The Flickr Bursley Image Generatr

One of the last old bottle ovens (kilns) remaining in Stoke-on-Trent where approximately 4000 used to stand, this garde II* listed structure sits within the old Victorian potbank of Middleport Pottery.
Dating back to between 1888 and 1889 and built for Burgess and Leigh between Port Street and the Trent and Mersey canal in Middleport, near Burslem in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, this factory and its shops and artisan makers is now run by Re-Form Heritage.

Ostracized by the other pigeons, one sits alone on the old updraught bottle oven at the rear of the Middleport Pottery works in Middleport, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
One of our few remaining old bottle ovens, this structure is grade II* listed along with the surrounding Victorian factory which sits between Port Street and the Trent and Mersey canal.
This old potbank was built by Burgess and Leigh between 1888 and 1889, latterly owned by Burgess, Dorling and Leigh and now run by Re-Form Heritage, with some of the old factory being run by artisan makers in small units, along with the Harper Street project which sits across the road from the factory lodge and comprises of converted terraced housing to home a groupf of small shops.
Forgive the blurry pigeons, a lot of stretching and bending went into the edit.

The impressive old Bethel Methodist Church on the junction of Waterloo Road and Zion Street (originally called Regent Street East) on the outskirts of Burslem in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
Built in 1824 when Methodism took hold in the Pottery towns, this chapel seated around a thousand worshipers when the poulation of Burslem only numbered about twelve thousand people and with competition from many other places of worship for its congregation, there was a nearby Wesleyan chapel which could cater for around two thousand. This was a Methodist New Connexion chapel, a Potteries schism from the more traditional Methodists.
This grade II listed structure was originally built with a brick facade to match the wings of the chapel, with the rendered frontage being a much later addition, on land aquired by John and William Ridgway.
A Sunday School was added in 1835 (where the roller shutter door now stands) and later in 1877 a school was built (with the arched windows on the far left) The Dr. Cooke Memorial School.
The very left of shot shows part of what is left of the old Parkers Brewery.
It later became home to Broadhurst Brothers 'Argyle' pottery works and more latterly, but now closed, a multi cultural wedding venue under the name Argyle Venue.

Not the Co-op as we know it now but an alternative which originated in 1890's founded by Ernest Swettenham. This old Swettenhams Co-operative Instituitions shop sits on Newcastle Street in Dalehall on the outskirts of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. I presume this store dates back to the late nineteenth century (possibly very early twentieth) which would date it to its surroundings, much of this area being developed during this period. It's now been repurposed and I doubt its current condition stands up to what this shop would have looked like in its heyday.
Swettenhams Co-operative Institutions covered a series of shops and associated businesses, they, at least, had a bakery in Chesterton, Newcastle-under-Lyme with which to supply its stores. The company grew to an estate of 26 stores by 1939 and was incorporated in 1948. Presumably, the use of "co-operative" was used to give a similarity to the local Co-operative societies, although this business was not a co-operative at all.
The group finally succumbed to the pressure of the larger retailers of the country and sold out to the Victor Value chain in 1961, later to be aquired by Tesco a few years later.

Signalling an opportunity to spend your extra cash in a spacious building full of expert staff, Burslem's new Co-operative Emporium offered the locals a new way to shop in 1932.
Sitting on the corner of Queen Street and Swan Square and designed by Messrs Watkin and Maddox, this brand new building must have been a stark contrast to the existing town in the interwar period of oausterity with its nods to an Art Deco style. I'm not sure its sense of style marries with the company name of The Burslem and District Industrial Co-operative Society Ltd.
The store opened its doors on 26th September 1932 heralded by "Mannequin Parades" and commenced business on 30th September.
It had grand ambitions according to the pamphlet that was distributed to announce its opening, an extract of which reads:
This modern store stands in one of Burslem's historic squares. It is a store that will please you, interest you, fascinate you with its up-to-date smartness, its attractive goods, its modern fittings.
The new store marks an epoch in local Co-operative history.
The origins of the Burslem Co-operative Society date back to 1901, with one of its founder members being Frederick Hayward, who later went on to be knighted and serve the union until his death in 1944. He served on the joint parliamentary committee of the Co-operative Union and was elected to the central committee of the International Co-operative Alliance.
The building has now been renamed Reoboth Emporium, home to the Reoboth Community Project, with a community hub and second hand shopping available in the old store.
It was once a Marc One clothing store.
This is the area known as Duck Square, containing the Duck Inn (The Swan) in Arnold Bennett's novels.

Meant to be Burslem's third town hall, the Queen's Hall, unfortunately, never took on its intended mantle.
Sitting on Wedgwood Place, beside Wedgwood Street and Jenkins Street in the town centre of Burslem, this grade II listed building was completed in 1911 to a design by S. B. Russell & Edwin Cooper of London and conceived as a replacement for the former town hall which sits opposite. However, the towns that make up Stoke-on-Trent federated in 1910 and the town hall in Stoke assumed control over the county borough and subsequent city and thus this building never really adopted its intended purpose.
The Queen's Hall then assumed the role of a theatre with the North Staffordshire Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society taking residency in 1966.
Building works to the interior appear to have been started in 2022 hinting at a new purpose for this iconic landmark with the council hinting at a new use for the hall by another public sector body.
As can be seen, the rear of the building is built from brick, possibly to offset the cost of the facade.
The far right building is Thomas and John Wedgwood's "Big House" and the nearer the old Post Office.

The former NatWest bank on the corner of Newcastle Street and Westport Road (often referred to as Fountain Place because of the association with Enoch Wood's Fountain Place Works which sits across Pack Horse Lane to the right) in the "Mother Town" of the Potteries, Burslem.
Dating back to 1870 (estimated) and built for the District Bank, this branch, like many other bank branches, has been closed, for this branch that happened in 2017.
District Bank Ltd dated back to the early 1800's and operated until aquired by National Provincial Bank in 1962. National Provincial Bank then merged with Westminster Bank and in 1970 became National Westminster Bank, which this building operated as a branch of until closure.
This fine building, althought slowly decaying, is grade II listed.

Hunted became hunter and back again.
The White Hart public house on Westport Road on the outskirts of the town of Burslem in the Potteries (Stoke-on-Trent. This incarnation was built in 1889 to replace a pub that was attached to Enoch Wood's Fountain Place Works potbank (the red brick building on the left). This may date a pub on this site back to 1789 with at least one map of 1851 showing a White Hart public house in this location.
This pub was probably better known as the Huntsman, taking that name for many years, the sign below the datestone being covered during that period, although more latterly it has been Chillz Bar and most recently The White Hart 80' & 90's Bar.
Sadly, as with many other city centre pubs there are plans to convert this building into flats.
Westport Road was originally called Hill Street and then Liverpool Road.

Descending in more ways than one. This Victorian terrace on Newcastle Street on the outskirts of Burslem in Stoke-on-Trent, sits on the slope of the road but the size, quality and condition seem to diminish as they go.
The right hand building that belongs to Synergy Dental has undergone a facelift recently but unfortunately the beautiful red brick of its construction has been rendered. It's only my opinion but it was a fine example of Flemish bond.
The street that leads off Newcastle Street to the right is Blake Street.
It's an interesting look back into the mix of styles that sit side by side in such a small sample of the housing that lined the street. Sadly, much of the associated stock is no more with the bottom end of Newcastle Street being on the "At Risk Register" of English Heritage.
Nice to see the old boot scraper has been kept in good condition.
The bottom two properties were both shops in the 1960's as seen in a Bert Bentley image. They both seemed to heavily advertise cigarettes even though the bottom property appeared to be a gents hairdresser named A. Tatton, although from memory most shops seemed to be peppered with tobacco signs during that period.

The first of many, The Kismet in Queen Street, Burslem was Stoke-on-Trent's first Indian Restaurant and has been trading from this premises since 1962.
It shares its frontage and part of the restaurant with the old shop premises on the corner of Waterloo Road. This, the blue building was described as "Clayhanger's Steam Print Works" in the novels of Arnold Bennett. It dates back to the early nineteenth century and is grade II listed.
The family that own the Kismet have recently opened another premises, of the same name, in Hartshill.

It's a bit of a change for the old Queen's Head public house on the corner of Queen Street and Bournes Bank in the town centre of Burslem in Stoke-on-Trent.
This Victorian building, buit in 1885, has recently undergone a transformation to be reopened as Priscillas Cocktail and Drag Bar.
A trade directory of 1828 lists a pub of this name on Queen Street, so this may be a rebuild.
I wonder what Arnold Bennett would have made of this?
Nice to see an old bguilding getting a revamp and not going the way of so many of its siblings.
The building to the rear is Burslem Snooker Hall.

The offices of a now closed brewery in Pitt Street East, on the outskirts of Burslem, often known as the "Mother Town" of the Potteries (the city of Stoke-on-Trent).
The brewery was originally built in 1860 for Parker's Burslem Brewery. They registered as a limited company in 1889 and serviced many local public houses. When taken over by Ind Coope Ltd in 1949 there were 468 pubs in their estate. It eventually became known as Ansell's Burslem Brewery and closed in 1963.
Much of the brewery was demolished during the 1990's.
The mosaic on the pediment is rather splendid and typical of the signage of their public houses.
This part of the factory is currently occupied by Anderson Engineering Solutions Ltd, accessed from Nile Street and if my memory serves me right it was formerly run by WT Lynn Ltd.

The Dr. Cooke Memorial School on Zion Street, Burslem in Stoke-on-Trent, rots and decays with little sign of salvation.
Built in 1877 as an addition to the Sunday School (which was built in 1835, where the roller shutter door stands) that was attached to the Bethel Methodist Church on Waterloo Road. This was a Methodist New Connexion chapel built on land aquired for the purposes by John and William Ridgway.
Part of Parker's Burslem brewery can be seen to the left and Nile Street runs along the far left of the shot, home to the old Royal Doulton pottery works.

And so said the author "... and among the five the shop of Baines stood supreme. No business establishment could possibly be more respected than that of Mr. Baines was respected.
Two of the shops featured in Arnold Bennett's "The Old Wives' Tale" seem to have suffered differing fates.
These two shops sit at the junction of Queen Street and William Clowes Street, at the bottom of St. John's Square in the town centre of Burslem, the "Mother Town of the Potteries.
The nearer of the two is the shop that the author describes as Baines drapers shop belonging to John Baines (I think it was last used as a betting shop under the name of Provincial Racing, although the description listed above hardly seems apt anymore), the further building with the dark grey frontage (now Sapphire Restaurant but which used to be a Woolworths store) was Critchlow's chemist shop, for which the sign proclaimed "Bone-setter and chemist".
Such a sad sight to see.
This building is grade II listed.

The once impressive Hill Works potbank of the Richards Brothers built in 1814 stands at the top of Westport Road (once Hill Street and later Liverpool Road) on the outskirts of Burslem is now threatened with demolition due to the perilous nature of the structure following fire damage. These plans have been proposed by its current owner the developer St. Modwen.
This grade II listed building was considered by Pevsner to be “one of the best pottery offices and warehouses”.
It's known by most as Wades (Wade Heath and Co) who operated the works from 1954 until closure in 2010. It had many and various owners during its lifetime.
What a sad sight to see of our great industrial past.

Well at least the sky might give the appearance of being in Greece, impressive for a November day in Burslem if nothing else.
The remains of Burslem Sunday School on the corner of Westport Road and Hall Street, on the ouskirts of Burslem, the "Mother Town" of the Potteries of Stoke-on-Trent.
This building dates back to 1836 to a design by Samuel Parch for the Wesleyan Methodists. This is just the portico to a rather large building which sat behind and was in use until 1977. It was substantially damaged by fire in 1983 and the main building demolished in 1987.
The remains of the school are grade II listed.
This old Methodist establishment was refrerred to in Arnold Bennett's Clayhanger as Sytch Chapel, this part of Burslem being known as The Sytch.
Westport Road was initially known as Hill Street and later Liverpool Road.
The old potbank that sits behind the Sunday School in the shot is the old Hill Works of the Richards Brothers, more latterly Wades Pottery Works.
Here is a link to a page that contains a picture of the building when complete. www.search.staffspasttrack.org.uk/Details.aspx?&Resou...

The understated little gem that is the Wedgwood Institute in Burslem, the "Mother Town" of the Potteries.
The building which sits on Queen Street, at its junctions with Clayhanger Street and Brick House Street, was initially designed by a company from Wolverhampton, G. B. Nichols whose design was then modified by John Lockwood Kipling, the father of Rudyard Kipling and Robert Edgar and was completed in 1869.
Further work on the design was handled by M. H. Blanchard and Rowland Morris who were responsible for the teracotta panels.
Also associated with this building was William Gladstone who laid the foundation stone.
Conceived to honour local potter Josiah Wedgwood it was originally operated to function as Burslem school of art and science, the art school element transferring across the road to a purpose built building in 1907.
It also operated as a free library, later in its life becoming part of Stoke-on-Trent's City library portfolio between the 1990's and 2007. It was also operated by Staffordshire University for some time.
Luminaries such as ceramics expert William Moorcroft and author Arnold Bennett attented this establishment.
It upkeep and restoration has recently been taken on by a combination of United Kingdom Historic Building Preservation Trust and The Prince’s Regeneration Trust, long may it keep its pride of place in the town.
This building features in two of Arnold Bennett's novels, "The Card" and "Old Wives's Tale", where it's termed the School of Art.
The building is grade II* listed and is also on the Historic England At Risk register a link for which can be found here. historicengland.org.uk/advice/heritage-at-risk/search-reg...

A little look at the corner of Fountain Place on the corner of Westport Road (formerly Liverpool Road and before that Hill Street) in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.
Now occupied by India Cottage restaurant on the ground floor and Walters and Plaskitt solicitors, the left hand premises was probably built in the second half of the nineteenth century. In the 1860's it was the home of Bell and Lyon, a dealer in ironmongery along with other goods such as stoves, cutlery, gas fittings lamps and tools etc.
The New Inn beside it is listed as being a public house as far back as 1800 and had attached stables into the late 1800's. Now a free house it has been a Parker's brewery outlet as well as a Bass pub over the years.

One of Burslem's last few bottle kilns, this one belongs to Moorland Pottery on Moorland Road in the "Mother Town" of the Potteries.
This shot is taken from an alley off Reginald Street and shows the grade II listed structure which was built by Royal Doulton in 1910 as an experimental muffle kiln in the rear yard of the potbank.
This factory has been variously associated with; The Susie Cooper Pottery Limited, Hollinshead and Griffiths, Gibson and Sons Limited and Studio Szeiler Ltd to name a few.

A little glimpse of the industrial side of "the mother town" of the Potteries, a look down Furlong Lane at Furlong Mills grinding mill complete with its 2 old calcining kilns. The town of Burslem (the mother town) is only a few hundred yards from this location.
The original factory (the darker brick section to the right) dates back to 1842 with further alterations in 1913 and subsequent modifications. The 2 kilns are thought to have been constructed in the early twentieth century (somewhere between 1900 and 1924).
It still operates today milling materials for the pottery industry, having recently been purchased by Churchill China.
The mill, along with the 2 kilns are grade II listed.
I thought that the brooding sky sort of matched the gritty industrial look of the area.