No 70 -  Hanley Town Hall

Detail of crest above the town hall entrance
1869

John Ridgway's crest of a kneeling dromedary was used in the Seal of the Borough of Hanley, and now forms part of the Coat of Arms of The City of Stoke-on- Trent.

more on the Hanley Coat of Arms

Red brick with white brick and ashlar dressings, slate roofs with 4 sets of tall brick stacks.3-storeyed with basement and attic, 9-bay front with projecting central and corner pavilions, these pavilions articulated with rusticated white brick pilasters.

Ground, first, and second floor moulded bands, and bracketed entablature. Central doorway has projecting ashlar porch supported on coupled, rusticated columns with carved parapet and ornate iron lamp bracket. Either side are single sash windows, then canted bay windows, then a single further sash, and beyond, Palladian windows.

Above a central tripartite sash window with either side a single sash, then a canted bay window with a further single sash, with beyond single tripartite sashes. Above a central tripartite sash flanked by 3 sashes with beyond a single tripartite sash. Above again, a central 2-light dormer topped by segmental pediment, flanked by 3 gabled dormers with beyond, single 2-light dormers topped by segmental pediments.

What we now call Hanley was, in fact, the two separate townships of Hanley and Shelton until well into the 19th century; everything south of Stafford Street was in Shelton, and everything north in Hanley. The population growth of this township is quite remarkable. In 1738 it was only 1,000, but, by 1838, 18,249, making it the most important centre of the Potteries with approximately one-third of the total population. In 1857 Hanley and Shelton united to form the Potteries' first incorporated borough.

The central position of Hanley and Shelton and their importance in relation to the rest of the Six Towns was recognised early; a decisive meeting was held at Hanley in December, 1817, attended by representatives from each of the Six Towns, with Sir John Edensor Heathcote in the chair, which adopted a resolution to hold all public meetings for general purposes at Hanley. Suitable accommodation to hold such meetings seems to have been a problem even then; until the Queen's Hotel was requisitioned in 1888, all previous business would have been conducted in the old Swan Inn, and later in the Old Town Hall, since demolished."

Neville Malkin 16th July 1975