’s Centenary

“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.

Paint your own centenary mug

Go to Middleport Pottery on the 23rd or the 29th of July and paint your own Stoke-on-Trent Centenary Mug.

When you have finished painting your mug, leave it at the pottery. It will fire your mug in its kiln, and you can collect it when it has been fired.

This is a free activity suitable for people aged 16 and above. Pre-booking required. For more details, contact Middleport Pottery.

Old Filmstrip Shown at the Town Hall

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.