EP 37 Stoke on Trent to The Harecastle Tunnel
Channel: Old, Rebellious, Not Out!!
Date: 2023-09-10

EP 37 Stoke on Trent to The Harecastle Tunnel  which it is said is haunted.
We stop at the historical Middleport Pottery Heritage centre famous victorian pottery factory
wich includes restored houses that workers lived in. how they would have been circa 1950.
The victorian factory is on the canal which would have been an important asset bringing too and dispatching raw materials & finished product. there are visitor moorings available.

 Middleport Pottery, situated on the Trent and Mersey Canal in Stoke-on-Trent, was built by Burgess and Leigh in the late nineteenth century. The Grade II* listed Pottery is the UK’s last working Victorian potbank in continuous production. After 130 years, Middleport Pottery remains home to world-famous ‘Burleigh’ pottery.

Through public and private funding, Middleport Pottery was saved from closure and underwent substantial remodelling and renovation, transforming it into a visitor attraction and centre for creative businesses.

Middleport Pottery is now an award-winning visitor destination based in the heart of the potteries.

Middleport Pottery
https://re-form.org/middleportpottery/middleport-pottery

HISTORY OF HARPER STREET
Harper Street sits within the designated Trent & Mersey Canal conservation area in Stoke-on-Trent. This conservation area has been described as being “of outstanding industrial archaeological importance, both nationally and locally”, due to the presence of early examples of England’s canal network and associated industrial buildings, which include Middleport Pottery.

The terrace typifies pottery workers’ houses built in Stoke-on-Trent in the late 1800s. The corner house at one end of the row is known as the “Lodge Keeper’s House” of Middleport Pottery, as reportedly this was the home of Middleport’s lodge keeper and his family during the early twentieth century. The Lodge Keeper’s House retains much of its original layout.

The houses are intrinsically linked with Middleport Pottery. It is likely that Harper Street was built at the same time or shortly after the construction of Middleport’s factory in 1888, as the houses do not appear on maps of the area predating the factory, however do appear on a later map of 1899. It is known that the Middleport residential area grew in the late 19th century with the erection of factories, as houses were built intended for the increased number of workers brought to the area

Links
Stoke on Trent
https://www.visitstoke.co.uk/

Westport lake  mooring, wildlife haven
https://www.staffs-wildlife.org.uk/explore/our-visitor-centres/westport-lake-visitor-centre

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/places-to-visit/westport-lake

Harecastle tunnel  Links
http://www.thepotteries.org/tour/037.htm

http://www.thepotteries.org/listed/169a.html

"The two canal tunnels at Harecastle are examples of the genius of two eminent engineers, James Brindley (1716-1772) and Thomas Telford (1757-1834). The first tunnel, designed by Brindley, was opened in 1777, some five years after his death. It is 2,897 yards long by 8ft 6in. wide and was in constant use until 1914.
As there was no towpath, "legging" was the only means of propelling the boats. The bargees had to lie on their backs and push against the roof and wall with their feet, taking about three hours to accomplish the hazardous journey. The horses would be led over Harecastle Hill, using the route now known as Boat Horse Road. The opening of the tunnel completed a system of navigation that provided transport for raw materials and manufactured goods at an estimated cost of one-quarter that of land transport.

The proposed introduction of railways necessitated improvement of canal transport, and a decision was made to drive a second tunnel through Harecastle Hill. This runs parallel to Brindley's and was designed by Telford. This disappointing block-shaped building conceals the entrance to this very fine engineering feat. Telford's tunnel runs in a dead straight line for 2,962 yards and consumed nearly 9 million bricks in its construction. It was opened on April 30th, 1827, after 3 years' hard work. The inclusion of a towpath enabled barges to be towed by horse and so accelerated the treacherous journey through the blackness."

Tunnel ghost
https://ludchurchmyblog.wordpress.com/places-of-other-local-interest/the-kidsgrove-hauntings

Old Rebellious Not Out Shop 
https://old-rebellious-not-out.myspreadshop.co.uk/ 
#canal #narrowboat #middleport #pottery #history #victorian#factory #harecastle #tunnel