Grove Road, Great Fenton
Lost and forgotten roads of Stoke-on-Trent

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next: 1775 & 2008 maps of Great Fenton
 

 
Grove Road, Heron Cross, Great Fenton
 

Early potters walked the track from Lower Lane to Lane Delph:

It is not at all fanciful to speculate that a number of famous and early potters journeyed along the track which is today known as Whieldons Road, Grove Road and Duke Street.

Thomas Whieldon of Fenton Low (or Little Fenton), Stoke-on-Trent, was probably the leading potter of his day and he had great influence on other famous potters.

Whieldon's home was at the bottom of what is now City Road and Whieldon Road, the works were at Little Fenton.

Josiah Spode I was an apprentice to Thomas Whieldon and Josiah Wedwood I was from 1754 to 1759 in partnership with Whieldon.

Both Josiah Spode the first (1733-97) and Josiah Spode the second (1755-1827),  were born in Lane Delph and Josiah Spode II continued to have very close connections with the Lane Delph area and in  1790 became a partner in a coal mining business (Fenton Park Colliery) with other Staffordshire potters.

In 1730, Ralph Wood was apprenticed to John Astbury, and he subsequently worked with Thomas Whieldon at Fenton Low, there learning the manufacture of coloured glazes.

Charles James Mason, the third son of Miles Mason had works at Lane Delph and at Heron Cross, his home was Heron Cottage at the Heron Cross / Blurton Road cross roads.
In 1813, Charles James Mason received a patent for his “ironstone china.” This hardened earthenware proved useful in the production of daily china. Because of its exceptional durability, ironstone became the most successful product sold by the Mason's Minerva Works factory. Soon after the creation of ironstone, the Masons’ name became popular throughout England and Europe.

 

Whieldon's Grove c.1845
Whieldon's Grove c.1845
the home of the famous potter Thomas Whieldon (1719-95) was at the bottom of Whieldon Road (Whieldon Old Road)
the road from Stoke to Longton crosses the left hand side of the picture
the two parallel lines running middle left to right shows the line of the proposed railway

© William Salt Library

- this building has since been demolished -


next: 1775 & 2008 maps of Great Fenton

22 June 2008