Longton, Staffordshire

George Edward Ramsden, coopers and crate-makers

I have been told that my grandfather and great-grandfather had a business at Longton as coopers and crate-makers for the potteries. This business ceased I believe in the 1950s but would have been running from the late 1800s to that date.
I cannot find any details of this business and have only been told that it was run from Longton.
Any... [more]

High Street Longton in the '40s and '50s

Barbara Johnson's memories brought back some of my own from the High Street days. Those rows of shops Barbara describes provided all the locals with everything they needed. I remember going over the road from the off-licence we ran for a meat and potato pie from 'aunt' Sarah's, going for haircuts at Billy Goodwin's barbers (right up till the middle '50s),... [more]

My early years in Longton - 1870s to 1940s

I was born in Longton in 1933 at 151 High Street Post Office, Longton.
All my childhood was spent there with my grandmother Sarah Wright and my great aunt Matilda Ward (my grandmother's sister). Between them they ran the Post Office until the middle years of the Second World War.
Before it was a Post Office, my great grandfather William... [more]

BELCHER'S

Running parallel at the back of this church [St James] runs High street, where I was born as generations of my family were.

The two pot banks on the right represent a fraction of the "Belcher's"
that existed in Longton in the 30s/4os, they dominated everyone who lived amongst them with their endless stream of black smoke belching six... [more]

Uttoxeter Living Memories

Gazing up the street past Wilks Teenage Fashions (left) with the Elkes Cafe above, we can see Barclays Bank. This was built in 1921 on the site of Huggins & Chambers, an ironmonger's. The ironmonger's sold Witchem's firelighters among other products - these must have contributed to the conflagration when the building was burned to the ground in 1920.

Uttoxeter Living Memories

The Old Talbot was built in 1527, and is reputed to be the oldest building in Uttoxeter. It survived two fires which badly damaged the town in 1596 and 1672. The coat of arms on the inn sign depicts its name: a talbot, or hound, was the crest of the Talbots, Earls of Shrewsbury. Recent renovations have revealed more of the timber- framed structure.

Uttoxeter Living Memories

In 1642 Charles I was confronted on the approach to the bridge by a contingent of Staffordshire residents asking him to come to terms with Parliament. He ignored their pleas. The new A50 bypass has meant that the bridge is now an attractive stop on the Staffordshire Way.