No 93 -  The Staff of Life, Stoke

"This old and popular tavern in Hill Street, Stoke, is the Staff of Life, an establishment better known to many as Charlie's. It is a pub that has atmosphere, characters, conversation and colour-the colour found mainly in the fine floors, a feature all too rare these days, yet one that exemplifies the pride and skill of the old craftsmen of the Potteries.

The tiles, probably manufactured by Minton Hollins or Campbells, are an arrangement of muted colours that have retained their original freshness. This type of tile is termed 'encaustic' which means that the clay pattern is inlaid and burnt into the main body, a method reintroduced by Herbert Minton in the 19th century, from patterns derived from medieval monasteries. The basic principle of manufacture was first to cut out the surface pattern from a thin layer of coloured clay, thenposition it face down in a square metal container, place over this another layer of clay which could be the background, put the whole into a press where the two would unite, and then knock-out and make ready for firing. This method, where the colours are actually inlaid and fused, creates a product that is almost everlasting.

The building itself, which is probably early 1800s, stands on the site of an old farmhouse near an ancient crossroads. In the days when Stoke was still green fields, travellers used to call at the farm for bread and cheese and a tankard of ale or milk. Most of these people were probably en route to Hulton Abbey; a reminder of those days is the entry just below the pub, which reputedly is part of the old pathway. 

It was also the custom of the farmer to send a baked wheatsheaf and other farm produce to Stoke Church, a custom kept up by the landlord and customers until the 1914-18 War. It would appear that the name, Staff of Life, originates from the Old Farm where weary travellers could relax and enjoy refreshments."

Neville Malkin 1st October 1975