For those who are interested in old industrial landscapes it is well worth taking a short stroll along the towpath from where you can get a glimpse of some of these early potbanks and potters' mills. From the old Pack Horse Inn at Longport you can walk along the towpath to Newport Lane; just beyond, on the north side of the Trent and Mersey, lies the in-filled Burslem arm of the canal. Before the cutting of the Canal in 1776/77 the whole of this valley would have been mainly pasture land; a handful of cottages, and one small works belonging to John Brindley, younger brother of the famous engineer, were to be found at Longbridge (Longport) where the road to Wolstanton and Newcastle used to cross Fowlea Brook. Following the opening of the Canal several potteries, mills and carrying companies developed along its banks, taking advantage of the new, cheaper, and more efficient means of transport.

By the turn of the century many of the firms, such as Davenport's and Wood's, had become quite large and required more operatives. Homes for the workers and their families were essential and several streets of terraced houses were erected by the manufacturers; these, in turn, were followed by churches, public houses, shops and all the other ingredients that go to make a community."