Barry Sillitoe's photos around Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent

 

With the exception of the V. E. celebrations photograph these photos were taken by Barry Sillitoe in the late 1960s / early 1970's. 

Barry was born in Burslem in 1940. 

His son Mark recalls "he grew up on Lincoln Rd, behind Waterloo Rd (where my Grandparents had a little shop) I remember going to visit my Grandparents when The Grange was all being bulldozed and was just dirt - probably 1972/3 ish - My grandparents had then moved and lived above the Post Office, a damp old place. I remember 3 smells in Stoke - on Commercial Street there was a brewery (DD I think), a bakery and the two oatcake shops opposite each other on Waterloo Rd" 

 

 


V.E. Day, Burslem 1945 

probably Moorland Road Primary School

 

 

 

 

Pack Horse Lane 

 

"Originally the main route from Newcastle-under-Lyme to Burslem ran to Longbridge (renamed Longport following the arrival of the canal), then through Trubshaw Cross and followed the route of Newcastle Street for about half its length before running on a more northerly line to Pack Horse Lane in Burslem.

This road was turnpiked in 1763 but by the early 19th century the Pack Horse Lane element was replaced with the present route of Newcastle Street, so that by 1828 Pack Horse Lane was sold off for development. 

Enoch Wood bought the stretch that ran through his Fountain Place Works and this is the only remnant of the original eastern half of the road."


City of Stoke-on-Trent - Newcastle Street Conservation Area Appraisal, March 2011, section 3.2

- more on Pack Horse Lane - 

 

 


Top end of Pack Horse Lane

to the right is the car park behind the former Fountain Place Works
to the left is the rear of the former National Westminster Bank


The car park sign reads:

Private Car Park
Enquiries for parking to
E. Mainwaring, Engineers Ltd
Greenhead Street

 

 


bottom end of Pack Horse Lane

 

The two signs read: 

R L Edwards (Burslem) Ltd, Engineering Supplies

John F Sale, Sheet Metal Works, Welding

 

 



Packhorse Lane, Burslem
pen drawing by Neville Malkin - May 1975

by a remarkable coincidence Neville Malkin made this sketch from the same location
that Barry Sillitoe chose a few years earlier - the buildings are now demolished - 
but the curved brick wall to the right remains (2025)

  - more on Neville Malkin's sketches - 

 

 

 

St. Paul's, Church Square, Dale Hall, Burslem

built 1828 demolished 1974

Described as a "large and handsome Gothic edifice, with a lofty tower". 
Due to subsidence this church was demolished in 1974

 

- more on St. Paul's -  

 


St. Paul's, Church Square, Dale Hall, Burslem

 

 


St. Paul's, Church Square, Dale Hall, Burslem

this view is taken from the bottom of Hall Street

Hall Street runs parallel to Newcastle Street, from what is now 
Westport Road (was Liverpool Road) down to St. Paul's Church in Dale Hall

 

 


1900 OS map showing St. Paul's at the bottom of Hall Street 

 

 

 

 


Bournes Bank

on the left can be seen the down draught kilns of Acme Marls

Once part of a packhorse road which ran from Hanley through Burslem and onto Tunstall and Church Lawton. 

- more on Acme Marls -

- More on Bournes Bank - 

 

 

The remnants of the Potteries' Loop Line 

 

In the early 1960s the loop line was in terminal decline and the 'Beeching Axe' signalled the final blow for passenger services, and services were withdrawn on 2 March 1964.

The loop line track was allowed to fall into disrepair, and track lifting started early in 1967 starting from Waterloo Road in Hanley. By May 1968 all the track had been lifted.

 

- index page for the Potteries' Loop Line Railway - 

 

 


National Grid map - published 1955

The four photographs shown below were taken standing on the bed of the removed loop line railway
the location is shown in blue in this map

 

 


view towards Moorland Road

  • In the background centre, left is Burslem railways station which stood on Moorland Road.

  • The tall chimney to the left of the station buildings belongs to the public baths which was on the opposite side of the road to the Station buildings. 

  • The bridge that remains is that carrying Harvey Street (now Lingard Street) over the railway.

  • The buttresses are the remnants of the bridge which carried one of the many tramway/railway lines of the Sneyd Brickworks and Sneyd Colliery complex either side of the main loop line railway. 

 

 

 


drainage pipes stacked up on the Sneyd Brickworks site

  • The twin electricity poles to the right can also be seen on the first photograph. 

  • On the background centre can be seen the clock tower of Burslem's second town hall in Market Place. 

 

 


view in the opposite direction looking towards Cobridge

  • Sneyd Brickworks is now on the right of the photograph. 

  • To the far left on the horizon is a colliery spoil tip - probably that of of Shelton Colliery which was on the boundary of Cobridge and Hanley.

 

 

 


outbuildings of the Sneyd Colliery & Brickworks

 

 

 


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Page created 5 November 2025