Category: Tunstall

Sir Smith Child: Stallington Hall, The Country House That Became a Mental Hospital

Surrounded by woods and parkland, Stallington Hall, near Blythe Bridge, was a country house that became a mental hospital.

Stallington Hall was a Queen Anne-style mansion built in the 18th century. It was the home of landowner Richard Clarke Hill. His daughter, Sarah, married Smith Child, who lived at Newfield Hall in Tunstall. The couple were married at St Nicholas’ Church, Fulford, in 1835. They lived at Newfield Hall until 1841, when they moved to Rownall Hall, Wetley.

In 1853, Richard Clarke Hill died, and Smith Child and his family went to live at Stallington Hall.

Smith Child, who was a magistrate, became a Member of Parliament. He became a baronet in 1868. His full title was Sir Smith Child, Baronet of Newfield and of Stallington in the County of Stafford, and of Dunlosset (Dunlossat), Islay, in the County of Argyll.

Sir Smith Child died at Stallington Hall on 27th March 1896. His grandson, Sir Smith Hill Child, inherited the estate.

Sir Smith Hill Child was educated at Eton and Christ Church College. He became a professional soldier and fought in the Boer War. In 1910, he became the commanding officer of the 2nd North Midland Brigade (Royal Field Artillery.

On 3 August 1914, Germany declared war on France. German troops invaded Belgium, a country Britain had promised to defend against German aggression. On 4 August, Britain declared war on Germany. The First World War had begun, and the brigade was sent to France. where it fought at Loos and on the Somme.

Sir Smith Hill Child was mentioned three times in dispatches. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal and made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George. Promoted to Brigadier General, he was given command of the Royal Artillery’s 46th Division. On 29 September 1918, the Division crossed the St Quentin Canal and broke through the Hindenburg Line, taking 4,000 prisoners. The French Government awarded him the Croix de Guerre.

When he returned home, Sir Smith Hill Child stood for Parliament. His election campaign was successful, and he represented Stone from 1918 to 1922. In 1925, he married Barbara Villiers. Shortly after their marriage, they left Stallington Hall. The couple had two daughters, Teresa and Mary.

The hall and its grounds were sold to the City of Stoke-on-Trent, which converted it into a mental hospital.

The conversion cost £20,000. Lady Aspinall opened the hospital on 18 September 1930. Miss M. A. Cahill was the matron. The hospital accommodated 81 patients and possessed an operating theatre and a dental surgery.

Historic Tunstall: Newfield Hall

Newfield_Hall_Tunstall_

In 1770, Admiral Smith Child inherited the Newfield estate in Tunstall from his uncle Thomas Baddeley. He built Newfield Hall and died there in 1813. Admiral Child’s grandson, Sir Smith Child, inherited the estate.

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.

Tunstall School Treated Boys Like Little Soldiers

High Street School in Tunstall was demolished in 1994.

About two years later, Robert Turner, a teacher at the school from 1953 to 1963, was interviewed by Tunstall History Society.

Robert, who taught Art, Physical Education and Games, said:

It was a small school facing High Street, nestling between factories and rows of small, terraced houses. Tunstall reminded me of a T. S. Lowry painting, with small figures moving about.

The building housed two schools: a co-educational infants’ school and a boys’ secondary modern school. The infants’ school was on the ground floor, and the boys’ school was on the first floor. There were about 200 boys in the secondary modern. They were treated like little soldiers. Order and discipline prevailed. Every teacher kept a cane in their classroom. They used it when boys talked in class or ran along the corridor.

The boys were marched in lines two abreast to the swimming pool in Greengates Street or along Pickle Onion Entry to the park, where they played football and cricket.

At the start of school, a teacher blew a whistle. The boys stood still in the playground. The teacher blew his whistle again, and they walked to their designated lines, waiting silently for the whistle to blow a third time. When it blew, the boys marched into school, supervised by prefects

The school hall had a flat roof, which was used for physical training and by boys who were members of the art club. The roof gave them a wonderful pictorial vantage point, enabling them to paint and sketch views of Tunstall’s pottery factories with their bottle ovens and kilns, churches, shops and terraced houses. 

Members of the art club won many prizes for their paintings. In 1962, they starred in a BBC film. It was shown in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe by Eurovision.

If you were a pupil at High Street School, please visit Share Your Story: Who Was Your Favourite Teacher? and tell us about your school days there.   

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Share Your Story: Who Was Your Favourite Teacher?

We all remember that one teacher who made a lasting difference – the one who inspired us, encouraged us, or simply made school a little brighter. Maybe they sparked your love of a subject, believed in you when you doubted yourself, or had a way of making lessons fun.

We’d love to hear your stories. Tell us about your favourite teacher and what made them special. Was it their kindness, their humour, their passion for teaching, or something they did that you’ve never forgotten?

Your memories can help celebrate the people who shaped our lives and remind us of the power a great teacher can have.

If you went to school in North Staffordshire, you can share your story in Leave a Comment below. Alternatively, you can email it, with or without images, to northstaffordshireheritage@outlook.com

We are sure everyone will enjoy reading your memories of your favourite teacher.

Joan’s Visit to The Coach and Horses

A Glimpse of Bygone Tunstall

In 1986, Joan Baggaley, who wrote The City of the Six Towns: Stoke-on-Trent and Seven Pillars of Wisdom, visited Tunstall. She had come to see The Coach and Horses, an inn on Oldcourt Street, which overlooked the Chatterley Valley.

On the opposite side of the street, there were houses, bungalows and a school. This side of the street had recently been developed. There were still traces of the terraced houses that had been demolished, along with the cobblestone back entries behind them.

The sun was shining, and Joan looked westward across the valley. In the distance, she saw Bradwell Wood and the hills behind Newcastle.

The inn was open, and Joan was welcomed by the landlady, who took her inside. They went into the lounge, which had been created when two small rooms had been enlarged.

Many years ago, the inn had been a coach house and a resting place for horses. On the north side of the inn, there was a large yard with stables and a hay loft. The stables and the hay loft had been converted into a room where dances and wedding receptions were held. On the east side of the inn was a former school building that was occupied by social services.

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.

Dare you visit Tunstall’s Spooky Market?

Tunstall Town Centre Community Association challenges you to come and shop at its Spooky Market. The market will be held in ‘the coffin’ at the Floral Hall in Tunstall Park on Saturday, 1st November. It opens at 12pm. As well as traditional market stalls, there will be fun and games, refreshments and live entertainment. You might meet a ghost. Who knows?

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.

Historic Tunstall: The Brownhills Murder (1797)

John Wood, whose father was a pottery manufacturer in Burslem, bought the Brownhills estate near Tunstall in 1782.

He built a pottery factory on the estate and erected Brownhills Hall. The hall was a red brick Georgian mansion, where John lived with his wife, Mary, and their children.

In 1796, Mary was taken ill, and John asked Burslem surgeon Thomas Oliver to treat her. During his visits to the hall, Thomas met and fell in love with their daughter Maria. His love was reciprocated, and the couple wanted to get married. Although Thomas had a successful practice, John refused to let him marry her.

He ordered Thomas to leave the hall and never darken its doors again.

Maria and Thomas started meeting near a mill in the Scotia Brook Valley. One evening, John found them there. He attacked Thomas, and the two men fought each other. After the fight, John called Thomas a poor beggar and ordered Maria to stop seeing him.

Maria obeyed her father and refused to see John again. John was devastated. He neglected his practice, took no interest in his personal appearance and started drinking heavily.

John’s wife, Mary, was taken seriously ill. John asked Thomas to treat her. He agreed, and she became his patient again. When Mary recovered, Maria and Thomas asked John to let them marry. He refused. Thomas became angry and told John that he would get even with him. After making the threat, Thomas left Brownhills Hall and walked home.

A few days afterwards, Thomas, armed with two loaded pistols, went to Brownhills Hall. When he arrived there, John was still in bed. Thomas went to the factory to wait for him in his office. When he came into the office, Thomas gave him the bill for treating Mary.

John gave the bill to Mr. Bathwell, one of his clerks and spoke to him. While he was speaking to Mr. Bathwell, Thomas pulled a pistol out of one of his pockets. He shot John. After firing the pistol, Thomas attempted to commit suicide by shooting himself. Before he could pull the trigger, Mr Bathwell knocked the gun out of his hand.

John looked at Thomas and said to him, “Oh, sir, you have killed me.” Thomas replied, “It is what I intended.” He made another attempt to kill himself. The attempt failed and he was arrested.

John died three days later. Thomas was charged with murder and remanded in custody to await trial at Staffordshire Assizes.

His trial took place on Friday, 25th August 1797. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Two leading physicians gave evidence to support his plea. Their evidence was rejected by the jury. He was found guilty and sentenced to death.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, a person found guilty by a jury at an Assize Court or Quarter Sessions could not appeal against conviction or sentence. Punishment was inflicted within days of the sentence being passed. Thomas was executed at 10.30am on Monday, 28th August, just three days after his trial.

After taking communion in the prison chapel, he walked calmly and bravely to the gallows. His body was taken to Stourbridge, where it was buried in the family grave.

The Brownhills Murder 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.