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| Toponymy | 3>
The name Stoke is taken from the town of Stoke-upon-Trent, the original ancient parish, with other settlements being chapelries.[8] Stoke derives from the Old English stoc, a word that at first meant little more than place, but which subsequently gained more specific – but divergent – connotations. These variant meanings included dairy farm, secondary or dependent place or farm, summer pasture, crossing place, meeting place and place of worship. It is not known which of these was intended here, and all are feasible. The most frequently suggested interpretations derive from a crossing point on the Roman road that ran from present-day Derby to Chesterton or the early presence of a church, said to have been founded in 670 AD. Because Stoke was such a common name for a settlement, some kind of distinguishing affix was usually added later, in this case the name of the river.
The motto of Stoke-on-Trent is Vis Unita Fortior which can be translated as: United Strength is Stronger, or Strength United is the More Powerful, or A United Force is Stronger.[9]
[edit] | Tags:The Potteries,The City Of Five Towns,Sovereign State,Constituent Country,Region,West Midlands,Ceremonial County,Staffordshire,Stoke-upon-trent,City Status,Named For,Council Control,2001 Census,Ethnicity,White,S.asian,Black,Time Zone,Greenwich Mean Time,Dst,British Summer Time,Utc+1,St,Area Code(s),01782,Erlangen,Pronunciation,Borough Of Newcastle-under-lyme,The Potteries Urban Area,Staffordshire Moorlands,North Staffordshire,Polycentric,Hanley,Burslem,Tunstall,Longton,Pottery,Service Industries,Distribution Centres,Ancient Parish,Chapelries,Old English,Roman Road,Derby,Chesterton,Church,Affix,Local Government Bill,County Borough,Municipal Boroughs,Wolstanton United Urban District,Kidsgrove,Smallthorne Urban District,Stoke Upon Trent Rural District,Home Office,King George V,Eurostat,Nuts 3 Region,Bottle Kilns,Royal Doulton,Dudson,Spode,Josiah Spode,Wedgwood,Josiah Wedgwood,Minton,Thomas Minton,Trent And Mersey Canal,China Clay,Cornwall,Creamware,Bone China,Staffordshire Potteries,Thomas Whieldon,Clarice Cliff,Susie Cooper,Charlotte Rhead,Frederick Hurten Rhead,Jabez Vodrey,1842 General Strike,Pottery Riots,Nationalised,Chatterley Whitfield,Wolstanton,Local Nature Reserve,Scheduled Ancient Monument,North Staffordshire Coalfield,World Heritage Site,Primitive Methodism,Shelton,Shelton Steelworks,Scunthorpe,Repair Shops,North Staffordshire Railway,Kerr Stuart & Co. Ltd.,Raf,Supermarine Spitfire,Reginald Mitchell,Butt Lane,Apprenticeship,Manchester,Birmingham,Newcastle-under-lyme,Peak District,Derbyshire,South Yorkshire,Arnold Bennett,Conurbation,A50 Road,Abbey Hulton,Adderley Green,Bentilee,Birches Head,Blurton,Bucknall,Chell,Cliffe Vale,Etruria,Hartshill,Meir,Middleport,Milton,Norton Le Moors,Penkhull,Smallthorne,Sneyd Green,Trentham,Weston Coyney,Cheshire Plain,Met Office,Potteries Museum & Art Gallery,Caldon Canal,Gladstone Pottery Museum,Wedgwood Museum,Barlaston,Burleigh,Victorian,Moorcroft,Emma Bridgewater,Elizabethan,Ford Green Hall,Historic House Museum,Barbary Macaques,National Nature Reserve,Site Of Special Scientific Interest, Administration | 3>
Longton Town Hall.
See also: Federation of Stoke-on-Trent
An early proposal for a federation took place in 1888, when an amendment was raised to the Local Government Bill which would have made the six towns into districts within a county of “Staffordshire Potteries”. It was not until 1 April 1910 that the “Six Towns” were brought together. The county borough of Hanley, the municipal boroughs of Burslem, Longton, and Stoke, together with the urban districts of Tunstall and Fenton now formed a single county borough of Stoke-on-Trent.[10] The combined borough took the name “town of Stoke”.
In 1919, the borough proposed to expand further and annexe the neighbouring borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Wolstanton United Urban District, both to the west of Stoke. This never took place, due to strong objections from Newcastle Corporation.[11] A further attempt was made in 1930, with the promotion of the Stoke-on-Trent Extension Bill.[12] Ultimately, Wolstanton was added to Newcastle-under-Lyme instead in 1932. Although attempts to take Newcastle, Wolstanton and Kidsgrove (north of Tunstall) were never successful, the borough did expand in 1922, taking in Smallthorne Urban District and parts of other parishes from Stoke upon Trent Rural District. The borough was officially granted city status in 1925, with a Lord Mayor from 1928. When the county borough of Stoke-on-Trent initially applied for city status in 1925, citing its importance as the centre of the pottery industry, it was refused by the Home Office as it had less than 300,000 inhabitants. The decision was overturned, however, when a direct approach was made to King George V who agreed that the borough ought to be a city. The public announcement of the elevation to a city was made by the King during a visit to Stoke on 4 June 1925.[13]
The city's county borough status was abolished in 1974, and it became a non-metropolitan district of Staffordshire. Its status as a local government unitary authority was restored as Stoke-on-Trent City Council on 1 April 1997 whilst remaining part of the ceremonial county of Staffordshire. For Eurostat purposes, it is a NUTS 3 region (code UKG23).
[edit] | Tags: Pottery | 4>
Surviving bottle kilns still form distinctive silhouettes in several parts of the city.
Since the 17th century, the area has been almost exclusively known for its industrial-scale pottery manufacturing.[14] Companies such as Royal Doulton, Dudson Ltd, Spode (founded by Josiah Spode), Wedgwood (founded by Josiah Wedgwood) and Minton (founded by Thomas Minton) were established and based there. The local abundance of coal and clay suitable for earthenware production led to the early (initially limited) development of the local pottery industry. The construction of the Trent and Mersey Canal enabled the import of china clay from Cornwall together with other materials and facilitated the production of creamware and bone china.
Colorado Boullions Regina and teapots, vitrified tableware by Dudson Brothers Ltd., as exhibited by artists in London's Pimlico Road, 2003
Other production centres in Britain, Europe and worldwide had a considerable lead in the production of high quality wares. Methodical and highly-detailed research and experimentation, carried out over many years, nurtured the development of artistic talent throughout the local community and raised the profile of Staffordshire Potteries. This was spearheaded by one man, Josiah Wedgwood, and later by other local potters such as Thomas Whieldon, along with scientists and engineers. With the industry came a large number of notable ceramic artists including Clarice Cliff, Susie Cooper, Charlotte Rhead, Frederick Hurten Rhead and Jabez Vodrey.
[edit] | Tags: Coal mining | 4>
North Staffordshire was a centre for coal mining. The first reports of coal mining in the area come from the 13th century.[15] The Potteries Coalfield (part of the North Staffordshire Coalfield) covers 100 square miles (300 km2).[15]
Striking coal miners in the Hanley and Longton area ignited the nationwide 1842 General Strike and its associated Pottery Riots.[16]
When coal mining was nationalised in 1947, about 20,000 men worked in the industry in Stoke on Trent. Notable Collieries included Hanley Deep Pit, Trentham Superpit (formerly Hem Heath and Florence Collieries), Fenton Glebe, Silverdale, Victoria, Chatterley Whitfield and Wolstanton.[15] The industry developed greatly, and new investments in mining projects were planned within the City boundaries as recently as the 1990s.[17] However, 1994 saw the last pit to close as the Trentham Superpit was shut.[18]
The Stoke mining industry set several national and international records. Wolstanton Colliery, when modernised, had the deepest mining shafts in Europe at 3,197 ft.[19] In 1933, Chatterley Whitfield Colliery became the first Colliery in the country to mine one million tons of coal. In the 1980s Florence Colliery in Longton repeatedly set regional and national production records; in 1992 the combined Trentham Superpit (Hem Heath and Florence) was the first mine in Europe to produce 2.5 million saleable tonnes of coal.
Today the mines are all closed, though the scars of mining still remain on the landscape. Slag heaps are still visible on the skyline, now covered with flora and fauna. The Chatterly Whitfield site reopened as a museum two years after its closure in 1976. The museum closed in 1991 and the site became a local nature reserve. It was declared a Scheduled Ancient Monument by English Heritage in 1993.[20][21] The abandoned subterranean mines are inaccessible, though they still add complications to many building projects and occasionally cause minor tremors, detectable only by specialised equipment.[22]
The Phoenix Trust, an independent not-for-profit foundation, is campaigning to turn Stoke-on-Trent and the wider North Staffordshire Coalfield into a World Heritage Site due to its historic economic significance, its leading role in the industrial revolution, and as the birthplace of Primitive Methodism.[23]
[edit] | Tags: Steel | 4>
The iron and steel industries occupied important roles in the development of the city, both before and after federation. Especially notable were those mills located in the valley at Goldendale and Shelton below the hill towns of Tunstall, Burslem and Hanley. Shelton Steelworks' production of steel ended in 1978—instead of producing crude steel, they concentrated on rolling steel billet which was transported from Scunthorpe by rail. The rolling plant finally closed in 2002.[24] From 1864 to 1927 Stoke housed the repair shops of the North Staffordshire Railway[25] and was the home of independent railway locomotive manufacturers Kerr Stuart & Co. Ltd. from 1881 to 1930.[26]
Shelton Steel Works and the mining operations were heavily involved in the World War II industrial effort. Central to the RAF's success was the Supermarine Spitfire designed by Reginald Mitchell who, whilst born at 115 Congleton Road in the nearby village of Butt Lane, had his apprenticeship at Kerr Stuart & Co. Ltd's railway works.[27]
[edit] | Tags: Other | 4>
The Michelin tyre company also has a presence in Stoke-on-Trent, and in the 1920s built their first UK plant in the city. In the 1980s nearly 9,000 workers were employed at the plant; in the early 2010s about 1,200 worked there.[citation needed]
[edit] | Tags: Geography | 2>
Tunstall Tower Square.
Stoke-on-Trent is situated about half-way between Manchester and Birmingham[28] and adjoins the town and borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, which is administered separately and is situated to the west. To the east is the Peak District, which includes part of the Staffordshire Moorlands District, as well as parts of Derbyshire, Greater Manchester and West and South Yorkshire.
For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region (code UKG23) and is one of four counties or unitary districts that compose the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region.
Stoke-on-Trent is often known as "the city of five towns", because of the name given to it by local novelist Arnold Bennett. In his novels, Bennett used mostly recognisable aliases for five of the six towns (although he called Stoke "Knype"). However, Bennett said that he believed "Five Towns" was more euphonious than "Six Towns", so he omitted Fenton (now sometimes referred to as "the forgotten town").
As it is a city made up of multiple towns, the city forms a conurbation (although in this case the conurbation is bigger than Stoke itself, because the urban area of Stoke is now continuous with that of administratively-separate Newcastle).
The six towns run in a rough line from north to south along the A50 road – Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley, Stoke, Fenton and Longton. Although the city is named after the original town of Stoke, and the City Council offices are located there, the city centre is usually regarded as being in Hanley, which had earlier developed into a major commercial centre.
[edit] | Tags: Suburbs | 3>
As well as the Six Towns, there are numerous suburbs including Abbey Hulton, Adderley Green, Baddeley Green, Bentilee, Birches Head, Blurton, Bucknall, Bradeley, Chell, Cliffe Vale, Etruria, Fegg Hayes, Hartshill, Heron Cross, Meir, Meir Park, Meir Hay, Middleport, Milton, Norton le Moors, Penkhull, Shelton, Smallthorne, Sneyd Green, Trentham, Trent Vale and Weston Coyney.
[edit] | Tags: Climate | 3>
Stoke-on-Trent, as with all of the United Kingdom, experiences a temperate maritime climate, lacking in weather extremes. The local area is relatively elevated, resulting in cooler temperatures year round compared to the nearby Cheshire plain; although on calm, clear nights this is often reversed as cold air drainage causes a temperature inversion to occur. As such, the Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle area are generally not susceptible to severe frosts. The nearest Met Office weather station is Keele University, about four miles west of the city centre.
The absolute high temperature is 32.9 °C (91.2 °F),[29] recorded in August 1990, although more typically the average warmest day of the year should be 27.0 °C (80.6 °F).[30] In total, just under six days should report a temperature of 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or above.[31]
The absolute minimum temperature stands at -13.3 °C (8.1 °F),[32] recorded during January 1963. In an average year, a total of 48.3 air frosts will be registered.
Rainfall averages around 785 mm a year,[33] with 1 mm or more falling on just over 139 days.[34] All averages refer to the 1971–2000 observation period.
Climate data for Keele, elevation 179m, 1971–2000, extremes 1960–
Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year
Record high °C (°F)
13.3
(55.9)
15.4
(59.7)
20.6
(69.1)
23.7
(74.7)
25.9
(78.6)
30.0
(86.0)
31.3
(88.3)
32.9
(91.2)
26.2
(79.2)
21.8
(71.2)
17.3
(63.1)
14.4
(57.9)
32.9
(91.2)
Average high °C (°F)
5.7
(42.3)
6.1
(43.0)
8.6
(47.5)
11.2
(52.2)
14.8
(58.6)
17.1
(62.8)
19.7
(67.5)
19.4
(66.9)
16.3
(61.3)
12.5
(54.5)
8.5
(47.3)
6.5
(43.7)
12.20
(53.96)
Average low °C (°F)
0.6
(33.1)
0.6
(33.1)
2.2
(36.0)
3.6
(38.5)
6.4
(43.5)
9.1
(48.4)
11.4
(52.5)
11.3
(52.3)
9.2
(48.6)
6.4
(43.5)
3.1
(37.6)
1.4
(34.5)
5.44
(41.80)
Record low °C (°F)
−13.3
(8.1)
−10
(14)
−9.4
(15.1)
−4.7
(23.5)
−2.8
(27.0)
1.4
(34.5)
5.2
(41.4)
4.6
(40.3)
1.1
(34.0)
−2.5
(27.5)
−7
(19)
−12.5
(9.5)
−13.3
(8.1)
Precipitation mm (inches)
74.06
(2.9157)
51.81
(2.0398)
62.65
(2.4665)
55.58
(2.1882)
60.79
(2.3933)
69.77
(2.7469)
54.66
(2.152)
70.94
(2.7929)
68.59
(2.7004)
77.39
(3.0469)
78.04
(3.0724)
77.46
(3.0496)
783.3
(30.839)
Source: KNMI[35]
[edit] | Tags: Demographics | 2>
Based on the 2001 census, the total population of the city is 240,636 in 103,196 households.[36] This was a decline of 3.5% since 1991.[37] 51.3% of the population is female.[38] 96.3% of the population of Stoke-on-Trent were born in the UK.[39] 94.8% of the population identified themselves as white, 2.6% as Asian British Pakistani, 0.5% Asian British Indian and 0.3% as Black Afro Caribbean.[39] Regarding religion, 74.7% described themselves as Christian, 3.2% Muslim and 13.4% had no religion.[39] In the same census, 19.9% were identified as under 15; 21.0% were over 60. The average age of residents was 38½.[38] A total of 24.2% of non-pensioner households were recorded as having no working adults.[40]
[edit] | Tags: Main sights | 2>
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery.
The city's world-class ceramics collection is housed in the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Hanley. Etruria Industrial Museum on the Caldon Canal, and Gladstone Pottery Museum in a former potbank in Longton are dedicated to the city's industrial heritage. Ceramica in Burslem used to be an interactive ceramics museum, but it closed in 2011 due to council funding cuts.
Most of the major pottery companies based in Stoke-on-Trent have factory shops and visitor centres. The £10-million Wedgwood Museum visitor centre opened in the firm's factory in Barlaston in October 2008. The Dudson Centre in Hanley is a museum of the family ceramics business that's partly housed in a Grade II listed bottle kiln. It is also a volunteer centre. Burleigh in Middleport is the world's oldest working Victorian pottery. There are also smaller factory shops, such as Royal Stafford in Burslem, Moorcroft in Cobridge and Emma Bridgewater in Hanley. And there are ambitious plans to open the huge Chatterley Whitfield Colliery as a mining museum, since it has been given Ancient Monument status.
The Elizabethan Ford Green Hall is a 17th Century farmhouse which is now a historic house museum in Smallthorne.
Many local people consider Trentham Gardens to be in Stoke-on-Trent but it is actually in the Borough of Stafford. It is just south of the city and a £100 million refurbishment was completed in 2005. Next door is Trentham Monkey Forest, which houses 140 Barbary Macaques in a 60-acre (240,000 m2) enclosure that visitors can walk through.
The Alton Towers Resort is 10 miles (16 km) east of Stoke-on-Trent and is one of the United Kingdom's best known attractions. The Waterworld indoor swimming complex on Festival Park near Hanley is also a significant children's attraction.
Each of the six towns in Stoke-on-Trent has at least one park. At nine hectares, Burslem Park is one of the largest registered Victorian parks in the UK.[41] Park Hall Country Park in Weston Coyney is a National Nature Reserve, and its sandstone canyons are a Site of Special Scientific Interest.[42] Hartshill Park in Stoke is also a nature reserve, and Bucknall Park is home to the City Farm. Westport Lake in Longport is the largest body of water in Stoke-on-Trent[43] and has a nature reserve.
[edit] | Tags: Economy | 2>
The view from Festival Park, site of the National Garden Festival 1986.
North Staffordshire is a world centre for fine ceramics—a skilled design trade has existed in the area since at least the 12th century. But in the late 1980s and 1990s Stoke-on-Trent was hit hard by the general decline in the British manufacturing sector. Numerous factories, steelworks, collieries, and potteries were closed, including the renowned Shelton Bar steelworks. This resulted in a sharp rise in unemployment in the 'high-skilled but low-paid' workforce. However, by 2004 the unemployment rate had recovered to almost the same as in the wider West Midlands.
The pottery firm Wedgwood and its subsidiary Royal Doulton are based in nearby Barlaston, although much production now takes place in the firm's Indonesian factory. Portmeirion is based in Stoke town, and now owns the Spode and Royal Worcester ceramics brands. Ceramics firm Emma Bridgewater is based in Hanley; Burleigh Pottery is in Middleport; Wade Ceramics is in Etruria; Moorcroft and Royal Stafford are based in Burslem; Aynsley China is in Longton, and is one of the last remaining manufacturers of bone china in the city. Fine china manufacturer Dudson have premises in Hanley and Burslem. Churchill China have their main factory in Tunstall, while hotelware manufacturer Steelite is based in Middleport.
About 9,000 firms are based in the city. Amongst the more notable are bet365,[44] founded by local businessman and Stoke City chairman Peter Coates;[45] and Phones4U, a large retailer of mobile phones started by John Caudwell.[46]
The Michelin tyre company has a complex in the city which houses its commercial head office, training centre and a truck tyre re-treading facility. Sainsbury's supermarket and The Co-operative Pharmacy have large warehouses in the city. Vodafone has a large call centre on Festival Park and the UK subsidisary of the lubricant manufacturer Fuchs Petrolub has its head office at its factory in Hanley. There is a steel foundry owned by Goodwin Steel Castings Ltd in Joiner's Square. Premier Foods make Mr Kipling slices and Cherry Bakewells in Trent Vale. The Co-operative Travel had its head office in Burslem, before it merged with Thomas Cook in 2010.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council is the city's largest single employer.[47] Another major employer is the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, with over 7,000 staff.[48]
KPMG's Competitive Alternatives 2004 report declared Stoke-on-Trent to be the most cost-effective place to set up a new UK business.[49] The city currently has the advantage of offering affordable business property, while being surrounded by a belt of affluent areas such as The Peak District, Stone, south Cheshire, and having excellent road links via the A500 and nearby M6 and rail links.
Terraced housing is a common feature in the city.
Tourism to the city was kick-started by the National Garden Festival in 1986, and is now sustained by the many pottery factory-shops and tours, and by the improved canal network.
Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent City Centre.
The main shopping centre is the Potteries Shopping Centre in Hanley, which has 561,000 sq ft (52,100 m2) of retail space with 87 units including a Debenhams anchor store, (formerly Lewis's) and major stores for Next, New Look, Monsoon, Gap, HMV, Game, River Island, H. Samuel, La Senza, Disney Store and Primark. Marks & Spencer, BHS and T.K. Maxx have stores in Hanley. A new shopping centre on the site of Hanley's current bus station is due to open in 2015.[50] The other five towns of the city all have their own smaller town centres. Festival Park is a large retail and business park in Etruria, built on the former Garden Festival site. There are also retail parks in Tunstall, Fenton and Longton. A new retail park is being built in Longton.[51]
Other notable business people from the city include Reginald H. Jones (Chairman of General Electric), venture capitalist Jon Moulton, and John Madejski (chairman of Reading F.C. and former owner of Auto Trader).[52]
Night-time industry has boomed in recent years, with Hanley becoming increasingly popular for its nightclubs, theatres, pubs, bars and restaurants.
[edit] | Tags: Government | 2>
The city is covered by three House of Commons constituencies: Stoke-on-Trent North, Stoke-on-Trent Central and Stoke-on-Trent South.[53] All three have returned Labour MPs without interruption since their creation in 1950. The city is within the West Midlands European Parliament constituency.
[edit] | Tags: Mayoral system | 3>
The city was only one of twelve English districts with elected mayors to use the mayor and council manager system rather than the mayor and cabinet system,[54] although it was removed following a local referendum on 23 October 2008.
A local referendum approved a directly elected mayor system on 3 May 2002 by 28,601 votes to 20,578 (turnout of 27.8%).[55]
Mike Wolfe, an independent candidate, became the first directly elected mayor after an election on 17 October 2002, narrowly beating Labour Party candidate George Stevenson by just 300 votes.[56] The elected Mayor from 5 May 2005 to 5 June 2009 was Mark Meredith (Labour Party).[57] The 2005 election was notable because about 10% of the ballot papers were either spoiled or ineligible.[58] Meredith's election platform included a pledge to have another referendum on the post of elected mayor.[59] This was scheduled for May 2007 and passed in favour of retaining the current political system.
On 23 October 2008, voters returned to the polls to choose between modifying the system (to Mayor and Cabinet) or abolishing the position of elected Mayor. Votes were 21,231 for abolition and 14,592 for modification on a turnout of 19.23%.[60]
[edit] | Tags: Leader and Cabinet system | 3>
Following a city-wide referendum abolishing the position of elected mayor, a Leader and Cabinet system was adopted on 5 June 2009. The Leader of the Council is elected by councillors. Each cabinet member makes the decisions on their portfolio area and explains the decisions at the monthly cabinet meetings.[61]
The current Leader of the Council is Cllr Mohammed Pervez who is also leader of the City's Labour Group, the majority group on the council.
[edit] | Tags: Lord Mayor | 3>
The position of Lord Mayor is largely ceremonial. The title of Lord Mayor was first conferred on the City of Stoke-on-Trent by King George V on 10 July 1928. The role of Lord Mayor is decided upon by a vote amongst the elected councillors; the candidates are also selected from the councillors. The current Lord Mayor is Councillor Terry Follows.[dated info][62]
[edit] | Tags: Council | 3>
In May 2011 the electoral map of the city changed. From a council of 60 members representing 20 wards with three councillors each, the size of the council was reduced to 44 councillors representing 37 wards (31 single member wards, five two-member wards and one three-member ward).[63] The change followed a 2008 report by the Stoke-on-Trent Governance Commission to the Secretary of State for Local Government that was highly crtitical of the political system then in use in the city.[64][65]
The political composition of Stoke-on-Trent city council as of 2011 is as follows:
Party
Councillors[63]
Labour
34
Independent
7
Conservative
2
Unaffiliated
1
[edit] | Tags: Public services | 2>
The city's acute hospital is the University Hospital of North Staffordshire. It comprises two sites: the Royal Infirmary and the City General. The hospital is being re-built on the City General site which is located on London Road, the A34.
The city's primary care trust, NHS Stoke-on-Trent, manages Haywood Hospital in Burslem (which prodives intermediate care), and Longton Cottage Hospital (which provides inpatient and outpatient clinics). North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare is the trust providing mental health services locally, based at Harplands Hospital in Penkhull and Bucknall Hospital.
Policing in Stoke-on-Trent is provided by Staffordshire Police, which has police stations in Hanley, Bucknall, Burslem, Longton, Stoke and Tunstall. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court and County Court share a building in Hanley. There is a Magistrates' Court in Fenton.
Statutory emergency fire and rescue service is provided by the Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, which has fire stations in Hanley, Longton, Burslem and Sandyford.
Severn Trent manages Stoke-on-Trent's drinking and waste water.
The city's main library is the City Central Library in Hanley, which is also home to the city's archives. The city council operates eight smaller libraries throughout the city. The council also operates sixteen children's centres, nine local service centres and five “one stop shops” for council services.
[edit] | Tags: Religion | 2>
Hugh Bourne, founder of Primitive Methodism
Stoke-on-Trent does not have a cathedral, but the city's main civic church is Stoke Minster.
Primitive Methodism was founded by Hugh Bourne, a native of Stoke-on-Trent, at a public gathering in the nearby village of Mow Cop. He originally followed the Wesleyan form of Methodism but in 1801 he reformed the Methodist service by conducting it outside. He founded the first chapel in Tunstall with his brother in 1811.[66] He promoted Sunday schools as a method of improving children's education, advocated the equal treatment of women and men, and was involved in the temperance movement. It was from the Primitive Methodists that many early trade unions found their early leaders.[67] Also of note is John Lightfoot, a 17th century churchman and rabbinical scholar.
The city's first purpose-built mosque is due to be completed in 2012.[68] The city's only synagogue closed in 2006, and was replaced with a smaller one in nearby Newcastle-under-Lyme.[69]
[edit] | Tags: Major roads | 3>
A50 close to Longton.
Stoke-on-Trent is linked to the nearby M6 motorway at junctions 15 and 16 by the A500. Locally the A500 is known as the D road,[70] as its loop between the two motorway junctions, along with the straight section of the M6 between the junctions, resembles the shape of a capital letter D. Additionally, the number 500 expressed in Roman numerals is D. The A50 cuts through the city, providing an east-west link between the M6 and M1 motorways. Improvements to the road network have led to the construction of product distribution centres in the area.[71]
[edit] | Tags: Rail | 3>
Stoke-on-Trent railway station, built 1848.
Stoke-on-Trent railway station is a mainline station on the Stafford-Manchester Line (part of the West Coast Main Line between Manchester and London) and the Crewe-Derby Line. Virgin Pendolino train 390029 is named after Stoke-on-Trent. Other railway stations in the city include Longport and Longton. Etruria station was closed in September 2005.
[edit] | Tags: Bus | 3>
Local public transportation is provided almost exclusively by bus. Bus services are mainly operated by Potteries Motor Traction, now owned by FirstGroup under the name First Potteries. There are also several smaller companies operating bus services in the city. There are central bus stations in Hanley and Longton. National Express operate long distance coach services from Hanley Bus Station. As part of the city's regeneration, a new bus station is being built in Hanley, allowing the current one to be demolished, making room for further redevelopment. In 2011, new low cost coach operator Gorilla Bus started serving Hanley, giving new direct services to Liverpool, Manchester Airport, Knutsford and East Midlands Airport.[72]
[edit] | Tags: Canals | 3>
Canal on New Leek Road.
The city is served by the Trent and Mersey Canal, which sees traffic of some 10,000 boats a year. Additionally, the Caldon Canal branches off from the Trent and Mersey Canal at Etruria, within the city boundaries, going to Froghall with one branch going to Leek. Numerous improvements to the canal system have recently been made.[timeframe?]
[edit] | Tags: Cycling | 3>
As of November 2009 there are 77 miles (124 km) of new National Cycle Network off-road bicycle paths through the city,[citation needed] connecting to the national long-distance paths which were completed in 2005. Together with those in Newcastle-under-Lyme, there are now over 100 miles (160 km) of cycle paths in the urban conurbation.[citation needed] A further £10-million of funding has now been secured for the city's cycling network, to be spent in 2009–2011 through Cycling England's support for Stoke as a Cycling City.[73]
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Staffordshire University Stoke campus.
There are four higher education institutions in the local area, the two further education colleges being City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College and Stoke-on-Trent College. Formerly of Fenton, now located in a newly built structure on Leek Road, the Sixth Form college provides A-level teaching for around 1,800 students. Stoke-on-Trent College is much larger and less specialised, offering apprenticeships and adult education, and has a main campus (Cauldon Campus) in Shelton, and a secondary campus in Burslem.
The city is also home to Staffordshire University (formerly North Staffordshire Polytechnic), with its main site in Shelton, near Stoke-on-Trent railway station. It gained its university status in 1992 as one of the post-1992 universities. Keele University School of Medicine uses facilities at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire in Hartshill. Keele University itself was founded as the University College of North Staffordshire in 1949 with major involvement by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, and is located in the nearby village of Keele.
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See also: List of schools in Stoke-on-Trent
The city currently has fourteen secondary schools: Birches Head High, the Discovery Academy (with sites in Penkhull and Longton), Haywood High, Holden Lane High, Ormiston Horizon Academy, Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy, Sandon High, St Peter's Academy (with sites in Penkhull and Bucknall), St. Joseph's College, St. Margaret Ward Catholic College, St. Thomas More Catholic College, the Co-operative Academy, Thistley Hough High and Trentham High.
A major re-structure of Stoke-on-Trent's high school system was proposed in 2007.[74] As part of these plans several established secondary schools closed or merged including Longton High School (closed 2010),[75] Mitchell High and Edensor High (merged to form The Discovery Academy),[76] St. Peter's CE High School and Berry Hill High (merged to form St Peter's Academy).[77]
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One of the legacies of the pottery industry was Stoke's own version of the Wakes week. Although better known in industrial Lancashire, the Stoke week is known locally as the Potters' Holidays[78] or Potters' Fortnight and occurred the last week in June, the first week in July and another week in August. This gave what appeared to be strange school holidays—with the summer term having a two-week break at the end of June, then children returning to school for three weeks before taking a five-week summer holiday. This observance has disappeared from the local schools, due to decreased emphasis on traditional industries.
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Stoke City's Britannia Stadium, opened in 1997, has a 28,384 capacity.[79]
Stoke-on-Trent is home to two professional Football League teams, and is one of the smaller cities in England that boasts two league clubs. The club bearing the area's name is Stoke City, who were formed in 1863 and are the second-oldest professional football club in England. They currently play at the Britannia Stadium in Trentham, which has been their home since 1997 when they relocated from the Victoria Ground in Stoke after 119 years. They were among the twelve founding members of the Football League in 1888, but did not win their first (and, to date, only) major trophy until 1972, when they lifted the Football League Cup. In 1985, they were relegated from the First Division and began a 23-year exile from the top flight of English football which did not end until they won promotion in 2008, by which time the First Division had become the Premier League. Stoke City reached the final of the F.A. Cup for the first time in 2011 but were defeated by Manchester City. Arguably the club's most famous player of all time was Stanley Matthews, who is perhaps the best known sportsperson from the city. He played football for Stoke City and Blackpool where he played in what became known as the Matthews Final. He also managed Port Vale from 1965 to 1968. He was the first active footballer to receive a Knighthood. The "wizard of dribble", as he became known, made 54 appearances for his country, scoring 11 times. There are two statues of Matthews in the city: one in Hanley, and one at the Britannia Stadium.
Vale Park, home of Port Vale. Completed in 1950, at the time of its construction it was nicknamed 'The Wembley of the North'.[80]
The city's other professional football club are Port Vale, who were formed in 1876 and play at Vale Park in the Burslem area. Previous stadiums include the Athletic Ground in Cobridge (1886–1913), and The Old Recreation Ground in Hanley (1913–1950). They joined the Football League in 1892 but were forced to resign in 1907 due to financial problems, only to return in 1919. Their highest league position came in 1931 when they finished fifth in the Football League Second Division. Unlike Stoke City, their local rivals in the Potteries derby, they have never played top division football. They currently play in League Two (fourth tier). Individuals of note include John Rudge (who managed the club for 16 years from 1983–1999), and Roy Sproson (who made a record 837 appearances for the club from 1950 until 1972, and was later their manager).
In the past there existed Dresden United, a club which was disestablished before the city was federated; amateur clubs Meir KA and Eastwood Hanley operated between 1972–2010, and 1946–1997 respectively. Smallthorne based Norton United still compete in the North West Counties Football League, as do Hanley Town in the Staffordshire County Senior League.
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The city speedway team are the Stoke Potters. Speedway was staged at the Greyhound Stadium in Sun Street, Hanley intermittently between 1929 and 1939. In 1947 the Potters were part of the post war boom rising from Division Three of the National League to Division Two before closing in the early-1950s. The Potters were revived in 1960 and they raced in the Provincial League until the end of 1963 when the stadium was closed and the site redeveloped. Speedway was revived at Loomer Road in Newcastle-under-Lyme, initially as Chesterton, before it reverted to the Stoke name. For many years the Potters raced in the Premier League, the sports second division but as of November 2010 have dropped a division and in 2011 will race in the National League.
The ski race team based at the artificial ski slope in Festival Park compete in national Snowsport | Tags: The Potteries,The City Of Five Towns,Websites related to: Coal Mining Uk Coal Mining Uk |