The Six Towns in the Potteries Documentary Stoke-on-Trent 1960

In 1910 six Potteries towns came together to form the city of Stoke on Trent. Fifty years later we find their individuality and old rivalries still alive and well.
Introduced by a windswept Eric Ball: "50 years ago this was smothered in smoke" (actually in March 1960 it still looks pretty smoky) this commemorative film produced by ATV celebrates the six towns that make up Stoke on Trent. Each jostled for prominence in 1910, Burslem going as far as building a new town hall, but lost out to Stoke in the civic race. Hanley has the shops and a new civic centre on the way and Longton the potteries but each retains its historic importance.
Location's in video from
Stoke Tunstall Burslem Longton Hanley and Fenton
Documentary From 1960
Remastered By SteCluz 2018
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Credit
Classical Carnivale by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: www.twinmusicom.org/
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[@blueztx]

Wonderful. I am a collector of Staffordshire ware and live in Texas, and this film connects me with the people who created my "treasures". Thank you for posting!

[@graciefields898]

I was born in Staffordshire and lived there till my 30s and I'm thrilled that over there in Texas you collect Staffordshire ware. It's the best quality china you could ever buy. Thanks for appreciating the old industry of which we're very proud.

[@Stecluz]

There is not many places left now a place called Emma Bridgewater and Churchhill china, and Valentine Clays Ltd.

[@user-ev9lx7hn6e]

My father was a kiln Manager in Burslem

[@halo123man1]

We have gone down since then. Look at the pride that each man felt , not at just their own town, but at their newly formed city. And now a den of disparity and degeneracy, it is truly a tragic state of affairs. I love my people in Stoke-on-Trent, we deserve better. God Bless Stoke-on-Trent, and may the lord preserve our civic union!

[@markjenner7199]

I went there in 2010 and was shocked how run down it was and I thought my home town Ipswich was bad it still is unless you like pound shops hair dressers or nail bars 🤬

[@BlackwoodMorgan]

@@markjenner7199 Ipswich bad ? Jesus you have high standards.

[@FoodFestTelevision]

Fantastic film. Well done for uploading it and showing us what a great country England was in the 1960s.

[@Bulletguy07]

@Wessex A few years before this was filmed you wouldn't have seen anything as the whole of Stoke was shrouded in smoke from pottery bottle kilns on the go. Also Shelton Bar steel works used to belch out a fair few fumes. I was 10 when this was made.

[@anotherv79]

As an ex Potter who was 18 months old when this was made, I enjoyed this no end. Still makes me shiver though.

[@johnfellows2867]

So many happy memories !!

[@prow9999]

In 1910 the six towns came together to form the COUNTY BOROUGH of Stoke-on-Trent, city status was only awarded in 1925 !

[@northstaffscountrywalks]

Thanks for sharing Ste. Not seen this one before from the archives. I was born in 1957' and worked in the pottery industry for my first few jobs back in the early 70's. Not as many bottle necks about then , but still quite a few to be seen in and around the Longton area.

[@MultiDiane64]

Thank you so much for sharing this c

[@markhall6601]

Nice contrasting music. Splendid

[@jim.....]

Really interesting video, thanks for uploading!

[@gc68jypsyladexsplora61]

I was born 8 years after tjis video them days up Hanley was better days than now 💯💯💯great video

[@hyperballadbradx6486]

Great insight. Thanks for sharing

[@vernonjones3613]

Some very fine singing well done

[@eddieMurphy11111]

wonderful thank you very much for letting us see this film born in 1949 i have seen a lot of changes some for the good but many for the bad i miss the old building that brought in lots of tourist but not so many now do we still have a choir now i have not heard of them

[@maggieadams8600]

The trouble with all of the films about Stoke I've seen is that there are hardly any potters in 'em, it's knobs mostly talking, as per usual. The class divide. Personally, I breathed a sigh of relief that the industry went to Asia in the early 1980's, because from infancy, I was bought up to believe that my adult life would be spent working on a potbank. I did for a few years, and since felt that l had a dodged a bullet. The best thing about Stoke-on -Trent are the places they didn't build on. Still, in spite of my cutting remarks, I have a deep affection for the place! :)

[@carolseaman7604]

Maggie, thank you for your insight. May I ask what your job was at the potbank? Did your parents/grandparents also work there? What were their jobs? Do you still live there? Wow! that's a lot of questions, I know!

[@maggieadams8600]

@@carolseaman7604 My first job was trainee figure paintress at the Royal Doultan Paladin works. My dad worked at Wedgewoods for about 45 years as a mold maker, my mum and sisters had all worked as free hand paintresses. I didn't know any of my grandparents. but most of my distant relatives did work in the pottery industry, the women mostly as paintresses. I haven't lived in Stoke since 1992, and all of my brothers and sisters no longer live there either, and my parents have both left the world. Do you live there Carol?

[@carolseaman7604]

@@maggieadams8600 Thank you, Maggie, for your quick reply! No, I live in USA. I'm a bit of a history buff and am interested in the vast and quick changes that came about due to the industrial revolution. What happened in the potteries with the Bolton steam engine, the canals, the local resources and labor force is especially interesting. I'm a softy for old buildings and the photos of the bottle kilns across the landscape intrigued me, too! I am writing some non-fiction set in the potteries and want to get the details right. It's been in my mind for a long time. My husband, daughter and myself traveled to the pottery district 17 years ago! That's how long this story has been floating around in my head. We were over in England for a niece's wedding. Do you mind my questions? May I ask more?

[@maggieadams8600]

@@carolseaman7604 No not at all! I was similarly interested, as, growing up not knowing any grandparents, I had no notion of where any of us came from, no roots as such. I started some family research in about 2004, and first I found my dad's family easily, as they've got their own site, as many went to live in America in the 1860's. This site traces them back to William the Conqueror, although I still think it's not quite right, because my maiden name is found far as a place name up on Shetland, (whee I lived for a while), and the Normans didn't get that far. Anyway, over the years I've found that my mum's mum, who she never knew as she grew up with her paternal grandmother, came from Shropshire, and my dad's mum's family came from Bakewell. They came from all over the potteries area. I know you haven't asked for this, but I just thought I'd tell you, and that when I first found out about my dad's family, it gave me a confidence in my artistic abilities, which I knew I had from my mother's side, but not from his as well. I love family research, but haven't got the time for it now. Feel free to ask anything you like!

[@carolseaman7604]

@@maggieadams8600 Wow! Your family history is so rich and interesting! It can be a rabbit hole once you get started! I have not gone very far with my family history - yet. As for my story, the characters lived and worked in the late 1700's and into the 1800's, but i haven't pinpointed an exact time frame. However, since the jobs at the pots did not change much over time, may I assume the duties you and your family performed are much the same as the generation before? With that, what exactly did your dad do as a mold maker? Did he carve the molds for the figures that were applied to the legendary blue vases? ( I bought a tiny souvenir plate at a garage sale here for $1). What kind of molds did he make? As for you as a figurine paintress (wow), did you ever put a signature mark of any kind on the bottom of your pieces? As freehand paintresses, did your mum or sisters ever mark their wares? As for 'freehand', does it mean they didn't fill in the colors over an applied printed pattern? Was their work unique to each piece, or did they have to be consistent as with a set of dishes? Was there a woods nearby the town? What kind of trees were in it? How tall did they grow? What kind of house or apartment did you live in? Thank you, Maggie!

[@TheLionKing08]

NICE VIDEO, LIKE# 4 #.WATCHED IN FULL.HAVE A NICE DAY!

[@Flippettirob]

very good job

[@Stecluz]

thanks

[@unclebunkum]

Great!!!😀😀

[@jamescopeland7389]

An interesting documentary made in 1960 showing 19th century industries. The social housing programme was excellent unfortunately during the sixties and seventies the city was allowed to decline and industry and commerce never approached the 20th century standards needed. Modernisation and improvements never materialised to the benefits of its citizens. Even a new road system through the area creates havoc on a daily basis. Over the past 70 years the city has gone from bad to outrageously awful. Politicians and civic leaders have nothing to be proud of. Such a shame for the people of Stoke on Trent in the 21st century.

[@edelgyn2699]

It's the same in many old industrial towns and cities. We seem to have lost our heritage, our standard of living and our communities. In many places we seem to be heading back to the squalor of Victorian times - filthy streets and little chance of social advancement for hardworking people. Food banks and appalling private accommodation seem to have replaced workhouses...

[@milels6917]

My Dad worked down the pits he was a strong man and kept us fed and warm mother worked in the pottery Johnson’s No benefits for them Dreadful to live there smelly and dark Stank of smoke What a lovely coral music by the way 👌🇬🇧✝️🙏🌈

[@dougcollings9342]

Fantastic!!!!! Many many happy times in my youth. Practiced judo in the city and Newcastle.has anyone got snaps of judo clubs or members on those wonderful years.

[@1122geoff]

Great skills nearly all have gone now

[@PhillRobinson]

How the mighty have fallen.

[@kinghabib8121]

I learned this in my class 😏

[@stefant6258]

Lowest wage rate in the country.

[@griswald7156]

7 towns….with Newcastle under Lyme.

[@davidrayner182]

They should have had more street scenes and less talking heads and it would have been better to have filmed it when the weather was bright and sunny, as filming on dull, overcast days makes it look even drabber than it was. An historic film, nonetheless.

[@maggieadams8600]

I've felt the same about all 3 of the nostalgia based pottery films I've watched tonight. Middle class types steal the lime light, they don't reflect potters, but since they had more money, their mugs predominate throughout them all. Such is this class ridden country, ugh!

[@edelgyn2699]

@@maggieadams8600 But if you remember, it was predominantly middle-class people who got handed the mike until the late 60s - anyone with a strong regional accent was viewed as common - it's so different on today's TV.

[@markjenner7199]

What ever happened to the ceramic choir

[@Stecluz]

There's a few places left you been in valentines clays in Fenton ?

[@stefant6258]

The only thing to be proud of is that we actually survived under the exploitation of pottery and mine owners.

[@yesterday6741]

is this like for school

[@letshaveago2201]

Today unitas are the clowns that make tenants life a misery well done stoke on trent!

[@xoev]

First

[@briandoyle667]

what a terrible noise that "singing is"

[@stefant6258]

Longton will be remember for the highest child mortality rate in Europe.

[@maggieadams8600]

I didn't know that! I was born there in 1960, do you mean then or now or both?

[@edelgyn2699]

West Midlands still has a higher death rate for tots compared to most of England...

[@Pighood]

EIGHTH, BITCHES

[@barrybradfordlocksport]

Its dead

[@jacobmassey3897]

This man is NOT a Stokey 🤣🤣🤣

[@jacobmassey3897]

@KZbinINCLUSIVITYWHATAJOKE good for you at least you dont have to live here lol 😆😆😆

[@northstaffscountrywalks]

@KZbinINCLUSIVITYWHATAJOKE An "outsider" developing an affinity for Stoke. That's a novelty, but nice to know.

[@stefant6258]

Shit hole then shit hole now.