Tunstall, Staffordshire
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Tunstall is one of the six towns that, along with
Burslem Burslem ( ) is one of the six towns that along with Hanley, Staffordshire, Hanley, Tunstall, Staffordshire, Tunstall, Fenton, Staffordshire, Fenton, Longton, Staffordshire, Longton and Stoke-upon-Trent form part of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in ...
, Longton, Fenton,
Hanley Hanley is one of the Federation of Stoke-on-Trent, six towns that, along with Burslem, Longton, Staffordshire, Longton, Fenton, Staffordshire, Fenton, Tunstall, Staffordshire, Tunstall and Stoke-upon-Trent, amalgamated to form the City of Stoke- ...
and
Stoke-upon-Trent Stoke-upon-Trent, also known as Stoke, is one of the six towns that along with Hanley, Staffordshire, Hanley, Burslem, Fenton, Staffordshire, Fenton, Longton, Staffordshire, Longton and Tunstall, Staffordshire, Tunstall form the city of Stoke-o ...
, amalgamated to form the City of
Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire ...
in
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...
, England. It was one of the original six towns that federated to form the city. Tunstall is the most northern, and fourth largest town of
the Potteries The Staffordshire Potteries is the industrial area encompassing the six towns Burslem, Fenton, Staffordshire, Fenton, Hanley, Staffordshire, Hanley, Longton, Staffordshire, Longton, Tunstall, Staffordshire, Tunstall and Stoke-upon-Trent, Stoke ( ...
. It is situated in the very northwest of the city borough, with its north and west boundaries being the city limit. It stands on a ridge of land between Fowlea Brook to the west and Scotia Brook to the east, surrounded by old tile-making and brick-making sites, some of which date back to the Middle Ages.


History

There is no independent record of Tunstall in the ''
Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
''; it is believed to have formed part of the lands of Richard the forester, centred on Thursfield. However, Tunstall Manor quickly became powerful. Between 1212 and 1273, Tunstall, Bemersley,
Burslem Burslem ( ) is one of the six towns that along with Hanley, Staffordshire, Hanley, Tunstall, Staffordshire, Tunstall, Fenton, Staffordshire, Fenton, Longton, Staffordshire, Longton and Stoke-upon-Trent form part of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in ...
, Chatterley, Chell, Oldcott, and Thursfield, Whitfield and Bemersley are mentioned as distinct manors or
vill Vill is a term used in English, Welsh and Irish history to describe a basic rural land unit, roughly comparable to that of a parish, manor, village or tithing. Medieval developments The vill was the smallest territorial and administrative unit†...
s; all but Chell had merged within the manor of Tunstall by the end of the 13th century. From the 16th century, Tunstall Manor covered an area which extended to the
Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
border and included the following additional townships: Chell, Ravenscliffe, Sneyd, Brieryhurst, Stadmorslow and Wedgwood. Records mention that iron and coal were being mined and processed in the town as far back as 1282. The appointment of a market-reeve by the manor court in 1525 is the earliest indication of a market in Tunstall manor. In 1816, a market square of nearly an acre (now Tower Square) was laid out on land called Stony Croft which was leased from the lord of the manor, and small-scale markets began to be held. Tunstall remained a
linear village In mathematics, the term ''linear'' is used in two distinct senses for two different properties: * linearity of a '' function'' (or '' mapping''); * linearity of a ''polynomial''. An example of a linear function is the function defined by f(x)= ...
until the industrial revolution. Tunstall's main make-up is now of rows of Victorian terraced houses, which were built during the pottery boom to house workers. There are a number of new estates that have been built in the area. Park Terrace consists of elegant Victorian and Edwardian townhouses and is a designated conservation area, as is the housing around Victoria Park. The town was granted urban district status in 1894 and quickly set about expanding itself, acquiring amongst others Pitts Hill from Chell civil parish in 1899. On 1 April 1910, the UDC dissolved itself and the town was federated into the county borough of Stoke-on-Trent. By 1925 the borough was granted
city status City status is a symbolic and legal designation given by a monarch, national or subnational government. A municipality may receive city status because it already has the qualities of a city, or because it has some special purpose. Historically, ci ...
. Tunstall has however, remained distinct and retained its own shopping and business district, adding to
Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire ...
's
polycentric Polycentric is an English adjective, meaning "having more than one center," derived from the Greek words ''polús'' ("many") and ''kentrikós'' ("center"). Polycentricism (or polycentricity) is the abstract noun formed from polycentric. They may r ...
nature. On 27 November 1916, German
Zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp. 155â ...
LZ 61 (L21) bombed Tunstall during its return leg to Germany, dropping three bombs. However, it was shot down the following day before it could reach the coast at
Lowestoft Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the List of extreme points of the United Kingdom, most easterly UK se ...
.


Trade journals and gazetteers

The village of Tunstall was described in 1795 as "the pleasantest village in the pottery".


Potters

There is evidence of small-scale pottery manufacturing in Tunstall from the 14th century. However, Tunstall was one of the last of towns in
the Potteries The Staffordshire Potteries is the industrial area encompassing the six towns Burslem, Fenton, Staffordshire, Fenton, Hanley, Staffordshire, Hanley, Longton, Staffordshire, Longton, Tunstall, Staffordshire, Tunstall and Stoke-upon-Trent, Stoke ( ...
to begin large scale pottery manufacturing, with the main focus being on farming, and to a lesser extent, coal & iron mining and mills. Thus Tunstall was not affected by the
1842 Pottery Riots Predominantly centred on Hanley and Burslem, in what became the federation of Stoke-on-Trent, the 1842 Pottery Riots took place in the midst of the 1842 General Strike, and both are credited with helping to forge trade unionism and direct actio ...
. However, Tunstall still has a rich industrial heritage. At the start of the 19th century there were 3 pottery works in the town, by the close of the century that number had risen to 13. Famous potters located in the town have been the Adams dynasty of potters founded by William Adams, as well as Alfred Meakin, Booths founded by Enoch Booth and
Enoch Wedgwood Enoch Wedgwood (1813-1879) was an English potter, founder in 1860 of the pottery firm Wedgwood & Co of Tunstall, Staffordshire, Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent. He was a distant cousin of the famous potter Josiah Wedgwood, of Wedgwood, Josiah Wedgwood & ...
, and W H Grindley founded in 1880 by William Harry Grindley. Robert Beswick, father of Beswick Pottery founder James Wright Beswick, began making pottery in Tunstall. Jabez Vodrey is a noted emigrant potter, the first English potter west of the
Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...
. Clarice Cliff (20 January 1899 – 23 October 1972) was an English ceramic industrial artist active from 1922 to 1963. Charles Shaw was a 19th-century potter whose in-depth autobiography has given some of the clearest insights into the Victorian Potteries, and provided
Arnold Bennett Enoch Arnold Bennett (27 May 1867 – 27 March 1931) was an English author, best known as a novelist, who wrote prolifically. Between the 1890s and the 1930s he completed 34 novels, seven volumes of short stories, 13 plays (some in collaborati ...
with inspiration for his Clayhanger novels.Charles Shaw's Autobiography
/ref> Tunstall became widely known for its tiles, regarded to be as good as slate. Decorative ceramic tiles are still made in Tunstall by H and R Johnson-Richards Tiles.


Transport

Tunstall's industries were served by the
Trent and Mersey Canal The Trent and Mersey Canal is a canal in Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire in north-central England. It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities to the east of Burton upon Trent and north of Middl ...
, constructed over 11 years from 1766. The canal was designed by
James Brindley James Brindley (1716 â€“ 27 September 1772) was an English engineer. He was born in Tunstead, Derbyshire, and lived much of his life in Leek, Staffordshire, becoming one of the most notable engineers of the 18th Century. Born in the Peak ...
, a resident of Turnhurst Hall in nearby Chell. Just north of Tunstall lies one of Brindley's greatest achievements, the Harecastle Tunnel, which takes the Trent and Mersey Canal underneath Goldenhill. Barges were 'legged' through by men lying on their backs on top of the barges and pushing against the roof with their feet. This was physically demanding and slow, causing major delays, so in 1827 leading civil engineer Thomas Telford was commissioned to provide a second, and wider, parallel tunnel with a towpath. Today the Harecastle Tunnels are the fourth longest canal tunnels in the UK. Tunstall was served by a railway station, which was opened by the
North Staffordshire Railway The North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) was a Great Britain, British railway company formed in 1845 to promote a number of lines in the Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire Potteries and surrounding areas in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Shro ...
on 1 December 1873. This closed under the
Beeching Axe The Beeching cuts, also colloquially referred to as the Beeching Axe, were a major series of route closures and service changes made as part of the restructuring of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain in the 1960s. They are named ...
in 1965 with the removal of the Potteries Loop Line. Today Tunstall lies roughly equidistant between Longport and
Kidsgrove Kidsgrove is a town in the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England, on the Cheshire border. It is part of the Potteries Urban Area, along with Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. It has a population of 26,276 (2019 census) ...
railway stations on the
Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...
to
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
Line, a branch of the
West Coast Main Line The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
(Network Rail Route 18). There are also direct services to
Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the parish had a population of 55,318 and the built-up area had a population of 74,120. ...
and
Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
. It is also well served by buses provided by: Baker Coaches, Clowes Coaches, D&G Coaches, Wardle Transport and First Potteries, connecting Tunstall to all surrounding settlements. The A50 is the main arterial route through Tunstall, running from
Warrington Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...
to
Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
via Stoke and
Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
. Tunstall is linked to the A500 "D-road", which passes just west of the town, by the new A527 linkway the town connecting Tunstall and the rest of Stoke-on-Trent to the
M6 motorway The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 motorway, M1 and the western end of t ...
. Slightly further east the A34 runs north–south, towards
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
and
Newcastle-under-Lyme Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. It is adjacent to the city of Stoke-on-Trent. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the population ...
respectively.


Geography


Climate

Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The
Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
subtype for this climate is " Cfb". (Marine West Coast Climate).


Other information

The outskirts of Tunstall became home to a new public art statue called Golden in 2015. The 69 ft (21 m) steel work of art by Wolfgang Buttress was privately funded with £180,000 Section 106 monies secured during the construction of the Blue Planet eco-warehouse. The Phoenix Trust, an independent not-for-profit foundation, is campaigning to turn Tunstall and the wider North Staffordshire Coalfield into a
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
due to its historic economic significance, leading role in the industrial revolution and status as the birthplace of Primitive Methodism. Tunstall has had a rise in well-known shops in recent years, notably with the construction of Alexandra Retail Park. These developments have, however, been felt to be to the detriment of Tunstall's traditional town centre shops and market. The town's shops got together in 2003–4 to buy a good amount of Christmas décor and now it is traditional to go and watch Tunstall lights have their grand switch on. A recognisable Tunstall, renamed Turnhill, features in the novels of
Arnold Bennett Enoch Arnold Bennett (27 May 1867 – 27 March 1931) was an English author, best known as a novelist, who wrote prolifically. Between the 1890s and the 1930s he completed 34 novels, seven volumes of short stories, 13 plays (some in collaborati ...
. There are a number of
Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
listed buildings in Tunstall, notably: Tunstall Market Hall, Tunstall Town Hall, Christ Church, Church of the Sacred Heart, the world's first Primitive Methodist chapel, the clock tower in Tower Square, Tunstall library and public baths, Victoria Park and structures, and the lodge and
canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...
portals at Harecastle Tunnel. There are also three conservation areas: Tower Square, Park Terrace and Victoria Park & surrounding housing. By the closing years of the 19th century, most urban areas in the UK were suffering from pollution and poor health. To this end Tunstall Urban district began a series of improvements works shortly after its foundation, including the Victoria Public Baths- which opened in 1897. In this year, work commenced on Victoria Park, also known as Tunstall Park. The park was devised by the council's architect Absalom Reade Wood (1851–1922). By 1914 the park had largely taken its present form, covering 21 acres. It is now
Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
listed. Tunstall Victoria Park Trust, a registered charity, was founded in 2009 to engage the public and help decide how the money donated by the Reginald Johnson Foundation for improving the park should be used. The Golden Torch, on Hose Street, was a famous
Northern Soul Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged in Northern England and the Midlands in the early 1970s. It developed from the British Mod (subculture), mod scene, based on a particular style of African American music, Black American ...
club, founded by Christopher Burton, a contemporary of Ivor Abadi (founder of the Twisted Wheel club), and Russ Winstanley of the famous Wigan Casino. It opened on 30 January 1965 with the headline act of Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas. Initially a mod club, it did not begin regular soul nights until 1969. It played host to DJs such as
Peter Stringfellow Peter James Stringfellow (17 October 1940 – 7 June 2018) was an English businessman who owned several nightclubs. Early life Stringfellow was born in the City General Hospital, Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, on 17 October 1940, to Elsi ...
. Following the closure of
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
's Twisted Wheel soul club, in 1971 The Torch began putting on its own Soul All-Nighters. However, it became a victim of its own success, with regular police presences, drug taking and overcrowding. When the club came to renew its licence on 16 March 1973
Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire ...
council refused the renewal, without a licence the club simply fizzled out, paving the way for the Wigan Casino. The Tunstall Wakes were held on the first Sunday after the feast of St. Margaret (20 July), the saint to whom Wolstanton church is dedicated. The wakes were abolished in 1879, but soon revived by popular demand. Tunstall was home to the independent Frink School of Figurative Sculpture, which occupied a fine old factory (and former Old Court) in Roundwell Street for a number of years until about 2004. The
Frink School The Frink School of Figurative Sculpture was an art school in Leek, Staffordshire. It was named after the British sculptor Elisabeth Frink (1930–1993). It was a small academy with a specific discipline of study closer in spirit to a ''master ...
was named after British sculptor Elisabeth Frink and was a small intimate academy with a specific discipline of study closer in spirit to a ''master and apprentice'' structure than an educational institution. This has since moved to nearby
Leek A leek is a vegetable, a cultivar of ''Allium ampeloprasum'', the broadleaf wild leek (synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Allium porrum''). The edible part of the plant is a bundle of Leaf sheath, leaf sheaths that is sometimes erroneously called a "s ...
. Today, the area is served by many
primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...
s, and
secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
s include Co-op Academy Stoke-on-Trent, Ormiston Horizon Academy and St Margaret Ward Catholic Academy.


Regeneration

Dransfield created Jasper Square which is occupied by stores including Poundland, Argos and Matalan. The company later began construction on a project called Alexandra Park adjacent to the previous project. The park contains a Primary Care Centre, Boots, Carphone Warehouse and DW Health and Fitness Club. The final phase of development was completed in February 2014 and added Home Bargains, Iceland and Card Factory. The park contains "The Shard", a stainless steel sculpture celebrating the area's historic pottery industry. It was created by Robert Erskine. In 2014, long-term plans for another retail park and Morrisons supermarket were cancelled. The landmark HSBC bank on the high street was bought over by digital marketing agency Netinspire and insolvency practitioner Dunion & Co. The 1920s period property was fully refurbished, while retaining the building's original exterior, to house Netinspire and Dunion & Co's modern offices. In 2020, the building was purchased by Gateway Psychology, a private psychological service for children, young people and families. Gateway Psychology are based on The Boulevard pedestrian walkway, adjacent to the old bank. The psychology service has undertaken an extensive renovation project, reusing and renovating as many original features as possible (like the original parquet blocks discovered under the carpeting). The old bank is currently used as office and therapy space for staff and clients, with a doorway to connect the bank to the therapeutic facility next door.


Notable residents

* William Adams (1746–1805) was a maker of fine jasperware. * Hugh Bourne (1772–1852) was the joint founder of Primitive Methodism. * Jabez Vodrey (1795–1861) first English potter west of the
Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...
. *
Enoch Wedgwood Enoch Wedgwood (1813-1879) was an English potter, founder in 1860 of the pottery firm Wedgwood & Co of Tunstall, Staffordshire, Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent. He was a distant cousin of the famous potter Josiah Wedgwood, of Wedgwood, Josiah Wedgwood & ...
(1813–1879) English potter, founder in 1860 of the pottery firm Wedgwood & Co. * Charles Shaw (1832–1906) potter whose autobiography provided insight into the Victorian Potteries and Tunstall. * Jimmy Yates (1869–1922) English professional footballer, 163 appearances * John "Jack" Farrell (1873–1947) professional footballer, 162 appearances * William Harold Coltman (1891–1974)
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
recipient highly decorated British soldier * Clarice Cliff (1899–1972) a famous ceramic artist was born in the town. * Susie Cooper (1902–1995), ceramic artist & designer. * Henry "Harry" O'Grady (1907–1990) professional English footballer, 99 appearances * Muriel Pemberton (1909-1993), fashion designer, painter and academic, born in Tunstall * Wilfred Lewis Warren (1929–1994) historian of medieval England. * Leslie Hulme, known as Ken Barrie (1933–2016) was the voice of ''
Postman Pat ''Postman Pat'' is a British stop motion animated television series, animated children's television series first produced by Woodland Animations. The series follows the adventures of Pat Clifton, a Mail carrier, postman who works for the Royal ...
'' * Selwyn Davies Whalley (1934–2008) former English footballer, 178 appearances for Port Vale F.C. *
Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...
, (born 1974) is famous pop star, grew up in Tunstall, educated in nearby Chell. * Martin Paterson, (born 1987) professional footballer in the US, was born in the town.


References


External links


Tunstall – one of the Six Towns


* ttp://mytunstall.co.uk My Tunstall – Local community site for people living in Tunstall {{authority control Areas of Stoke-on-Trent Towns in Staffordshire Former civil parishes in Staffordshire