Pevsner and Outer Stoke (Churches)

All Saints, London Road, Boothen (s). 1887-8 by Lynam & Rickman.

(St. John, Newcastle Road, Trent Vale (sw). 1909 by A. R. Piercy. The s aisle the former nave of a church of 1843-5.)
(Surrounding the church is the leafy garden suburb of the Sutton Dwellings Trust. 1926-9. Friendly neo-Georgian cottages in pairs and short terraces. A. Gomme)

Our Lady of the Angels (R.C.), Hartshill Road (nw). Part of a convent.

By Charles Hansom, 1857. Yellow brick and red brick stripes. Gothic, in the style of 1300. The church is large, and broadly, even rudely, treated. No tower. Attached to the E end is the present Presbytery. This and half the frontage belong to 1857.

The size of the convent was increased and a new chancel built by A. E. Purdie in 1884-5. The frontage as it now is still represents Hansom's style. It is wholly informal.

Our Lady of the Angels, Hartshill Road, Stoke

St Thomas, Rothwell Street, Penkhull (sw).

By Scott & Moffatt, 1843. Built at the expense of the Rev. Thomas Webb Minton. w tower with broach-spire. Transepts and a short chancel. Open timber roof. The style is Middle Pointed. The aisles are by E. P. Warren, 1892 - nothing special. Nor is Scott's work, compared with what he achieved at Holy Trinity.

The surroundings of the church have recently totally changed. They are now pretty modern (even modeme) terraces. A little further s, in and off Valley Road, a garden estate of 1910-14, by W. S. Stewart - ninety-five houses in all.

Church of St. Thomas the Apostle

Photo: 2000

A tranquil Winter scene

View of the church taken from St. Thomas Place.
The Greyhound public house can be seen on the right (yellow building)

photo: December 29th 2000

garden estate of 1910-14, by W. S. Stewart
garden estate of 1910-14, by W. S. Stewart
Trent Valley Road running top to bottom at the right of the picture

Holy Trinity, Hartshill Road (nw).

Built at the expense of Herbert Minton to the design of George Gilbert Scott in 1842, i.e. an early work. And, thanks to Minton's attitude, also a large work. It is entirely Camdenian, or rather Puginian, i.e. it appears with the claim to be genuine Middle Pointed, w steeple, windows with geometrical tracery. The chancel incidentally was given its apsidal end only about the 186os or 18705.

The date of the plaster rib-vault is not recorded. It obviously cannot be Scott's. It need hardly be said that glazed Minton tiles are copiously used inside, especially for the dado zone.

Scott also did the school behind and the parsonage to the w, and again Herbert Minton paid. The school is quite large and an interesting design. The parsonage has been totally altered.

Again built with Minton money is the long and varied group of Gothic brick houses with black brick diapering more or less opposite the church. They must be of before 1858.

Church of the Holy Trinity
photo: Peter Bennett c.2000

Minton tiles are copiously used inside, especially for the dado zone.
Minton tiles are copiously used inside the church, especially for the dado zone.

Scott also did the school behind the church - paid for by Herbert Minton.

Row of 3 cottages (forming part of a longer terrace) numbers 289, 291, 293 Hartshill Road

Terrace Houses - row of 9 cottages initiated by Herbert Minton
designed by George Gilbert Scott,
built under the supervision of Colin Minton Campbell

photos: Steve Birks - June 2000