Sir Stanley Matthews - Telegraph Obituaries Sir Stanley Matthews Sir Stanley Matthews, who has died aged 85, was one of the greatest footballers of any nation and any time. The genius which he deployed for Stoke City, Blackpool and England was quite at odds with the terrier-like endeavours which have too often characterised English football. Blackpool team-mates chair their captain and centre back Harry Johnston, left, and winger Stanley Matthews, right, after Blackpool defeated Bolton Wanderers by four goals to three in the FA Cup Final at Wembley, May 2 1953. Photo: AP 12:01AM GMT 24 Feb 2000 On the field of play, Matthews was the supreme individualist, an unrivalled dribbler of the ball. He not only tormented and destroyed full-backs on a weekly basis but did it with a sportsmanship that emphasised the brilliance he tried to shrug off. "The ball ran for me today," he would tell dazed opponents after the game, as though he genuinely did not understand what all the fuss was about. Few others were in doubt.

In the days before comprehensive television coverage of soccer, Matthews's mere presence on the right wing was enough to add 10,000 to the gate. While he was at Stoke in the Thirties, the average home crowd was 66,000. His career as a player lasted more than 30 years, beginning in 1932 and ending in 1965. His 84 international appearances were between 1934 and 1957. Related Articles Eusébio da Silva Ferreira 05 Jan 2014 Yet Matthews ran on to the field at the beginning of a game as though determined not to cut a figure. One commentator noted "an almost Chinese passivity". In Masters of Soccer, Maurice Edelstone and Terence Delaney, splendidly evoke what followed. "The back, like every other in the game, has heard all about Matthews. He knows that he likes to beat his man by going outside him. He knows that if he rushes his tackle, Matthews will be round him. So he stays near the touchline, watches and retreats. "Matthews continues, in his leisurely way, to bring the ball to him.

Retreat becomes dangerous. Matthews is not very close. The back is within a stride of the ball. Matthews sways to the left. "In that second, with a kind of desperate clarity, we can read the back's mind. It comes to him in a flash that this time Matthews is going inside. The ball is held in the curl of Matthews's right foot and that lean, wonderfully balanced figure has swayed so far to the left that it is almost too late to catch him. "But not quite: he is a quick, strong full-back and he goes across in a swift lunge. There is no one there. Matthews is gone, on the outside again, flying past him, already yards beyond him, imperturbable as ever . . ." The essence of Matthews's dominance was his unparalleled acceleration over 10 yards. Full backs knew that he would feint to go inside them and then whisk by on the outside. They were still powerless to stop him. It required rigorous self-discipline to sustain his speed for so many years. Every day during his professional career his diet was the same: carrot juice at lunch-time, steak with salad for dinner, a fast on Mondays.

And every morning there would be a training run on the beach. Although in one sense the perfect sportsman, Matthews took an aggressive delight in showing his mastery. He might remain stationary with his foot on the ball for 10 seconds or more, daring the opposition to challenge him. The same kind of steel was evident in his attitude to opponents who tried to kick him out of the game. Such malefactors would be refused his handshake after the game - a slight that imported professional obloquy. There were always critics of Matthews's game. Those who complained that his slow, taunting approach gave the defence time to regroup, that he could not be bothered to chase a ball that did not come directly to him, that he was never over-keen on the 50-50 challenge and that he scored surprisingly few goals. Tom Finney, it has been said, was a more versatile player, who scored 30 goals in 76 appearances for England. In 34 post-war internationals, Matthews only registered three - almost as though his art disdained the clinching vulgarity. If Finney was the more consistent all-rounder, no one mesmerised defences like Matthews on his day.

The story goes that, in one international, Stan Mortensen scored from a Matthews centre and gave the winger the thumbs-up sign. Later in the game he did the same from one of Finney's centres from the other wing. This time, though, there was no sign and Finney wanted to know why. When Matthews crossed the ball, Mortensen replied, the lace was facing away from the centre-forward. Such legends were the fruit of a thousand brilliant displays. Nevertheless there were particular triumphs that stood out above the rest. When England played Germany in Berlin in 1938, Goering, Hess, Ribbentrop and Goebbels assembled to witness the victory of the Fatherland and watched unsmiling as Matthews tore the German defence to pieces, even scoring himself in England's 6-3 victory. "A fellow like Matthews risks everything and can do everything," the German magazine Fussball proclaimed in wonderment. The winger put in another astonishing display for England against Scotland at Maine Road, Manchester, in 1943, with Denis Compton on the other wing. When Matthews scored the final goal in England's 8-0 victory, even some Scottish players could scarcely forbear to cheer.

On to the Cup Final of 1953. With 20 minutes to go, Blackpool were 1-3 down to Bolton. Up to this point, Matthews had had a quiet game. Now, as the defence tired, he became irresistible. Mortensen netted one of his crosses and then scored again from a free kick. In injury time, Matthews ghosted past two defenders before cutting the ball back for Perry, who hammered home the winner. Outside Bolton, the entire country rejoiced. At 38, Matthews still had 12 more years in the game. Playing against Brazil at Wembley in 1956, he made Nilton Santos, one of the greatest Brazilian defenders, look like a novice. England won 4-2 and the same Brazilian side, with the not unimportant addition of Pele, won the 1958 World Cup. The third of four sons, Stanley Matthews was born on Feb 1, 1915, at Hanley, one of the five towns of the Potteries. His father, a barber, would work in his shop from 8am to 9pm, and then train for his other career, that of professional boxer.

A featherweight, notably quick on his feet, and believed to be the last professional to enter the ring with a waxed moustache, Jack Matthews fought some 350 bouts, many of 20 rounds, and lost only nine times. Young Stanley first made his mark as a sprinter. He learnt his football on "Meakins' Square", a rough piece of ground alongside the local pottery and, by the time he was six or seven, the locals were making detours to watch his astonishing skills with the ball. At Wellington School, Hanley, his team would win by embarrassing totals such as 18-0. In 1929 he was chosen to represent England Schoolboys versus the Rest, and then England Schoolboys against Wales. On leaving school, Matthews became a bricklayer's apprentice and worked in the barber's shop in the evening, lathering customers in preparation for their shave. In 1930 he joined Stoke as a ground boy. The atmosphere was rigidly hierarchical.

"One morning, I went into the dressing room and said, `Good morning'," Matthews remembered, "and the senior players threw me into the bath with my clothes on to teach me a lesson." He had two games for Stoke reserves when he was 15 and next season, 1931-32, turned out for the reserves 22 times. In 1932, he signed as a professional with a salary of pounds 5 a week in winter and pounds 3 a week in summer. After his first game for the first team, away against Bury, Huddersfield offered pounds 5,000 to sign him. By the 1933-34 season, Matthews was playing regularly for the first team. Stoke were promoted to the First Division, with Matthews scoring 15 goals (11 in the League), a total he would never beat. The directors of the club celebrated by giving every player a three-piece suit. In March 1934, Matthews was selected to play for the Rest against England at Roker Park. He formed a memorable partnership with Raich Carter and the understudies thrashed their seniors 7-1.

But though Matthews made his international debut against Wales in 1934 and later that year played against Italy and Germany, he did not make an auspicious beginning for England, and after the Germany game (in which he missed an open goal) was dropped until 1937. On the outbreak of hostilities the War Office decreed that leading players should continue to entertain the public. Matthews joined the RAF, was posted to Blackpool and played in internationals against Scotland and Wales throughout the war. Afterwards, the emergence of Tom Finney and a series of injuries, caused a temporary diminution of Matthews's reputation. There were differences with Bob McGrory, the Stoke manager, who was in no hurry to bring Matthews back into the side. In 1947 Matthews was transferred to Blackpool (where he was already living) for pounds 11,500. At his new club, he formed a potent partnership with Mortensen, though Blackpool lost two Cup Finals - in 1948 to Manchester United, and in 1951 to Newcastle - before triumphing in 1953. Blackpool were a major force in the First Division throughout the Fifties.

Matthews remained with the club until 1961 when, aged 46, he was transferred back to Stoke for pounds 3,500. Stoke were then languishing near the bottom of the Second Division with an average home gate of 7,000. For Matthews's return, against Huddersfield, there was a crowd of 35,000. The club were able to buy new players and in 1962-63 won the Second Division championship and gained promotion to the First Division - emulating the triumph of Matthews's youth 30 years before. In 1963, Matthews was given the freedom of Stoke. He was appointed CBE in 1957 and knighted in the New Year's Honours of 1965. It was thus as Sir Stanley that he played his last game for Stoke, against Fulham on Feb 6, 1965. This was five days after his 50th birthday and he became the oldest player ever to appear in a First Division match. Spurning offers of international tours, Matthews became the manager of Port Vale, then a Fourth Division side. This proved a disastrous interlude.

In 1968, due to a proposal to pay an illegal bonus to the players and to a failure to pay registration fees, the club was fined pounds 2,000 and expelled from the League. Having remarried, Matthews went to live for a while in Malta, where he managed a local club team. Matthews's skill and experience was imparted on tours of Canada, Australia and Africa but largely lost to his own country. In 1987 Matthews (together with Alan Ayckbourn) was presented with an honorary degree by Keele University, and in the same year a statue was unveiled in Hanley. "I'm no hero," he protested. "Doctors and nurses are heroes. We had a real hero born in Stoke, Reginald Mitchell, who designed the Spitfire. He saved Britain. Now that's what I call a hero." In 1990, Matthews was made president of Stoke City Football Club. He married first, in 1935 (dissolved 1975) Elizabeth ("Betty") Vallance. They had a son and a daughter, both of whom became excellent tennis players.

He married secondly, in 1975, Mila Winterova. Published February 24 2000 Stoke-on-trent: Freddie of the five towns - Telegraph Central England Stoke-on-trent: Freddie of the five towns Freddie Jones the actor tells Brian Pedley about growing up in the Potteries, where a sulphur fog hung over the back-to-back houses but community spirit prevailed 12:00AM BST 29 Aug 1998 STOKE-ON-TRENT never misses opportunities to pay tribute to the favourite sons of the Potteries. Arnold Bennett has a wall-mounted memorial, Stanley Matthews has a footballing statue, Reginald Mitchell is remembered with one of his Spitfires. It seemed only fair, when the centenary of film was being celebrated in 1996, that Freddie Jones should be accorded a plaque in his native Longton. Jones has been acclaimed internationally as a character actor. His credits range from epic films such as Antony and Cleopatra and Far From the Madding Crowd to television series such as Pennies From Heaven and Inspector Morse. When the honour was first suggested, however, he was embarrassed.

"I thought I'd made only about 30 films - and considered myself unworthy," he says. "I received a fan letter asking me to check a list of my films. I counted 63 altogether - twice as many as I'd thought. Some were rubbish, but some were great, including my leading role for Fellini [in And the Ship Sails On]. So I thought, 'Yes, I've thoroughly justified my plaque.' " And there it hangs, in the newly refurbished Longton Town Hall, beneath the magnificent green-tiled staircase, by the covered market where freshly griddled Staffordshire oatcakes teeter in warm stacks. In nearby Burslem, as Jones diced with the pelican crossings, a van driver thrust his head out of his vehicle to shout "Hi, Freddie". Lately of Stratford, Hollywood and Europe, the burly, silver-bearded gent with the fedora and raffishly knotted bow tie was delighted to be home again. "On my return visits, I just walk around on my own and remember places and characters that have gone," he says.

"It's what I call my 'ghost hunting'." As the home of Royal Doulton, Wedgwood and Spode, Jones's city was shaped, glazed and fired into greatness. The great legacy of Arnold Bennett, whose first novel was published 100 years ago this year, has been to remind the world of its undying debt to "The Five Towns" of England's Potteries. Stoke-on-Trent is, in fact, a federation of six towns. Ribbon-like, they run a mere six miles from north to south, from Tunstall, to Burslem, Hanley, Stoke, Fenton and Longton, where Jones was born in 1927. Thanks to Bennett, there are even more literary references here than in Hardy's Wessex. In Edwardian Burslem, reinvented as "Bursley", the Old Town Hall was where Denry Machin, of The Card, had the temerity to dance with the Countess of Chell. Come the Millennium, it will house Ceramica, a £3.3 million celebration of Burslem as "The Mother Town of the Potteries".

The building itself is the true glory, however, with its columns, carriage arch and sumptuous four-faced clock tower. Above it all, a gleaming gilded angel radiates the same purity that pierced the poisonous pall of the towering bottle-shaped kilns of pre-war Stoke. "The air was so thick you could chew it at times," says Jones. "When it was moist it contained sulphuric acid from the coal-burning kilns. Your eyes stung merely from being out of doors." Burslem's venerable old pub, The Tiger, features in at least a dozen of Bennett's stories. Historically, it was where Josiah Wedgwood met James Brindley to discuss the logistics of the new Trent and Mersey Canal. Now, at lunchtimes, flat-capped old gentlemen puff pipes, nursing halves of Bass, while office girls swig from bottles.

Above this homely hubbub, Jones evoked a ghost or two, not of authors, potters or canal builders, but of his mother, Ida, pub pianist of renown: "She played piano in Longton the way most people play rugby, as though she had a grudge against it." In this most sublimely atmospheric of establishments, with its stained-glass windows and floors that really do appear to slope, Ida and friends were made flesh. "You'd get a long row of women, sitting there with a sort of smug self-satisfaction . . ." Hands clasped across his belly and smiling beatifically, Jones bravely depicted the maturing flower of local womanhood. "My mother's piano would start and a single disembodied voice would spontaneously pick up the tune . . . As if possessed, the voice of the actor soared to a strangulated, smoke-laden soprano that was not of this pub. ". . . then, like Siegfried Sassoon's poem, 'Suddenly everyone burst out singing . . .' " Downhill in bustling Hanley, outside the Theatre Royal, he recalled his own early performances.

"My first sense of the total magic of the theatre was here - for one glorious week with a Scout Gang Show. Maybe it was something to do with the terrific dramatic contrast between the vividly lit stage and the dark bowels of back stage." We paid homage at the statue of Sir Stanley, whom Freddie watched as a boy, and found the inscription particularly stirring: "His name is symbolic of the beauty of the game, his fame timeless and international . . . a magical player of the people for the people." Once, a souvenir hunter stole away with the maestro's bronze ball. So fierce was the outcry that three days later the ball turned up in a telephone box with a scrawled message of apology. Stoke is rightly proud of its heroes, footballing or otherwise, and of a local industry that dates from 2000 BC. Next year's Spode Bicentenary will commemorate 200 years of producing fine bone china. Royal Doulton, Spode, Wedgwood and Portmeirion all have lavish visitor centres, while a new £6 million centre being created at Wedgwood will be Europe's largest industrial visitor attraction. "You can always tell someone who comes from the Potteries," Jones maintains.

"They're the ones who start lifting dishes in restaurants to see the name underneath." His father worked in electrical ceramics, and two of his aunts were free-hand painters. "The climax of their career was painting a magnificent bone china dinner service for the marriage of Queen Elizabeth that had a superb letter 'E' with a tiny crown - all in 24-carat gold," he says. But there was a dark side to life among the saggar makers, jolleyers, jiggers, fettlers and blungers and other trades so peculiar to The Potteries. "The colours and glazes had lead in them, so lead poisoning was always a risk. When ware was placed for firing, they used ground silica to form a buffer between the pieces. So they contracted silicosis." Hundreds died from a debilitating lung disease known as "potter's rot". In 1900, the average age of Longton's adults at death was 46. One in four children died in infancy. Of the bottle ovens, only 37 survive from the 2,000 that seared the North Staffordshire skies.

Four are preserved at the Gladstone Museum in Longton, as monuments to an age when every cloud had a sulphur lining. "I've been lost 200 yards from my home because of a yellow fog that was almost palpable," Jones recalls. With mallards and Canada geese resenting our interruptions, we toured Longton's handsome Victorian park where the young Freddie fished, sailed his toy boat and watched costumed pageants. The actor made his own performing debut in a local Church of England Primary School. "It was a recitation, 'Under a toadstool fast asleep, lay a wee dormouse all in a heap . . .' My late mother dined out on it." The school survives, as does the narrow back-to-back street where he was born. "I learnt to ride a bicycle along this street. My father held it by the saddle, then let go. I turned around and found that he wasn't there . . ." The house where the Jones family lived for more than 30 years is no longer standing, but enough of Villiers Street remains for ghosts to be roused successfully: the old lady who brewed herb beer; another who washed and laid out corpses.

"A lady came out when I walked along here once, saying, 'It's Freddie Jones, isn't it?' And then I said, 'Listen, you've not got to be offended . . . but you were one of the very earliest sexual fantasies of me and all my friends . . . We used to wonder at your loveliness and femininity.' She said: 'Are you pulling my leg?' I said: 'No, I promise you, it's the truth.' And she said: 'Well, thank you very much.' " The actor told how his grandfather once interrupted lunch to go out and help a small boy who had come to the door complaining that his kite wouldn't fly. "He put more tail on the kite and flew it down that little street," he said. "And that's what I call beauty, love and 'community'. I'm sorry to go on, but that's what it all means to me. It's what I can relate to. I will continue coming back. People always accuse me of being over dependent upon it emotionally, and think that I should forget it. But that's not me. I'll keep hunting my ghosts." all about Stoke-on-Trent in 5 minutes...

Quick facts & figures The city now named Stoke-on-Trent was officially born on the 31st March 1910, with the Federation of the Six Towns. This brought together the boroughs of Hanley, Burslem, Longton and Stoke, together with the districts of Tunstall and Fenton. Stoke was chosen as the seat of power, despite the fact that Hanley, and indeed Burslem, had been far better established since Edwardian times. The legacy of this union lives on undiminished, as locals will refer to 'the Potteries', meaning the various towns, rather than the official title of 'Stoke-on-Trent'. Tourism is very strong in the Potteries: Large recent developments include the Potteries Shopping Centre in Hanley, and the entertainment complex, Festival Park. The Art Deco Regent Theatre has reopened after renovation, The Wedgwood Story, a ï¿½4.5 million interactive tour, new for 2000 is located at the Wedgwood site. The theme park Alton Towers is easily accessible from Stoke, while the Peak District National Park and the Staffordshire Moorlands are a short drive from the city.

Wedgwood Factories His work, and that of other famous 18th-century Staffordshire potters, such as Joseph Spode I , Thomas Minton , the Wood family , and Thomas Whieldon , helped make the area synonymous with ceramics. This position was confirmed when, in around 1800, Spodeï¿½s son, Josiah Spode II , developed a fine bone china (porcelain containing bone ash) that was cheap to produce and eminently marketable. His success ensured the Potteries domination in subsequent porcelain production. The industryï¿½s growth was also aided by the opening, in 1777, of the Grand Trunk Canal (now the Trent and Mersey Canal), which provided an outlet to the ports at Hull and Liverpool in order to transport raw materials into the city and for the export of the finished ware. Bottle Kilns Nothing set the Potteries sky-line apart more than the weird bottle shaped brick buildings that looked for all the world like they had been borrowed from a fairytale scene.

Experts calculate that in the heyday there were up to 4,000 bottle kilns with as many as 2,000 still standing in the 1950's. The Clean Air Act sounded the death-knell for the smoky, coal fired oven. There are 46 still standing today - most are listed buildings . Growth of the city: By the 19th century the villages of the Potteries had grown into sizeable towns, of which Burslem was the largest. Calls for them to be amalgamated into one administrative unit began as early as 1817. Administrative rationalization began in 1857, when the towns of Hanley and Shelton were combined into the borough of Hanley. In 1865 Longton and Long End became the borough of Longton; and in 1874 the towns of Stoke, Penkhull, and Boothen were brought together as the borough of Stoke-upon-Trent (generally known as Stoke). Two other towns, Fenton and Tunstall, gained urban district status in the 1890s.

In 1910 the rationalization process was completed when Burslem, Hanley, Longton, Stoke, Fenton, and Tunstall were brought together to form the county borough of Stoke-on-Trent, the largest such amalgamation ever to occur in Britain. In 1925 Stoke-on-Trent gained city status. Today: Stoke-on-Trent is still the centre of the British ceramic industry, and is the largest clayware producer in the world, other local industries include chemical works, rubber works and tyre manufacturing (Mitchelin Tyre Co.), engineering plants, paper mills, textile processing, and electronics. The site of an old colliery and other reclaimed land is being planted as the Central Forest Park. Stoke-on-Trent was the site of the first National Garden Festival in 1985; the site was subsequently developed into the Festival Park, a business area where some 3,000 jobs have been created.

Major pottery manufacturers include: Pictures of Stoke-on-Trent Pictures of Stoke-on-Trent Pictures Accommodation Towns Attractions Reviews Facts Map Upload Town known best as "the potteries" but in reality Stoke-on-Trent is a 1906 amalgamation of six towns, each of which still maintain their own individuality and character. Of the other five towns, Tunstall, Burslem, Fenton, Longton, and Hanley, most have associations with the manufacture of fine pottery and porcelain, with Hanley being particularly noted as a substantial centre for shopping. It could be said that Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) made the Potteries, he was the greatest single figure of his period to influence the area, he is best known for his classical blue and white Jasper ware. He was also a scientist and became a Fellow of the Royal Society for his invention of the pyrometer, which measures extreme heat. Arnold Bennett, the novelist made Stoke-on-Trent famous, he used it as a back-drop for his rich portrayal of "Five Towns" he was born in Hanley in 1867.

In many of his stories he recalls the potteries of his youth, he left the area when London and fame beckoned in 1889 at the age of 21. Today, visitors to the area can visit a unique museum where they can witness how 19th-century potters worked. The Gladstone Museum in Longton is the only surviving complete Victorian pottery factory from the days when coal burning bottle ovens made the finest English bone-china. Decorative porcelain from this period continues to fetch high prices and gets shipped all over the world. You can also see the famous statue dedicated to Stoke-on-Trent's 20th-century hero, Sir Stanley Matthews, the great football legend. Another "giant" of the region was Reginald Mitchell (1895-1937). Mitchell was born in a local village, he famously designed the Spitfire - the greatest of the World War II fighting planes. In Hanley, Mitchell is honoured with a theatre and a centre for education. At the City Museum there is an actual Spitfire and outside the museum is a statue of Mitchell.

Trentham Gardens is a superb visitor attraction, at its heart lie gardens laid out by Capability Brown, these overlook the mile-long waters of Trentham Lake. The whole of the pleasure grounds encompass over 700 acres, including woodland and a monkey forest! The Festival Marina at Stoke-on-Trent is one of the Trent and Mersey canal's most popular destinations. It offers a wide range of facilities for boaters including narrow boat hire and moorings. The marina is amidst the re-developed National Garden Site, offering a range of activities including the exciting Water World, dry ski slope, cinema, ten pin bowling and a shopping centre. Ford Green Hall is the oldest house in the city, it can be found in Thorne Green Road, it is the perfect example of an Elizabethan half-timbered manor house of around 1580. The house was the home of the Ford family for over two centuries. Today it is a museum with an outstanding collection of rich furnishings, including an Elizabethan four poster bed, ceramics and textiles. The Victoria Hall and the Regent Theatre are great centres for culture, offering the very best of entertainment and suites for corporate entertaining.

Today, Stoke-on-Trent has a multi-cultural society. The city is proud of its history and heritage, and of the fact that people of all nationalities gather together to take the city forward into the 21st-century. For those wishing to explore the Potteries there are excellent hotels, pubs, inns, and restaurants. Several museums tell the storey of Stoke-on-Trent and of the potteries in general. The town has spacious green areas for relaxing after a round sight seeing or shopping. Planning a visit to Stoke-on-Trent? Please support the Pictures of England website by booking your Stoke-on-Trent hotels & accommodation through this site. in the county of Staffordshire (5.9 miles, 9.5 km, direction N of Stoke-on-Trent) The sheer scale of the height of this village with the quaint sounding name has made it famous, for it is believed that on a clear day the hill is visible to no less than five counties...

in the county of Staffordshire (8.2 miles, 13.1 km, direction NE of Stoke-on-Trent) A pretty village with a delightful cluster of cottages and houses with lovely gardens, bordered by woods at the south end of the picturesque Rudyard Reservoir... in the county of Staffordshire (9.2 miles, 14.8 km, direction E of Stoke-on-Trent) Attractively situated on the banks of the Caldon Canal in the beautiful Churnet Valley. Froghall offers visitors the opportunity to experience a diverse range of landscapes including fine watermeadows with a wealth of wildlife... in the county of Staffordshire (12.8 miles, 20.6 km, direction E of Stoke-on-Trent) The village has many elegant stone buildings, and there is a circular lock-up and the romantic ruins of a 12th-century castle... a Historic Market Town in the county of Cheshire (14.2 miles, 22.8 km, direction W of Stoke-on-Trent) Today, Nantwich is a busy bustling place of business and commerce that still manages to retain its unique 'Elizabethan' flavour...

The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery (1 Pictures) (0.4 miles, 0.6 km) This is the foremost museum for fine porcelain produced over several centuries in the famous potteries of Staffordshire. Here,..... Monkey Forest (7 Pictures) (4.2 miles, 6.8 km, direction S) This is an outstanding tourist attraction for children and adults of all ages. Here, in a vast wilderness of trees 140 Barbary..... Trentham Gardens (12 Pictures) (4.2 miles, 6.8 km, direction S) These pictures are of the garden and lake of Trentham Gardens, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. This was the former home of the..... (5.4 miles, 8.6 km, direction N) .. (6.2 miles, 9.9 km, direction N) .. (7.2 miles, 11.5 km, direction NE) .. Biddulph Grange Garden (42 Pictures) (7.4 miles, 11.8 km, direction N) This remarkable garden surrounds a grand house with a history of fluctuating fortunes. The gardens were originally the creation.....

BBC - Stoke & Staffordshire - Bennett statue near completion 15:13 GMT, Monday, 29 March 2010 16:13 UK Bennett statue near completion The sculpting of a full-size figure of the Potteries writer Arnold Bennett has completed its early stages. A prototype, created from Staffordshire red clay, has been finished by the makers. With the mould from it in place, the final resin figure could be on display in time for the next Bennett anniversary in 2011. The statue will stand in Burslem, the setting for many of Bennett's greatest works. Bennett The author Arnold Bennett was born in Hanley in what is now Stoke-on-Trent in 1867. His reputation as one of England's greatest realist writers was firmly established by his death in 1931 - but it is especially for his depictions of the Potteries that he is best known. Books like Anna of The Five Towns and Clayhanger mean that he is the most famous of all the area's literary heroes. The new statue shows Bennett at the age he would have been in 1910 when he was at the height of his powers.

The year 1910 is also the year in which the six towns of the district federated into the one area of Stoke-on-Trent. Though there are plaques in Stoke-on-Trent remembering the writer, this is the first statue tribute to him in the city. The figure will serve a double purpose in not only remembering Bennett, but also the city's cultural heroes: Stoke-on-Trent is one of the few cities with no public statue of a literary figure. Statue The first work on the statue began a decade ago, when a version of the sculpture's head was taken to Paris to be approved by Bennett's daughter Virginia Eldin. After a series of negotiations, work started at the Burslem Art School on the body late in 2009, when sculptors Michael Talbot and Carl Payne were commissioned to make a sitting figure. The now-finished clay version is quarter size larger than life. Although composed of resin, the finished statue will appear to be bronze, and will become an exhibit at the Ceramica Museum in Burslem. Both Michael Talbot and Carl Payne have already contributed sculptures to Stoke-on-Trent's public spaces.

Michael Talbot created the Baskeyfield VC and Reginald Mitchell sculptures and Carl Payne was behind the figure of Stanley Matthews at the Britannia Stadium. Sponsorship The fund-raising to pay for the statue is being managed by the Arnold Bennett Society through private donations. At the foot of the statue will be a pile of books - each one showing the title of one of his novels, but with space for sponsors' names on a book spine. Photos of Stoke-on-Trent - Beautiful England Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent can be confusing to a visitor, particularly a motorist who is unfamiliar with the history of the City. Stoke-on-Trent is a city created in 1925 from an amalgamation of six towns, one of which is Stoke, which still exists. It is also known as the Potteries. Stoke-on-Trent is the name given to this amalgamation in 1910. The six towns are Stoke, Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton and Tunstall. However, the city is often known as "the city of five towns".

This name was created by Arnold Bennett (Enoch Arnold Bennett) in his "five towns novels" the first of which, 'Anna of the Five Towns', was published in 1902 and followed by 'The Old Wives' Tale' in 1908 and 'Clayhanger' in 1910. These tell the social and industrial history of the pottery workers. Bennett believed the 'five towns' sounded better than six and omitted Fenton. Stoke-on-Trent is situated halfway between Manchester and Birmingham, surrounded by beautiful countryside, the Peak District National Park to the north and the Shropshire Hills to the south. Stoke-on-Trent is world famous for pottery manufacturing. The production of ceramics originated in the 17th century, although pots had been made here since the 15th century. The abundance of quick-burning coal, clay, salt and lead, provided the raw materials necessary for the manufacture of pottery. Brands such as Wedgwood, Doulton, Spode and Minton are renowned throughout the world for the skill of their workers and the pottery they produced. Tragically many factories have closed and left England to manufacture overseas where production costs are cheaper.

It is heartbreaking to gaze upon the vast derelict Royal Doulton site in Nile Street, Burslem and to realise the number of skilled potters that were left unemployed. In 1769, Josiah Wedgwood, the father of English Potters, built the largest factory in Britain at Etruria, Burslem. Production continued until 1940 when a new factory was built at Barlaston outside the City. Here at the Wedgwood Visitor Centre and Museum, 250 years of history, craftmanship and creativity can be experienced. The original factory was demolished in 1960. The site is now used by the local paper, "Evening Sentinel", as a production plant. All that remains is the Roundhouse. Etruria Hall, the Wedgwood family home and where Josiah Wedgwood died in 1795, is now part of the Moat House Hotel. The canal system is a prominent feature of the Stoke area. Now much used for leisure purposes, development helped to expand the pottery industry by providing an outlet to the ports of Hull and Liverpool, transporting raw materials into the city. The boats were towed along the canals by horses.

Before the 18th century, Staffordshire did not have any navigable rivers although the Trent and Severn were close at hand. By the 1760s the Duke of Bridgewater had built a canal between Manchester and Runcorn. James Brindley, the Duke's engineer, was employed to survey and construct Staffordshire's first canal, the Trent and Mersey, in 1766. Other canals soon followed, of which the Caldon, Newcastle, Uttoxeter and Staffordshire are examples. The Etruria Industrial Museum is located at the junction of the Caldon and the Trent and Mersey Canals. Here are the bone and flint crushing works of Jesse Shirley and Sons, which illustrates the importance of the canal network. Stoke-on-Trent is famous for its pottery industry and the hundreds of distinctive bottle ovens and the smoke emanating from them dominated the city's skyline in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Only approximately fifty remain as part of museums. The pollution which they produced and the detrimental effect on the workers' health, is well known. Pottery workers lived close to their workplace.

Women and young children all worked in the industries, as late as the 1920s. In 1910 the largest cause of death in Stoke-on-Trent was respiratory disease. The quality of life in the Potteries has been greatly improved since the 1950s. Although unemployment remains a problem, air pollution has vastly improved and leisure facilities, e.g. parks and swimming pools, have been created from the slag heaps and other remains of the coal industry. Burslem is known as the "Mother Town of the Potteries", using local clays for materials and local coal for firing. Burslem was a centre for pottery manufacture. In 1832, there were 205 bottle ovens and although not working, a few can still be seen at Moorcroft Heritage Visitor Centre, Moorland and Burleigh. Burslem town centre has a number of interesting sites and buildings. Many of the buildings in use date from the late 18th and early 19th century periods. Arnold Bennett, the novelist, although born in Hanley, spent his childhood in Burslem, or "Bursley" as he called it in his 'Five Towns Novels'.

Many of the buildings he used in his novels, 'Clayhanger' and 'The Old Wives' Tale', still survive. He left the Potteries in 1889 to pursue a career in journalism and whilst he never returned to live there, as a chronicler of the people and places of the Potteries, he has achieved for Stoke-on-Trent, a permanent place in English literature. His ashes are buried in Burslem. Robbie Williams, the singer, spent his early years in the Red Lion pub, in the centre of Burslem, run by his mother. His acting debut was as 'The Artful Dodger' in 'Oliver' at the Queens Theatre, just down the road from his home. Hanley is the commercial centre of the City. The vast Potteries Shopping Centre attracts shoppers from the wide regional catchment area. Here in the 1900s, were the bottle ovens and their smoke, which dominated the skyline. It is still possible to visualise this from Century Street. Portland Street, adjoining Century Street, where my Father was born, is typical of the streets containing workers houses. His Father worked at the Shelton Iron and Steel Works.

Just a short walk from the Potteries Shopping Centre is Central Forest Park, a vast park of 80 acres, containing a lake, 40,000 trees and the biggest skateboard park in Europe and a hill 700 feet high, from which can be seen the Pennines, eleven miles away. The Park was constructed from the reclaimed coal spoil heap of Hanley Deep Pit Colliery, which was the largest coal mine in Hanley, until it closed in 1962. The Park opened in 1976. Hanley has given birth to many notable people. Arnold Bennett was born here in 1867, before moving to Burslem. Edward John Smith, (1850-1912) captain of the ill-fated 'Titanic', rose from humble origins to become the White Star Line's principal captain. Sir Stanley Matthews CBE, one of the most respected English footballers of all time, was born in Hanley in 1915 and played for Stoke City and England. There is a statue of him in the shopping area.

Reginald Mitchell, designer of the World War II Spitfire, was born at Butt Lane, Hanley in 1895. Tragically, he died at an early age, before his famous design flew. Throughout the 1920s, his designs repeatedly broke the air speed record. Fenton was a quiet town compared with its neighbours, to which it was connected by trams. It is short of landmarks, but has a fine Town Hall, built in 1888. The Samuel Radford China Works still existed in 1950. Stoke-on-Trent dominated the other five towns, as it was the controlling parish of the area. Set in a valley, it had the early advantage of canal transport and later, the main railway station for the area. It remains the administrative core of the six towns. Longton, known as Lane End, was a major centre for bone china production and contains the only complete Victorian Pottery factory in England, preserved as the Gladstone Pottery Museum. Here Gladstone's famous bottle ovens dominate the skyline and in the original workshops surrounding the cobbled courtyard, visitors can see how the potters would have prepared and decorated the pottery.

The doctor's house gives an idea of the diseases suffered by workers in the Potteries. Tunstall is the most northern of the six towns. Arnold Bennett called it "Turnhill" in his novels. It stands on a ridge surrounded by old tile making and brick making sites, some of which probably date back to the middle ages. All the bottle kilns have now gone, but Tunstall was the home of the ceramic tile manufacturer H. and R. Johnson – Richards Tiles Ltd. Sammy Bells Sammy Bells Skip to secondary content Stoke-on-Trent – a brief history Stoke-on-Trent is an unusual place; a federated city comprised of five – possibly six – separate towns, it was founded on a rich industrial heritage, being predominantly known for the production of ceramics. Generally the city is known as the Staffordshire Potteries, or just the Potteries. Growth of the city: By the 19th century the villages of the Potteries had grown into sizeable towns, of which Burslem was the largest. Calls for them to be amalgamated into one administrative unit began as early as 1817.

Administrative rationalisation began in 1857, when the towns of Hanley and Shelton were combined into the borough of Hanley. In 1865 Longton and Long End became the borough of Longton; and in 1874 the towns of Stoke, Penkhull, and Boothen were brought together as the borough of Stoke-upon-Trent (generally known as Stoke). Two other towns, Fenton and Tunstall, gained urban district status in the 1890s. In 1910 the rationalization process was completed when Burslem, Hanley, Longton, Stoke, Fenton, and Tunstall were brought together to form the county borough of Stoke-on-Trent, the largest such amalgamation ever to occur in Britain. In 1925 Stoke-on-Trent gained city status. Today: Stoke-on-Trent is still the centre of the British ceramic industry, and is the largest clayware producer in the world, other local industries include chemical works, rubber works and tyre manufacturing (Michelin Tyre Co.), engineering plants, paper mills, textile processing, and electronics.

The site of an old colliery and other reclaimed land is being planted as the Central Forest Park. Stoke-on-Trent was the site of the first National Garden Festival in 1985; the site was subsequently developed into the Festival Park, a business area where some 3,000 people now work. Stoke-on-Trent – population c.240,000 – is a city and unitary authority in the west-central belt of England. It forms part of the county of Staffordshire, and is located on the River Trent in the north-west of the county near the border with Cheshire. Until April 1, 1997, Stoke-on-Trent was administratively part of Staffordshire, with local government responsibilities divided between the county council and the city council. On that date, it was administratively separated from the rest of the county, becoming a unitary authority. Under the new arrangement, Stoke-on-Trent city council is responsible for all local government services, including those previously provided by the county council. However, the city remains part of Staffordshire geographically, and for ceremonial and related purposes.

People: The Potteries are particularly associated with the literary work of Arnold Bennett (born in Hanley, 1867), notably through his “Five Towns” novels; Bennett refused to acknowledge that Fenton, the sixth town of the Potteries, was a town at all. Statue of Sir Stanley Matthews in Hanley Other notable people associated with Stoke-on-Trent include: Captain E. J. Smith, the captain of the Titanic, who went down with his ship; Reginald Mitchell, the designer of the World War II fighter plane, the Spitfire; The footballer Sir Stanley Matthews, who began his career in the 1930s playing for Stoke City; Lemmy from Motorhead; Hanley - one of the Six Towns of Stoke-on-Trent Hanley - one of the Six Towns of Stoke-on-Trent "The streets were lively with the red and blue colours of politics. The Liberal member for the Parliamentary borough of Handbridge, which included Bursley, had died very suddenly, and the seat was being disputed by the previously defeated Conservative candidate and a new Labour candidate officially adopted by the Liberal party. The Tories has sworn not to be beaten again in the defence of the integrity of the Empire.

And though they had the difficult and delicate task of persuading a large industrial constituency that an industrial representative would not further industrial interests, and that they alone were actuated by unselfish love for the people, yet they had made enormous progress in a very brief period, and publicans were jubilant and bars sloppy." The aspect of the affair that did not quite please the Society for the prosecution of Felons, was that the polling had been fixed for the day after its annual dinner, instead of the day before. Powerful efforts had been made 'in the proper quarter' to get the date conveniently arranged, but without success; after all, the seat of authority was Hanbridge and not Bursley." Bottle Kilns in Hanley - 1930 in the bottom right corner is the former ground of Port Vale Football Club photo: Times On-Line Archive Staffordshire's potteries working at full blast 'At Hanley, Staffs, one of the original Five Towns made famous by Arnold Bennettï¿½s novels, kilns and smokestacks are seen working at full blast in this scene observed from above by the camera in 1930.

Hanley was an important manufacturer of china and earthenware from the 18th century onwards. Since 1910 with the other Potteries towns, it has been subsumed in the borough of Stoke on Trent, but is still an important commercial and ceramics centre' Following on from Tunstall and Burslem, Hanley dominates the next hill on the road south and was an important mining town surrounded by colliery spoil tips which have now been landscaped and reclaimed, (The main area being 'Central Forest Park'). Hanley became the main shopping centre of the Potteries when, in 1910, it became a federated city with the merger of all six towns. Nowadays the town boasts a large shopping centre and the city's Cultural Quarter comprising two splendidly refurbished theatres, the The Regent, along with one of the country's best concert venues, the Victoria Hall Amongst some of the famous people born in Hanley are football legend Sir Stanley Matthews and Captain E. J. Smith, the captain of the ill-fated Titanic. The centre of Hanley retains its 'village roots' and is made up of "an archipelago of island sites".

It is the main shopping area with many 'high street' names both in the town streets and shopping centre. On the site of the old Bell pottery stands the Potteries Museum which houses one of the largest and most important ceramics collection in the world. The museum also contains a Spitfire airplane - a tribute to the designer Reginald Mitchell who was born in the City. Lord of the Manor... "Bagnall, Esq. of London, is lord of the manor, and holds a court baron once a year; the King, as Duke of Lancaster, holds also a court baron once in the same period; and a court is held once a fortnight, for the recovery of debts under forty shillings." "HANLEY a large modern town and chapelry, in the parish of Stoke, is about two miles east by north of Newcastle, and ranks next to Burslem in size, extent and opulence. The town is in an elevated situation, and the streets forming which are irregular, but many of the houses are well built.

The chapelry contained, in 1821, 5,622 inhabitants." 1828 journal "Hanley, the most populous town in North Staffordshire, is generally described as the capital of the Potteries, a title to which it has certainly the greatest pretensions; ........ it has during the present century made such strides in the art, as to overtake and pass all competitors. At the census of 1891, the population of the municipal borough reached the total of 54,846; and such is the prosperity of the district, that at the present time this number has been very largely increased. 1893 journal Dates in the history of Hanley 1227 - Hanley known as 'Hanlih'. The name means either a high wood, or a clearing in that wood. 1297 - References to coal mining at Shelton. 1685 - Thomas Miles of Shelton was producing white stone ware. 1766 - Josiah Wedgwood I purchased the Ridgehouse Estate and built a new factory there (opened on 13 June 1769).

This factory was the nucleus of an industrial village which he called Etruria. 1769 - Josiah Wedgwood I opened his factory in Etruria (on the side of what was to be the Trent and Mersey Canal). 1770 - Josiah Wedgwood I completes the building of Etruria Hall. 1825 - Earliest gas works in the Potteries opened in Shelton's Lower Bedford Street, under the ownership of the British Gaslight Company, to supply Hanley and Stoke. 1857 - The townships of Hanley and Shelton, forming a portion of the parish of Stoke-upon-Trent, were incorporated to constitute the municipal borough of Hanley. 1869 - The Queen's Hotel in Albion Street Hanley build to the design of Robert Scrivener. It was acquired by the Hanley County Borough in 1888 and became the new Town Hall. 1888 - The Queen's Hotel in Albion Street, Hanley converted by Hanley County Borough for use as Hanley's Town Hall. The Victoria Hall, built on the rear was opened.

Victoria Hall was built to the designs of Hanley's Borough Surveyor, Joseph Lobley to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. 1891 - The population of the municipal borough of Hanley was 54,846. 1905 - Birches Head and part of Sneyd Green were added to Hanley. 1911 - Population- Hanley: 66,255. Hanley, Staffordshire Local Area Guide by Reeds Rains Local area guide Reeds Rains Estate Agents Hanley, Staffordshire Branch DetailsDetailsDetails Branch ServicesServicesServices Find Property for saleProperty for saleFor sale Find Property for rentProperty for rentFor rent Local area guideArea guideArea guide Branch NewsNewsNews Hanley is one of the 6 major towns that joined together to form the city of Stoke-on-Trent in 1910. It now acts as the city's main city-centre and shopping centre. The main attraction being the Potteries Shopping Centre containing many high street chain stores. Hanley is situated in Stoke-on-Trent which itself is a city in the north of the county of Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England.

The city is a modern federation of six much older towns forming a linear city almost twelve miles long with an area of 36 square miles. Stoke-on-Trent is situated approximately half-way between the cities of Manchester and Birmingham and the city adjoins the town and borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, which is administered separately. The property market in and around Hanley offers varied types of property. Whether you are looking for your first home as a first time buyer, a buy to let property to rent out or you are looking to up or down size from your existing property, Hanley has plenty to offer. Typically, prices start at £50,000 for a terraced property up to and over £500,000. Hanley has a diverse and multi-cultural population. There is a large student population attending the much acclaimed Staffordshire University, through to young professionals and families. The population of Stoke on Trent at the last census in 2011 was recorded at 250,000. Hanley is steeped in history and is probably most famous for its pottery industry leading to the nickname 'The potteries'.

Famous people linked to Hanley include Sir Reginald Mitchell who designed the Spitfire, Sir Stanley Matthews, often regarded as one of the greatest players of the English game. Arnold Bennett was an English novelist, playwright, and essayist, born in Hanley (27th May 1867), Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire (Hanley was the real-life model for one of the "Five Towns" of his novels). Then there was Captain E. J. Smith, the captain of the ill-fated Titanic. Stoke City Football Club play in the English premier league and their football ground (The Britannia Stadium) is close to Hanley town centre. The manager of the Reeds Rains Hanley office, Peter O'Brien, says: “Hanley and its surrounding areas is a great place to live. The potteries shopping centre offers a variety of shops and boutiques. Located in the heart of Stoke-on-Trent, Potteries is the largest shopping centre in Staffordshire and South Cheshire boasting big names including Primark, Next, Debenhams, Starbucks and Costa Coffee with a multi storey car park for easy access.

Hanley also offers several cultural facilities such as the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery (a large ceramics collection, and restored Spitfire), the Victoria Hall, the Regent Theatre, BBC Radio Stoke's Open Centre and studios, while Piccadilly hosts the annual Sanity Fair and French market events. There is also the much acclaimed Staffordshire University and the Royal Stoke University Hospital close by. As a popular residential area, there is a range of property types in and around Hanley. With its traditional terraced properties built in the late 1800's and early 1900's for the pottery and mining industry workers, through to large detached properties in more rural areas as you move out of the city centre. The terraced properties are ideal for buy to let landlords as they offer very good potential income yields due to the low average house price. Typically, prices start from around £50,000 for a two bed terraced property. As one of Hanley's most popular estate agents, Reeds Rains has flats and houses for sale in the area.

Prices range from £50,000 for a two bed terraced property up to and over £900,000 for a detached property in the more rural locations. Among the most sought-after addresses are Werrington and Ash Bank with their rural and semi-rural properties, excellent local schools. Prices range from £90,000 for a three bedroom cottage to £900,000 for a 5 bedroom detached with 15 acres of land. The price of property to rent in Hanley starts at about £50 a week for a room only let, £325 pcm for a two bed terraced property through to £650 pcm for a four bed town house. The Hanley area benefits from a diverse selection of popular high street shops and smaller independent boutiques. Located in the heart of Hanley, into Potteries is the largest shopping centre in Staffordshire and South Cheshire boasting big names including Primark, Next, Debenhams, Starbucks and Costa Coffee with a multi storey car park for easy access. There is also an indoor market which has 130 stalls selling everything for you, your family, your pet and your home.

Hanley Market also offers a range of services including a cobbler, a tailor, a locksmith, a photographer’s studio, picture framing, hairdressing, and beauty treatments. The Cultural Quarter is a hub of creative and entertainment venues in the city centre. Containing the Stoke-on-Trent's two key theatres; The Regent Theatre and Victoria Hall, which host the very best opera, dance, drama and musicals, direct from Broadway and the West End. This includes Glyndebourne Touring Opera, as well as top comedians including Sean Lock, Jimmy Carr and Roy Chubby Brown. The Cultural Quarter has a more relaxed atmosphere than a typical high street, with a tranquil café culture complemented by independent retail outlets, which offer a truly unique shopping experience. With an array of restaurants offering cuisine from around the world such as Chinese, Italian and Indian, The Cultural Quarter is a destination for day or night. Situated in the heart of the Cultural Quarter is the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery which houses two of the world's most renowned exhibits. The Staffordshire Hoard which is the largest ever find of Anglo-Saxon treasure as well as the world's greatest collection of Staffordshire Ceramics.

Question: In which one of the five towns of the Potteries is there a statue to Sir Stanley Matthews?
Answer: HANLEY