Origins of the Name:

The name Tinkersclough stems from its early days as a rural lane or hollow (“clough”) that served as a gathering place for travelling tinkers and gypsies, giving the area both its name and its character.

Location of Tinkersclough:

The Tinkersclough area was located in Hanley in the parish of Stoke-upon-Trent at the junction of what is now Clough Street and Mount Pleasant. 

Connection with the Toft Family:

Tinkersclough is also tied to the famous Toft family of potters - particularly Thomas and Ralph Toft, renowned 17th-century slipware craftsmen. They worked in Tinkersclough from a small pottery at a prominent crossroads.

Pottery and Manufacturing Legacy:

From around 1842 a significant pottery factory stood in Tinkersclough, known as Dresden Works (occasionally called the Mount Pleasant Works). 

This site was active from the 1840s to the mid-20th century, passing through several owners: Edward Raby (1843–c.1856), Worthington & Harrop, William Harrop & Co, Lancaster and Sons, and later Lancaster & Sandland until around 1968.

Industrial and Transport Heritage:

Tinkersclough lay along the Potteries Loop Line, a railway built by North Staffordshire Railway to connect Etruria, Hanley, Burslem, Tunstall, and beyond. Passenger services ceased in 1964, but the line once served industrial links and mining traffic

St. Mark’s Mission Hall & Local Landmarks:

The area included Mill Street and featured landmarks like St. Mark’s Mission Hall and the Rose & Crown pub. Mining and industrial activity, including slag heaps from Shelton Iron and Steel Works, defined the landscape

The Toft family produced slipware dishes at Tinkersclough in the 17th Century.

Thomas Toft

The Toft family at Tinkersclough 

The Toft family of slipware potters

The Dresden Works was built around 1843 on the site of the Toft factory at Tinkersclough

The Dresden Works

The Potteries Loop Line railway, built in sections between 1850 and 1875, rand through Tinkersclough

The Loop Line at Tinkersclough