Index of Historic walks 
around Stoke-on-Trent

 

Every town, village, city has a story to tell but we rush around not noticing the buildings and history all around us. These virtual 'walks' are designed to be an introduction to the North Staffordshire Potteries and consist of a map of the walk together with a set of photographs of the walk and often associated resources.

Enjoy the walks - you may not be able to join us for a well deserved pint at the end of the virtual walk - but at least it won't be raining!

| Tunstall | Burslem | Hanley | Stoke | Fenton | Longton |

| Waterways | Other Areas | Newcastle area |

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See a series of walks along the 'old roads' of the city

see a series of walks along some of the lost & forgotten roads of Stoke-on-Trent

 

Tunstall area: Weekly Walk:- | Brownhills | Ladywell | Greengates | Brindley & Harecastle | | Boatman's walk to Kidsgrove |   Old Roads:- | Paradise Street |

 

Burslem area: Burslem: The Wedgwood Family and Enoch Wood. The changes in the town from George I to accession of Queen Victoria (1714-1837). Longport: John Davenport & Longport. The creation of Longport (by the Trent & Mersey canal) between 1760-mid 19thC. Middleport: Burgess & Leigh - the 'Model' Victorian Potworks. A tour of a working Victorian potworks - opened in 1888, famous world over for Burleigh ware. A listed building and rescued from the receiver in 1999. Cobridge: A Victorian Suburb Rushton Grange, the development of Cobridge as a community, the churches and potworks - also the home of the novelist Arnold Bennett. Weekly Walk:- |Cobridge | Packhorse Lane | Trubshaw | Old Roads:- | Bournes Bank |

 

Hanley area: Etruria: Josiah Wedgwood & Etruria. Creation of Etruria in the 18thC. and subsequent transformation of the area in 19thC. Etruria: Last day of Shelton Steel Works A walk along the Trent & Mersey Canal on the 27th April 2000. In its heyday the works stretched across Etruria Valley to what is now Festival Park in Hanley. It had a 10,000-strong workforce, five coal mines, steelworks and rolling mills, blast furnaces and a bi-products factory. John Ridgway & Shelton. Walk around the Howard and Cauldon Place area of Shelton in the 1850-1890 period. The Ridgway pottery family and the development of the streets and houses. A photo walk across Stoke Fields to Winton's Wood - the parish of St. Simon and St. Jude (Hanley), the area around Staffordshire University. Winton's Wood and Poxon's field.   Weekly Walk:- | Howard Place | Hanley Green | Etruria | | the changing face of Cobridge |   Old Roads:- | Old Town Road | Pall Mall | Etruria Road (Fowlea Bank) |

 

Stoke Area: Penkhull: Josiah Spode & the Mount Estate. A look at The Mount - home and estate created by Josiah Spode II (1754-1827), master potter, of Stoke and also to examine the relationship between the estate and the village of Penkhull. Colin Minton Campbell & Hartshill Cemetery. The Municipal cemetery reflects Victorian society class divisions. The cemetery is divided into 4 classes for different denominations. Weekly Walk:- | Winton Square |

 

Fenton Area: A circular walk around Fenton Exploring the buildings, potworks, coal mines and the Baker family who built and shaped much of Fenton Weekly Walk:- | Land Delph | Lower Lane | Old Roads:- | Grove Road, Heron Cross |

 

Longton Area: Dresden & the Longton Freehold Land Society A walk round the Dresden Estate showing how it came into existence in the middle of the 19th C and the development during the Victorian period. Weekly Walk:- | Adderley Green |  Lane End |  Meir  | | Normacot | Foley | Old Roads:- | Ricardo Street | Bridle Path | Normacot Road |

 

Other Areas: The Lane from Meir to Tunstall Take a weekly walk with Fred Hughes and Steve Birks along the old roads of Stoke-on-Trent from Meir in the south to Tunstall in the North as they follow the route of "the lane" on the 1775 map by William Yates. Job Meigh & Ash Hall A walk around the Ash Estate in Werrington. Reviewing the development of the estate by Job Meigh II from 1837 to 1862 Weekly Walk:- | Boatman's walk to Kidsgrove | Kidsgrove | | Brindley & Harecastle | Old Roads:- | Ash Hall Estate |

 

Newcastle area: Weekly Walk:- | Dimsdale | Bradwell |

 

Waterways: The Newcastle-under-Lyme Canal Strange though it may seem today there was once a 4 mile long canal that ran from Newcastle to Stoke - this 'walk' has maps of the route and photos of clues which still exist today to show the route of the canal.  The Newcastle Junction Canal Designed to join the canal to Stoke and Apedale colliery Sir Nigel Gresley's Canal This is the canal to Apedale - follow the traces of the canal today

 

questions/comments/contributions? email: Steve Birks

acknowledgements: The photographs are mainly by Steve Birks (others photos are acknowledged). Some of the walks and background resources were carried out by local historian and Keele University lecturer Mr. Andrew Dobraszczyc. Some walks follows routes suggested by Pauline & George Shufflebotham in their book 'Short Circular Historical Walks of the Six Towns' The walks from Meir to Tunstall and the Old Roads are based on the "write to Roam" articles by Fred Hughes.   >> when this is the case an acknowledgement is made on the index page for the walk.

updated: 7 September 2008