Through Time
9 total works
Tunstall, it would seem, has always been a town of modernity and progress, from its developing industry of the late eighteenth century to the thriving market and impressive amenities that emerged in the nineteenth century. Indeed, in a little over a century, Tunstall went from being 'the pleasantest village in the pottery', to 'a town almost wholly of modern erection'. Here, Mervyn Edwards explores Tunstall's 'robust youth' and 'plucky' spirit as it continued to strive for forward-thinking and modernity through the twentieth century. This stunning collection of old photographs, many of which have never previously been published, and modern colour photography evokes happy memories of the past and brings Tunstall's fascinating history to life once more.
Burslem, the mother town of the potteries is documented here using evocative old and new images to record its people and places. The birthplace of Josiah Wedgwood has been home to the greatest international names in ceramics, from Davenport to Royal Doulton, just a few household names whose dinner services, tea-sets and drawing room ceramic art pieces have graced the tables of the world's rich and poor alike. The Burslem Angel and the Old Fire Station are featured, as well as many of the grand Victorian buildings and the factories, schools, churches of the area. Many significant events are recorded, including the Sneyd Pit disaster of 1942. Compiled by Mervyn Edwards, this pictorial history offers a reminder of another age and provides a valuable insight into how people lived and worked in this industrial community.
Fenton is the 'forgotten town' in the novels of Hanley-born author Arnold Bennett. He chose to write of the Five Towns, deliberately omitting Fenton, which at the time of his writing was only an urban district. He argued that 'five' - with its open vowel - suited the broad tongue of the Potteries people better than 'six'. Fenton has never really forgiven him - but in truth, its battle to forge an identity of its own has been ongoing.
Historically, it consisted of a number of scattered settlements radiating from that section of the old turnpike road between Stoke and Longton. Most people passed straight through it. However, the enterprise of pottery manufacturers and the prevalence of local collieries established Fenton as a town of grit and graft. Though not always a pretty place, there is no better town than Fenton to study the history of the potteries.
Historically, it consisted of a number of scattered settlements radiating from that section of the old turnpike road between Stoke and Longton. Most people passed straight through it. However, the enterprise of pottery manufacturers and the prevalence of local collieries established Fenton as a town of grit and graft. Though not always a pretty place, there is no better town than Fenton to study the history of the potteries.
Stoke-upon-Trent, described as a village in 1795, grew rapidly from the 1820s and 1830s, by which time a new Anglican church had been built as well as new streets. Noted in a trade directory of 1829 as having 'many handsome houses, wharves, warehouses and earthenware manufactories', it became famous for pottery manufactured by the likes of Spode, Copeland, Minton and Goss. However, Stoke is not just the story of ceramics. Other forces shaped the development of the town, including the North Staffordshire Railway Company, the Michelin Tyre Company and even Stoke City FC. Entertainment venues and public houses contributed conspicuously to community life and were part of a vibrant town that began to decline from the 1970s. As Stoke struggles to reassert itself, this book looks back at more prosperous times.
The impact of people and places in Wolstanton and May Bank is recorded in this pictorial record that recognises the contribution of village notables, dear old friends and long-gone institutions. A wealth of photographs depicting the joys of community life mingle with contemporary pictures, showing, often with dramatic impact, the shocking demolition of facilities we perhaps took for granted, such as The Plough, the Oxford Arms and The Marsh Head. Elsewhere, images of former shops such as Holdridge's, Swettenham's and the Spinning Wheel show how High Street shopping patterns have changed. Author Mervyn Edwards has only ever lived in Wolstanton and May Bank, and through this unique selection of old and new images, he presents a tribute to the place he happily calls home.
Renowned for their illustrious ceramic manufacturing heritage, the Staffordshire Potteries originally centred upon six towns: Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley, Stoke-upon-Trent, Fenton and Longton. The modern city of Stoke-on-Trent was created from these six towns and around fifty villages. In The Potteries Through Time, author Mervyn Edwards presents a nostalgic visual chronicle of the towns and villages in the Potteries across the decades.
In his previous Through Time books, Mervyn Edwards focused upon each of the six towns individually. This latest volume explores the hills and hollows between the centres whilst also offering new archive photographs of the main towns. We find shabby backstreets cowering in the shadow of enormous coal tips – the Potteries’ own ‘black hills’ – and there are industrial hotspots and busy suburbs. Then there are the proud old chapels and pubs and the even prouder people that patronised them. Stoke-on-Trent was not a pretty place, but as the proverb tells us, ‘where there is muck there is brass’, and the fascinating landscape came to be captured by all manner of writers, artists and photographers.
This collection of archive photographs is an engaging book that charts changing times and the shifting identity of the Potteries. It will be of immense interest to local residents, visitors and all those with links to the area.
In his previous Through Time books, Mervyn Edwards focused upon each of the six towns individually. This latest volume explores the hills and hollows between the centres whilst also offering new archive photographs of the main towns. We find shabby backstreets cowering in the shadow of enormous coal tips – the Potteries’ own ‘black hills’ – and there are industrial hotspots and busy suburbs. Then there are the proud old chapels and pubs and the even prouder people that patronised them. Stoke-on-Trent was not a pretty place, but as the proverb tells us, ‘where there is muck there is brass’, and the fascinating landscape came to be captured by all manner of writers, artists and photographers.
This collection of archive photographs is an engaging book that charts changing times and the shifting identity of the Potteries. It will be of immense interest to local residents, visitors and all those with links to the area.
China Town is one of the more flattering titles that Longton has attracted over the years, and it is a name that recognises the town's splendid reputation for ceramic production. Big businesses such as Bridgwood, Aynsley, Webberley, Wild and Tams all flourished; the pottery firing process was aided by the so-called 'long-flame coals' particular to the Longton collieries.Surviving photographs of yawning marlholes speak volumes about the town's industrial past - and yet Longton also lays claim to the establishment of the Potteries' first municipal park, in nearby Dresden. The Gladstone Pottery Museum has been hugely successful in interpreting Longton's rich history, and this book similarly celebrates numerous elements of the town's heyday.
Hanley has been the dominant Potteries town since the early nineteenth century. From being 'a humble collection of dwellings' in the early eighteenth century, it grew into a recognisable town and ultimately emerged as the Potteries metropolis and the city centre that we know today. From 1801 it was the largest of the six towns, and it was politically dominant too. It was in Hanley that the meeting that many regard as being the first step towards federation took place in 1817. Hanley might perhaps be considered the cultural centre of the potteries towns too, with many cultural amenities here, from the Pottery Subscription Library to the modern day Potteries Museum. With its grand Victoria Hall, Hanley Park and a diverse shopping centre, Hanley continues to be one of the most vibrant neighbourhoods in Stoke-on-Trent. Here we take a look at the evolution of the town through fascinating photographs spanning the last 100 years.
The area of North Staffordshire combines urban and rural areas, from Stoke-on-Trent and the Potteries, the town of Newcastle-under-Lyme, the moorland and Peak District towns and villages to the border with Cheshire and Derbyshire.
In spite of the many changes that have occurred in North Staffordshire, its towns and villages have retained their identity, with historical buildings alongside the new. This fascinating selection of old and new images of North Staffordshire will be essential reading for all those who know the area.
In spite of the many changes that have occurred in North Staffordshire, its towns and villages have retained their identity, with historical buildings alongside the new. This fascinating selection of old and new images of North Staffordshire will be essential reading for all those who know the area.