The
Bakers - the
family who 'built' Fenton:
Fenton Athenaem
William Baker IV (1800-65) took an
active part in local affairs, serving as an Improvement Commissioner
from 1839 and as Chief Bailiff of Fenton in 1840.
In 1853 he provided a building known as the Athenaeum at his own
expense. It stood on the corner of Church Street and High Street
East (what is now Christchurch Street and City Road) and was
described in the Staffordshire Advertiser on 15 October 1853:
"The building will be erected to the
design of Messrs Ward and Son, Hanley. The site of the building is
an excellent one, being in the very midst of the population and at
the junction of the two main streets in the place."
High Street East,
Fenton (now City Road)
looking towards Lane Delph area.
On the right
at the corner of Church Street (now Christchurch Street) can
be seen the corner of the Fenton 'Athenaeum' built by
William Baker in 1853 with a newsroom, library and
laboratory.
In 1865 part of
the building was leased to the Manchester & Liverpool
District Banking Co., Ltd. and later the National
Westminster Bank - it was demolished in 1977 and replaced by
a modern bank building. |
The picture above shows the building
in about 1970
when it was occupied by the National Westminster Bank.
|