History of Stoke on trent England

Hanley railway station was built by the North Staffordshire Railway as part of the Potteries Loop Line and served the town of Hanley, Staffordshire, England. Remember when Hanley had a train station? The original station opened along with the first section of the Loop in 1864, but when the latter reached Burslem in 1873, a new station was built on a sharp curve (8 chains radius) in a cutting below Trinity Street. The old station remained in use for goods traffic. No trace of the station remains today; the cutting is filled in and is the site of the car park of the former Grand Hotel (Now Quality Hotel).

Here is some Concert History of the Gaumont Theatre on Piccadilly Hanley town Centre 1950 to 1974.

The Longton PMT bus Station and Chancery Grill That was also part of bowling and a nightclub. Here is a look back of when Longton had a bus station that worked and a nightclub this was replaced with a Wilko's and Home Bargains.

Since 1928 the city has used buses as its main mode of transport but the tram line was previously used for 30 years. The trams ran from The Red Lion Hotel to the city centre for 30 years

The Potteries Loop Line was a railway line that ran through the heart of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. It was built by the North Staffordshire Railway off its main line (commonly referred to as the Manchester branch of the West Coast Main Line via Stoke). Hanley railway station was built by the North Staffordshire Railway as part of the Potteries Loop Line and Opened 3 July 1864.When the latter reached Burslem in 1873,a new station was built on a sharp curve in a cutting below Trinity Street. No trace of the station remains today; the site is a car park. Closed to passengers 1 August Construction The line was authorised and constructed as follows: Etruria - Shelton: authorised for construction on 2 July 1847, opening for goods in 1850 and passengers in January 1862. Shelton - Hanley: authorised for construction on 13 August 1859, opening to goods on 20 December 1861 and passengers on 13 July 1864. The entire section to the NSR main line at Kidsgrove was authorised on 5 July 1865 opening as follows: Hanley - Burslem: opened to passengers and goods on 1 November 1873. Burslem - Tunstall: opened to passengers and goods on 1 December 1873. Tunstall - Goldenhill: opened to passengers and goods on 1 October 1874. Goldenhill - Kidsgrove: opened to passengers and goods on 15 November 1875. The route With the towns that the line served being located on hilltops, the geography of the route was renowned for its severe gradients and sharp curves, especially around Tunstall, Burslem and Hanley. Leaving the main line at Etruria Junction, the line turned almost back on itself to proceed eastwards and passed through part of the Shelton Bar complex. Approaching Hanley, another sharp curve took the route northwards once again. A rising gradient led to Cobridge tunnel and then Burslem, before a 1 in 90 climb to Tunstall. After reaching the summit of the line at Newchapel, a 1 in 40 descent led to a cutting near the Birchenwood Coke Works on the approach to Kidsgrove. It then rejoined the main line at Liverpool Road Junction, north of the junction to Crewe.

Potteries Shopping Centre (formerly Intu Potteries) is an indoor shopping centre in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, in the Staffordshire Potteries. The centre houses anchor outlets Primark, Next and Debenhams, as well as a Starbucks coffee shop, a River Island clothing store, H&M clothing store and HMV entertainment store. On site facilities include a Customer Service Desk, information and traffic kiosks, and public toilets.

The Focus Cinema was closed on 16th June 1962 and was was demolished in 1963. Located in Longton, Staffordshire, one of the Potteries towns close to Stoke-on-Trent. The Cinema Theatre was opened on 14th October 1911 by the London Cinematograph Company. It had a 30ft wide proscenium. In 1923 it was renamed Cosy Cinema and in 1927 it had been renamed Longton Cinema. In 1929 it was renamed Criterion Cinema. In 1930 it was equipped with a AWH sound system, which was replaced by 1944 with a British Acoustic(BA) sound system. On 19th December 1950 it was renamed Focus Cinema. By 1953 it had been equipped with a GB-Kalee sound system. It was equipped with CinemaScope on 29th August 1955 when the first film screened in that process was “Vera Cruz” starring Burt Lancaster. The location was replaced by a bank on the site which by 2019 had been converted into four retail units. This video was made so a piece of history is not all lost and there is still a video to look back on. Music In Video EARLY IN THE SIXTIES royalty free Music by Giorgio Di Campo for @FreeSound Music http://freesoundmusic.eu https://www.facebook.com/freemusicfor... https://youtube.com/freesoundmusic original video: https://youtu.be/BKdJi7Z7hzA

Looking back in time it is interesting to note that the City Council referred to the Festival not only as a focus for urban regeneration but also as a mechanism for the rapid assembly and development of land. The Managing Director of the National Garden Festival declared confidently, that as well as reclaiming 180 acres of land from industrial dereliction for the benefit of the local community the longer-term aim was to widen the industrial base of this historic city. A useful way to evaluate the success of the Festival is to consider both the immediate and subsequent returns. It is fair to say that the initial benefits of this showcase event were comparatively small in relation to those held in Liverpool and Glasgow due in no small part to the notorious British weather. Blighted by incessant summer rain 2,184,052 people attended the 179 days of the Festival – fewer than the 3.5 million visitors forecast by the organisers. However, an average daily attendance in excess of 12,200 meant that the Festival was still the third most popular paying visitor attraction in the UK in 1986. In this respect it is fair to say that the Festival went some way towards placing the city on the tourism map and kick-starting the city’s embryonic tourism industry which subsequently benefited the broadly-defined cultural sector, gardens, potteries, canals as well as various heritage-related and contemporary attractions. The legacy of the event clearly outlasted the ephemera of the Festival itself. Although the Department of Environment confirmed the achievement of the council’s ‘rapid assembly’ objective, reporting that in terms of land development the organisers achieved in two years what otherwise would have taken twenty-five, it took a welcome change of heart from the City Council to prove the real turning point in the Festival’s long-term success story. In an attempt to appease the existing city-centre retailers, the 1986 Festival guide explicitly stated that retail development would not be permitted anywhere on the post-event site. However, the mixed use, high visual quality of the residual land attracted potential developers, and arguably the most significant decision was the agreement to develop Festival Park as a joint venture between the Council and St Modwen. The subsequent retail developments coupled with a growing portfolio of leisure attractions significantly enhanced the city’s visitor offer at the time. Although a clear deviation from the original plans, there is no doubt that this was an undoubted success with evidence to suggest that every £1 million of public money spent on the Festival resulted in between £12-£15 million inward investment. Of the five original garden festivals, research suggests that the continuing Festival Park Scheme developments now means the Stoke-on-Trent legacy has proved the most economically successful. Hope you enjoyed this video

The Athletic Ground also known as Cobridge Stadium was a football stadium and greyhound racing stadium, located in Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent. COBRIDGE GREYHOUND STADIUM SUMMARY DATE VENUE OPENED September 1886 for Athletics. Meaning other sports may have taken place prior to the arrival of Greyhound Racing. FIRST MEETING July 19th 1932.-October 1st 1954 Re-opened Officially July 24th 1982 Greyhound Racing only. DISTANCES 251, 484 and 735 metres. Please note that most racing venues distances had become varied throughout the years, the ones given above were at once point set and offers only a guidance to the track size. Football The ground was home to Port Vale for 27 years, hosting twelve Football League seasons. EVIDENCE LEFT TODAY in 2022 none it's now a care home. Hope you enjoyed this video please don't forget to subscribe to my channel it helps me out a lot thanks.

Jollees was a nightclub in Longton in 70's here's a flash back pictures from back in the day now gone but not forgotten.

In 1951 Martins Bank opens a new branch in Longton which later closed in 1970 here's a look back of then and now. It’s 1951, and Martins Bank opens a new branch (which it has been busy equipping and staffing since 1950 at 33 Market Street Longton, adding another office to the Bank’s Staffordshire portfolio, and strengthening the its foothold in the Potteries. The building has had many uses both before and after the arrival of Martins, and by the end of the twentieth century it is home to what is most kindly referred to as “a number of retail outlets”. The future of the British High Street seems permanently in the balance in the Twenty-First Century, with the “pop-up shop” literally here today, gone tomorrow About the Manager on January 30 Mr Dakin retired after twelve years as Manager at Longton and 43 years' service in the Bank. He had begun his career with the Lancashire & York­shire Bank in Bradford and moved to the North Eastern District in 1936. Ten years later, six of them with H.M. Forces, he moved to the Midland District and his appointment came in 1956. At his request there was no formal presentation but forty friends and colleagues joined Mr and Mrs Dakin at the branch, where the District General Manager, Mr Hollway, presented a handsome portable radio and a scroll listing the subscribers. Mrs V. Fox gave Mrs Dakin a bouquet. In his speech of thanks Mr Dakin said he had no firm plans for the future but felt that he and his wife might move at a later date to North Wales. He then invited his guests to a buffet meal. Mr Dakin was entertained to lunch at Head Office by Mr Maxwell, and by Mr Hollway at Midland District Office.

Built in 1963, the ABC cinema in Broad Street, Hanley, became a regular attraction amongst many movie enthusiastic Potters, waiting to catch a glimpse of the latest release, mainly on a weekend. For many, it provided the ideal night out, and for many more, it was a perfect day out to watch a matinee. There had also been a 10-pin bowling alley next door when the cinema opened, which later became a night club and then later a casino, when the bowling craze declined. You could find all the entertainment you needed for the night, right there. On the outside, the building wasn't really captivating or attractive, but, on the inside, it was a different story. The staff was always gracious in the way they made you feel welcome, as they offered the highest standard of service. The usherettes never complained about assisting their visitors to the correct picture room. The service counter and ticket office were there as you walked in. You didn't have to take a second look for assistance. It was right there on hand. Even when it was cold, as well as the heating provided, the atmosphere used to warm you up, in this predominantly red coloured cinema house. Now gone but not forgotten. see my other video's