IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Spark Street, STOKE-ON-TRENT, ST4 1NZ

This single storey market building (built 1900) contains several small shops and also acts as a frontage to an open air market. Over the main entrance to the market is a relief panel referring the produce of the market, the central image is a bull's head, this is surrounded by game birds, fish, fruit and other produce. On either wing of the building is a relief panel of the same coat of arms, a quartered shield with several charges. The building frontage has several slim pilasters which act as divisions between shop fronts. These are topped with ceramic capitals depicting a Green Man-type face amongst foliage.

Church Street (London Road goes off to the right) -the rise in the road can be clearly seen - the canal tunnel runs under here. The light blue building on the left is the Wheatsheaf public house (an old coaching inn). See the start of the Newcastle to Stoke canal: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/344886

Cast iron post by the B5041, in parish of STOKE ON TRENT (STOKE ON TRENT District), London Road, Stoke on Trent, in paving in front of domestic hedge, on West side of road. Cobridge iron casting, erected by the Darlaston turnpike trust in the 19th century. Inscription reads:- STONE 8 MILES Maker:- S.N. Cobridge Grade II listed. List Entry Number: 1297962 https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1297962 Milestone Society National ID: ST_SNSK08.

Talbot Hotel is at the bottom of Trade Street, Church Street runs along the frontage. "A popular working-class activity, especially during the Wakes, was the game of 'prison bars'. It was played between two adult teams of eleven by the music of a flute or tin whistle and drum. The game entailed venturing from a den, and capturing opponents who would be taken into a 'prison' and held there until rescued by one of their team mates. It was not for the faint-hearted, and injuries were commonplace. It was played on fete days on the field - known as Prison Bar Meadow - attached to Norton Hall Farm, whilst a field behind Wedgwood's Etruria Works had been given in perpetuity to locals and that was christened Prison Bars Field. The Staffordshire Advertiser of August 10th 1850 records that during Stoke Wakes, prison-bar matches took place throughout the week on the race-course at Boothen. The men of Stoke parish beat those from Burslem parish, and all convened afterwards at the Talbot Inn, where the winners received half a sovereign each, and the losers a silk handkerchief each. There were also contests between factory teams from Stoke, Burslem, Hanley and Longton."

On London Road.

Formerly Stoke School of Art (Murray & Pugin c.1853), this handsome building is now the offices of the NHS Stoke on Trent Clinical Commissioning Group.

On London Road.

This building, on South Wolfe Street, is part of the Majestic Cinema, which opened in 1914 and could seat 1,000 on two levels. The front entrance was on Campbell Place. See http://www.thepotteries.org/entertainment/stoke_majestic.htm.

Wetherspoon's, The Wheatsheaf is at the end of the road.

Unveiled: 1st Jan 1887 in Campbell Place, but it was moved in 1954 to a site near the modern factory in London Road Sculptor: Sir Thomas Brock Restored: 2003 By Sainsbury's Plaque Reads:- High Sheriff 1869 Member of Parliament For North Staffordshire 1874 to 1880 Thrice Mayor of Stoke 1880-1883 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Minton_Campbell http://www.thepotteries.org/biographies/campbell_colin_minton.htm