Wolstanton is a suburban area on the outskirts of Newcastle-under-Lyme
, Staffordshire.
History
Historically, Wolstanton was a place in its own right. It is
mentioned in the
Domesday book where
it is listed amongst the lands belonging to the
King. The land consisted of work for 2
ploughs, 14 villeins, 2 bordars and a priest (who had his own
plough). Woodland then was measured as being a league by a furlong.
When tax had been paid (by Ælfgar before the conquest) then it was
set at six pounds.
People and places
A notable building in the village is located on the corner of High
Street and Nelson Street.
During World War
II and for some years afterwards, it was owned by the renowned
Carr's Café and was daily frequented by the owners of many Stoke-on-Trent
potteries who resided in the village.
Ownership then passed to the
District
Bank (later incorporated into
NatWest
Bank) and subsequently
Barclays Bank. When
the banks engaged on a programme of closing out-of-town branches,
the building was acquired as the head offices of
Castle Comfort Stairlifts, a
specialist
stairlift provider who now run
their UK and Spanish operations there. Now known as
Bank
House, a memorial plaque was unveiled there by
Staffordshire Police in the summer of 2007 to
commemorate the work of
Henry Faulds,
the
fingerprint pioneer, who lived in
the village and is buried at St Margaret's Church.
The architect Absalom Reed Wood (1851-1922) designed some of
Wolstanton's grander buildings, including St Andrew's Church at the
top of Porthill Bank and several of the houses along the High
Street, just before the
Porthill 'border'.
[332754]
Recent developments
Wolstanton Colliery, originally an ore mine located just to the
east of the village, was noted for having the deepest shafts in
Europe. Closed in 1985 and demolished in 1987, a branch of
Asda and the Wolstanton Retail Park now covers the main
part of the site, and the colliery's former sports field is
now--after some not inconsiderable opposition--being redeveloped
with housing. A new road (originally proposed in 1978) has been
built connecting the A500 with the A527 through the village,
following for the most part the old colliery approach road (Grange
Lane). Paid for by the developers of the site, Bloor Homes, this
road finally opened to the public on 24 January 2008.
Notable residents
- Dr Henry Faulds (1843-1930) was a
pioneer of forensic fingerprinting who retired to Wolstanton.
- Arthur Berry (1925 - 1994): a
playwright, poet]], teacher and artist
- James Brindley
was a pioneering canal engineer and lived at Turnhurst
until his death in 1772
Sarah Smith
A remarkable grave is located in the churchyard of St Margaret's.
The headstone of Sarah Smith (deceased 1783) includes a short poem
written in the first person in which Sarah suggests that she was
murdered; 'with half a pint of poyson he came to visit me' and then
provides a clue to her killer, 'it was C___s B___w who brought me
to my end'.
Images
Image:WolstantonMarshFromMortonParade2004.jpg|Panorama of
Wolstanton Marsh from Moreton Parade, February
2004Image:StMargaretsChurch_2004.jpg|Wolstanton's St Margaret's
ChurchImage:StMargaretsChurchSpire2004.jpg|St Margaret's
SpireImage:StMargaretsChurchGargoyle1.jpg|A St Margaret's
GargoyleImage:StMargaretsChurchGargoyle2.jpg|A St Margaret's
GargoyleImage:WolstantonHighStreet2004.jpg|High St from Morris
Square
References
External links
Wikis
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