The Geography
of the Potteries (Stoke-on-Trent)
Evidence of Subsidence in Stoke-on-Trent
In 1903 as Thomas Holland a "candle-maker walked to his place of work in Hanley, the footpath in St. John Street opened up beneath him, and he was swallowed up in the wink of an eye. His grave had been hewn from the earth by miners, probably long dead themselves. An 8ft 6inch wide hole in the footpath now grinned at the attempts made to conceal the old pit shaft, whose rank breath emanated from the chasm below. The noxious gases made rescue impossible, and the shaft was subsequently filled in with a huge quantity of ashes and waste. A funeral service was held on the spot where Thomas had disappeared."
From: 'Potters in Pits, Mervyn Edwards, p.45
Subsidence of Wedgwood's Etruria factory
By using an 1877 map, and photographs of the works it can be shown that the factory, which was level with the canal sank by about 2.5 meters.
A 1844 report of a court case bought against Earl Granville because his mine workings cause collapse and damage to houses in Shelton.
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