New markers to highlight city's heritage locations

Eight new markers have been created for a new heritage trail, as part of a city's centenary celebrations.

The steel plinths with bronze casts on top would be installed at "key locations" to celebrate Stoke-on-Trent's ceramics history, the city council said.

They were designed by Neil Brownsword, professor of ceramics at the University of Staffordshire, to help reconnect people with parts of the city's industrial past and some of its cultural landmarks.

The trail can be followed using a digital app which was launched earlier this year.

"The markers along the trail draw attention to former factories, once-prominent potters now faded into obscurity, and the industrial hubs where essential materials shaped the landscape we know today," said Prof Brownsword.

"By illuminating the architectural, artistic, and technological endeavours that define our past, the markers encourage individuals and communities to recognise the cultural value embedded in these places."

It was hoped they would inspire pride and ensure the area's heritage is conserved for generations to come, he added.

The markers will be located at:

• Church Street, Stoke – the starting point of the trail, near the gates to the former Spode Works site.
• Kingsway, Stoke – looking over the former Glebe Street Works site.
• University of Staffordshire, College Road, Shelton – opposite the Cadman Building, which houses the Charles Vyse science and industry frieze.
• Cauldon Park, College Road, Shelton – close to the old Cauldon Pottery Works and key industrial transport routes.
• Lawrence Street, Shelton – near former factory sites and early pottery communities.
• Fletcher Street, Shelton – close to the Washington, Cleveland and Atlas works.
• City Central Library, Hanley – opposite what was once the Broad Street Works and the White House (now the Mitchell Arts Centre and Tesco)
• Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Hanley – the trail's end point, celebrating the city's world-renowned ceramics collections and design legacy.

The markers would begin to appear along the trail soon, the city council said.

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