This is the only account of the building of a new public swimming baths in the town of Stoke. It fully describes all the difficulties of first finding the right site, the additional funding and the huge several events that were imployed to finishing off the baths to add to the donation of £500 made by Mr. Herbert Minton the head of the factory in London Road Stoke.
On its UK tour in 1904, Barnum and Baily circus visited Stoke-on-Trent and located the show at Boothen Meadows, just where the Michelin Type Co. was built.
The story taken directly from parts of the press reports of the day describes its opening parade from Stoke Railway Station to the site and in particular one large elephant becoming uncontrollable. So, it was decided that this elephant had to be destroyed for safety reasons. This article covers all aspects of this, and importantly what happened to the elephant following its death.
This is a reflection of my early life of a child at Boothen Infants School followed by its continuation at Boothen All Saints Junior school until the age of eleven. It covers many areas of my early education and the important role of the teachers in shaping me and the other children to value and appreciate the world that we were born into.
If anyone reading this can remember the film Annie Get Your Gun, then you are in for a treat as you read all about the visit of Buffalo Bills Wild West Show with three circus rings, hundreds of indians visiting Boothen to see this incredible show and a chance of a life time to see this increible part of live witness.
The story explains how many purpose-built trains carried not only performers, including Annie,but all the horses and the props to the hamlet of Boothen. I great read of a grest piece of history never to be witnessed again. Including protographs
This is a ‘First’ in the theatres history, the subject has never previously been approached despite having the important role of producing a local audience that would support a theatre in the town of Stoke. Planning permission was difficult as it was built of wood but in the end the council agreed to its building as it was meant as a trial theatre to support the building of a grand permanent theatre which it did. A great read with full details of the building but sadly there is no image available.
Little if anything has ever been written about a small, corrugated steel-built cinema that stood facing the A34 at Trentvale opposite to the entrance of London Road called the KOZY and created an interest and determination to find out about as much as possible as Richard lived only a matter of yards away for a few years.it was opened on 14th September 1922, at a time following the end of WW1 when the Trent Vale district was starting to develop with more social housing and estates both at Trent Vale and nearby Hanford.
This account covers most of the ups and downs of a small local cinema and how it evolved as part of the community. Between films the scree would be moved for short live shows, magicians, dancers, ventriloquists and more to attract more bums on seats.
It became a second home to many mostly within walking distance and on a number of occasions the building was hires out for special occasions such as lectures or specific films for certain groups. A good read for those keen to learn more about provincial cinemas of the early 20th century.
Once the Hanley Borough Council had taken over the firmer Queens Hotel in Hanley in 1886 from the brink of bankrupsy, thoughts turned to the need for large assembly hall. Usually, town councils frequently put out work of this magnitude to external consultants but in this case the brief was given to the borough engineer and surveyor, Mr Joseph Lobley. The site was to the rear of the town hall, situated on the former bowling green to the Queens Hotel. The new Assembly Hall had to be of a standard to compliment the new town hall and the reputation of Hanley, the most important and prestigious town in the Potteries.
The main feature of this concert hall has always been its outstanding acoustics, valued by world renowned artists. The main objective of Dr Talbot’s was to research the basic planning issues from the start. This meant a visit to the National Archives at Kew where discovered was the full details with drawings of how and why the Victoria Hall was designed and the impeccable dedication in getting it right by the architect, not a specialist but by the Hanley Borough’s own architect. The original name was to be The Assembly Room, but this was changed as it opened in the year of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. One other fact was that Elton John appeared there and performed to an audience totally overcome by his outlandish performance. Want to know more – well order your own copy with photographs.
By the early 19th century, this annual event had become a festive period in so much as the “Wakes” fairgrounds, amusements, side-shows etc’ to which came thousands over the week August holiday. Many press reports exist which all describe in great detail as workers, for those occasion appeared clean and smart wearing their Sunday best, and for the women – well they turned out frequently in new dresses, many home made for the occasion.
So, if you want to learn and without doubt settle down to read this fascinating true story of potteries folk having a ‘good old-fashioned knees-up, this is an article not to miss. A good study of the social history of Stoke-on-Trent.
That’s entertainment is not a history of the building, it’s a complete package of several disciplines’ which will attract local inhabitants, students of theatre history and development, social history of the period and how this addressed itself in theatre attendance. Not only that, but Dr. Talbot also expands his work by using examples within the limits of theatre development at the time. For most shows they consisted of several short plays followed by community singing. Many stars of the day also appeared at the theatre in a wide range of acts from opera to recitations but also included a two nights performance of Paganini, the international violinist in 1833.
The study of the early theatres captures the moment by illustrating the type of acts which trod the boards in its early years, then, gradually, to the demands of society moved forward towards music and even promenade concerts and the involvement of local musicians and minstrels even attracting the Sutherlands from Trentham as Patrons. It is also a fine example how the class-society of Newcastle, a weathy professional town operated and how servants were treated.
This study illustrates the challenges of competition and how that was tied into the social fabric of the town, followed by improvements in transport from the mid-1900s. In fact, it is a complete social history combining theatre, localities, social habits, and class distinction which was an integral part of society for most of the theatres existence.
A5 size 76 pages and loads of photographs includes the price of UK postage
Barnum and Bailey ‘s Greatest Show on Earth came to Stoke in 1898 and sadly the leading elephant had to be executed – by strangulation!
Sounds a strange title but it is a fact that the only method agreed by the USA with regards to the execution of elephants was by this method. The most interesting thig is what actually happened to it once the elephant was dead. A great and interesting read.
Buffalo Bills Wils West visited twice to Stoke on Trent. Potteries folk came in their thousnds to see one of the worlds most amazing events of the time, ever to be witnessed in a poor, hardworking towns like Stoke untill Buffalo Bills Wild West Extravaganza arrived at the County Cricket Ground, Shelton in August 1891 for six days. It travelled the city in its pre-show exhibition with all the razzermataz expected and probably attracted tens of thousands over its six day run. For those who have seen the film Annie Get Your Gun the title roll of Annie Oakley was to to be seen in action at the old County Cricket Ground. And yet it’s from this background and just the name of Col. Bill Cody that brought thousands from the far-flung corners of North Staffordshire to the first event in the Potteries. When the Deadwood coach was finally brought into the arena, first there was uproar from the crowd as the story of this part of the performance had been circulated previously. The coach was drawn by four mules, and a feature in the afternoon’s entertainment was an attack upon it by Indians, and in the rescue by no less than Buffalo Bill.
In addition, which enriching the potteries folk there was a buffalo hunt, a representation of the attack on a settled cabin by Indians, and Indian settlement and illustration of the old post express being attacked. The last suing and riding of the bucking horses by the Cowboys was an exciting scene which the applause of which could have shaken the very foundations of the cricket ground. Here Buffalo Bill took part and showed himself as an expert in shooting. The skill and pluck of the Cowboys was truly surprising. Altogether the entertainment was most satisfactory. In the evening there was another big gathering, of Indians around a campfire bringing the day to a triumphant end enriching people of the Potteries and raising their inner-being as never before.
The Empire situated in Longton has for many decades been just a memory, destroyed by fire whilst up for sale. One of the most interesting items to come my way was an unpublished work by the late Rev. V.G. Aston who, during his curacy at a nearby parish became the local Actor’s Church Union Chaplain.
On one such occasion visiting the theatre he decided to catch the main attraction which was when wrestling challenges were offered to anyone in the audience live on stage, with a financial reward of £5 if they wone the fight – which in those days was an established form of entertainment, similar to what frequently happened at fairgrounds. The events turned out to be an audience punch-up – a great read in early music hall entertainment.
In the early 1950s children’s cinema matinees had become the norm and for the town of Stoke it was the ABC (Associated British Cinemas). Over a thousand children packed into the ‘ABC Minors Club’ at the old Majestic Cinema in Campbell Place, where children would hand over their precious six pence for a seat in the stalls and for the better-off nine pence for the circle. In the 1950’s these Saturday matinees became popular throughout the UK.
This article is a personal reflection of the author on the Saturday morning matinee at the Majestic cinema in Stoke. Quite a few surprises, even a letter from the once cinema manager who was called Aunty May who I traced living in Devon since retirement.
Memories kept flooding back regarding so many activities held, fancy dress, Christmas party, on state for a free ticket to celebrate the birthday children and much more. So, if interested in what the 1950s children got up to in those days, a great read and an eye opener.
At the height of cinema growth in 1914, and with luck the area in Campbell Place had been cleared from the old pottery pot-bank and vacant for commercial development. And so, the thought of a brand-new purpose luxury cinema in the middle of Stoke town became a reality and opened on Monday 13th April 1914.
The new Majestic in the town of Stoke was one of the most popular of the four cinemas in the town. Designed with the best architecture and facilities of the time, even had its own orchestra not just a solo piano as most picture houses to accompany silent movies. It also boosted ‘upturn seats’ and the best ventilation system available (remember people smoked a lot in those days)
As such it was a success from the day of opening, the staff all in uniforms and a welcoming steward at the door. In fact, they all formed a kind of a second family if you were to attend twice a week as films changed on a Monday and Thursday. This article of two pages will no doubt bring back many memories of early cinema days. Contains four pahes of information on the advancement of cinema history with first talkies then in the mid-1950s the re-opening of the Majestic by the Lady Mayoress and many civic dignatories of CinemaScope in June 1955 which was sadly closed only a few years later as a result of many former patrons turing to television.
This is an accout phenomenal success, Rock around the Clock, released in 1954 and show first in the Potteries at the Gaumont Cinema in Hanley. To packed houses, dancing is the isles, it was like a musical revolution never seen since the 1920s. Bill Haley and the Comets recorded Rock around the Clock and created nothing less than a cultural revolution in the USA and Europe. This film and its music will go down in history as the one song that gave total freedom to the art of dancing.
Executions used to be held in public, normally outside the goal gates and here hundreds of people from many parts of Staffordshire would arrive in Stafford to watch such an event and determined to get a good view. Why, perhaps psychologists can explain why you would wish to watch the last breaths taken by a fellow human being creates so much pleasure.
I guess that reading such an article regarding three executions one following the other remains a fascination to people like it did in times past. This one from 1834 refers to a good-looking lad of sixteen, Charles Shaw who was charged with the wilful murder of John Oldcroft, aged 16. For a lad of that age to have committed such a murder for the price of one shilling firstly illustrates the circumstances of poverty which his family lived. The other executions are recorded in full in the article available.
But who knows of his home life, for at 16 he may have been the breadwinner if his mother was a widow and he is perhaps the only one capable of earning anything at all just to survive and not being admitted to the workhouse. All three present a truly sad picture of the early years of the 19th century.
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