Five free things to do in Stoke - on - Trent
Evening readers,
Hope you’re all very well. As I sit here drinking my chamomile tea with honey (yeah, stop laughing I’m not your gran) I want to write and you know, I’m sick of writing about health. There is so much more to life even if it is good to raise awareness. I feel happy at the bit I’ve done.
As my home city is Stoke-on -Trent (despite living in a small town on the Staffordshire border for all those technical voices out there) I thought it may be nice to do a post highlighting the free attractions on offer for us stokies. For one, because as a person that’s seen most mates grow up and leave Stoke, seeing it as the city as a spring board for other cities close by such as Birmingham, Manchester or Liverpool, I feel I owe it to the city that spawned me. I also think it’ll be eye opening for me too (or hopefully).
So without further ado, in the words of a famous playwright that had nothing to do with Stoke, here’s my top favourite five in no particular order at all.
1) Potteries Museum and art gallery
Now, hold up. Before you click off the page as this article has already surpassed your limited expectations, hear me out. You may think of bad school trips and the smell of vomit from the kid that’s just thrown up on you just past Newcastle when you think of this place, but rethink. Now permanently holding some of the artefacts of the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver precious metals ever found and having erected a bronze statue of the famous writer of “Anna of the five towns” - there is in fact so many amazing people to come from this area of the Midlands that I think I’ll need to do a separate post at some point. Including Captain Smith of the Titanic who was born in Hanley and Vera Brittain from Newcastle Under Lyme who was one of very few women to attend Oxford University in 1918 and write bestselling 1933 memoir “Testament of youth”.
2) Longton Park
Stoke-on-Trent is a city famed for being “polycentric” this means that it’s made up of six towns: Hanley, Tunstall, Burslem, Fenton, Stoke and of course Longton. Whilst the Victorian era left us with grand parks complete with benches and bowling greens to enable the near-by inhabitants to breathe air believed to stop the spread of illness, these are now few and far between. Alongside Hanley and Tunstall parks, Longton Park is probably my favourite park even competing with Hyde in London and Greenwich’s beautiful park as my favourite. This may have something to do with the nostalgia of going to the park as a childhood treat; with its zip wire and pretty Victorian bandstand, but it is so pretty. Posts still stand from a time when the railway carriages ran right through it and a large pond boasts wildlife of all sorts. This park is definitely worth a visit.
3) Middleport Pottery
As Stoke-on-Trent was once the powerhouse area of the pottery industry it’s so important to remember its place amongst the leading pottery companies of the day. Company’s such as Spode and Wedgwood which both still proudly call this city their home. To get a taste of what runs through our bones (China), head to Middleport Pottery - the home of world famous Burleigh ware. As it is still a fully working pottery it is also partly a museum and enables guests to see work produced in real time at a small price, it is free to wonder down the cobbles and watch where potters have worked for over a hundred years and to enter the factory shop. Many events also take place here such as the tour of the London ceramic poppies’ entitled “weeping window” last month, or the music or theatre nights they hold. This ranges from jazz nights or the Dicken’s Christmas play, “A Christmas Carol” coming to the site in time for Christmas.
4) Canal walks
Whilst you may be able to find canals dotted about the country, there’s nothing quite like the canals of Stoke-on-Trent, that sits (the clue is in the name) on the River Trent. Back in the day transport of pottery all relied on these canal links and it is what Josiah Wedgwood recognised when he set up his buisness in Barlaston. Walk along the paths that see the back of famed “Joules brewery” and walk long enough and end up at a pub yourself, seeing many friendly canines on the way - what’s not to love?
5) The Sugarmill
Now I feel this one might only be relevant to a certain age group - or maybe not; you do you - And is technically free if you get in early enough and mooch very awkwardly until it hits 12. I just had to include this holy grail for Stoke students. Stoke-on-Trent’s nationally acclaimed night club and music venue has had some very big bands play in its walls since it’s opening in 1994.
Coldplay, The 1975, Catfish and The Bottlemen, Stereophonics, Daft Punk And Maximo Park have all graced Stoke’s sticky-floored legacy.
For all the moaning, you’re alright Stoke.
Molly
Hope you’re all very well. As I sit here drinking my chamomile tea with honey (yeah, stop laughing I’m not your gran) I want to write and you know, I’m sick of writing about health. There is so much more to life even if it is good to raise awareness. I feel happy at the bit I’ve done.
As my home city is Stoke-on -Trent (despite living in a small town on the Staffordshire border for all those technical voices out there) I thought it may be nice to do a post highlighting the free attractions on offer for us stokies. For one, because as a person that’s seen most mates grow up and leave Stoke, seeing it as the city as a spring board for other cities close by such as Birmingham, Manchester or Liverpool, I feel I owe it to the city that spawned me. I also think it’ll be eye opening for me too (or hopefully).
So without further ado, in the words of a famous playwright that had nothing to do with Stoke, here’s my top favourite five in no particular order at all.
1) Potteries Museum and art gallery
Now, hold up. Before you click off the page as this article has already surpassed your limited expectations, hear me out. You may think of bad school trips and the smell of vomit from the kid that’s just thrown up on you just past Newcastle when you think of this place, but rethink. Now permanently holding some of the artefacts of the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver precious metals ever found and having erected a bronze statue of the famous writer of “Anna of the five towns” - there is in fact so many amazing people to come from this area of the Midlands that I think I’ll need to do a separate post at some point. Including Captain Smith of the Titanic who was born in Hanley and Vera Brittain from Newcastle Under Lyme who was one of very few women to attend Oxford University in 1918 and write bestselling 1933 memoir “Testament of youth”.
2) Longton Park
Stoke-on-Trent is a city famed for being “polycentric” this means that it’s made up of six towns: Hanley, Tunstall, Burslem, Fenton, Stoke and of course Longton. Whilst the Victorian era left us with grand parks complete with benches and bowling greens to enable the near-by inhabitants to breathe air believed to stop the spread of illness, these are now few and far between. Alongside Hanley and Tunstall parks, Longton Park is probably my favourite park even competing with Hyde in London and Greenwich’s beautiful park as my favourite. This may have something to do with the nostalgia of going to the park as a childhood treat; with its zip wire and pretty Victorian bandstand, but it is so pretty. Posts still stand from a time when the railway carriages ran right through it and a large pond boasts wildlife of all sorts. This park is definitely worth a visit.
3) Middleport Pottery
As Stoke-on-Trent was once the powerhouse area of the pottery industry it’s so important to remember its place amongst the leading pottery companies of the day. Company’s such as Spode and Wedgwood which both still proudly call this city their home. To get a taste of what runs through our bones (China), head to Middleport Pottery - the home of world famous Burleigh ware. As it is still a fully working pottery it is also partly a museum and enables guests to see work produced in real time at a small price, it is free to wonder down the cobbles and watch where potters have worked for over a hundred years and to enter the factory shop. Many events also take place here such as the tour of the London ceramic poppies’ entitled “weeping window” last month, or the music or theatre nights they hold. This ranges from jazz nights or the Dicken’s Christmas play, “A Christmas Carol” coming to the site in time for Christmas.
4) Canal walks
Whilst you may be able to find canals dotted about the country, there’s nothing quite like the canals of Stoke-on-Trent, that sits (the clue is in the name) on the River Trent. Back in the day transport of pottery all relied on these canal links and it is what Josiah Wedgwood recognised when he set up his buisness in Barlaston. Walk along the paths that see the back of famed “Joules brewery” and walk long enough and end up at a pub yourself, seeing many friendly canines on the way - what’s not to love?
5) The Sugarmill
Now I feel this one might only be relevant to a certain age group - or maybe not; you do you - And is technically free if you get in early enough and mooch very awkwardly until it hits 12. I just had to include this holy grail for Stoke students. Stoke-on-Trent’s nationally acclaimed night club and music venue has had some very big bands play in its walls since it’s opening in 1994.
Coldplay, The 1975, Catfish and The Bottlemen, Stereophonics, Daft Punk And Maximo Park have all graced Stoke’s sticky-floored legacy.
For all the moaning, you’re alright Stoke.
Molly
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