|
Stoke is a unique city in many ways, not least because it is made up of six separate towns. From the North to the South they are Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley, Stoke-upon-Trent, Fenton and Longton.
Our trip started at the Gladstone Pottery Museum in Longton. Walk into the cobbled courtyard and you step back in time. It's the only completely preserved Victorian pottery factory from the era of coal fired bottle ovens. As you walk around the untouched, but still working, equipment and machines you can learn about how Bone China is made and touch on the days of the Jolleyer, the Jigger and the Sagger maker's bottom knocker!
Arnold Bennett, the author of 'Anna of Five Towns' was born in Hanley in 1867 above a Pawnshop, it's now a café called 'Five Towns Cafe' and you'll find it at the bottom of Hope Street. Nobody knows why he left out one of Stoke's six towns, some say it was because his mother-in-law came from one of them, but that's not very likely as he had a French wife.
In Hanley shopping centre you will also find the Sir Stanley Matthews Statue. Our greatest player of all time was the first footballer to be knighted, his career started before the Second World War and he was still going strong in 1965 at the age of 50! An F.A Cup winner for Blackpool, Sir Stan returned to an ailing Stoke City in 1961 and sparked a remarkable revival.
Johnson Brothers Factory in Lichfield Street, Hanley, has the last working pottery canal boat. Each day at 1pm it sets off with a load of pottery, taking them from one factory to another, each specialising in a different aspect of the business.
We also visited the grave of Molly Leigh, the witch of Burslem. Born in 1685, Molly was a little strange, she never married, she talked to animals and kept a pet blackbird on her shoulder. In those days, eccentric women were regarded as witches. When she died she was buried in St John's Church in Burslem. After the service the rector and some friends went up to Molly's farm to check she had left for good, when they broke in, they found Molly sitting in her favourite chair knitting, with her blackbird on her shoulder. The rector said she would not rest easy until her body was buried lying North to South. And to this day, Molly's tomb is the only one in the churchyard that lies at right angles to all of the others.
At the New Victorian Theatre in Newcastle-Under-Lyme we met up with the Rev Ian Gregory, founder of the Polite society. The Theatre became Europe's first purpose built 'Theatre in the Round' in 1962.
Chesterton Greyhounds at Loomer Road Stadium, Newcastle-Under-Lyme was the next stop. With meetings every Monday and Friday, going to the dogs is still very popular in the area. Greyhounds are Irish dogs that can reach speeds of around 35 miles per hour, the sport moved into stadiums just before the war away from it's origins of Hare Coursing.
|
|
