Chip Foundation Chronicles: Stoke and Longton

Another one of our number is getting incrementally older again with Stephen taking his turn in the birthday spotlight. It's become customary for our Beardsmore trips to poke around the Potteries so we have every intention of sticking to a winning formula…

- Open for Business in the Potteries -

Trip Log: Friday 30th October 2026 and it's the big day itself. Yes, Mr Beardsmore is turning 60-something this very day and the idea is to cover more of Stoke on Trent in his honour. Previous outings have harnessed Hanley, tickled Tunstall and bagged Burslem so this time we'll fix our erstwhile gaze upon Stoke Town proper, combined with a look at Longton. Nick has specified the 10:49 train as being the one we need to catch, although it is a busy service and we effectively end up meeting on the platform at Stoke Station. Crossing the omnipresent A500 arterial route, we pass part of the former Minton Hollins Ltd tile factory on Shelton Old Road before immersing ourselves in more Potteries heritage courtesy of the Spode Museum. Here a representation of a willow-patterned teapot beckons us inside and Ken observes that it helps to be called Josiah if you want to be a pioneer in the manufacture of porcelain.

- A Spode Seat for His Majesty -

The museum is well worth visiting any time of the week although we drop particularly lucky in witnessing a live gilding demonstration from a retired Spode worker named David. The level of artistry involved is amazing, requiring fine sable brushes, good eyesight (or strong spectacles) and a very steady hand. We also hear about the Spode Works band during the 1980s where Heather from the canteen surprised members with her vocal talent. A huge montage of works photos lines one corridor and there is a separate display documenting local LGBT history. We take time to peruse the shop - being very careful not to knock anything over - and have a nose inside the Daniel Room as a bookable meeting space. A ceramic throne outside gets tested by the royal derriere, plus we can admire the old works entrance gates off Church Street.

- Big Dog in the Congress Inn -

The number 11 bus towards Longton is next on our agenda, after a sighting of Stoke Library as now based in the repurposed market hall. The route in full links Newcastle and Hanley via Bentilee but we only need the short section along City Road and King Street through Fenton. My cue to alight is the distinctive green girder railway bridge abutting the Crown Hotel so we hop off near a disused Woolworth's store and set about tracking down our first pub of the day. The Congress Inn duly awaits on Sutherland Road and is a classic corner local, serving real ale with a side order of spooky decorations. Big Dog from Lowestoft's Green Jack Brewery is billed as a Golden Rye creation and drinks very nicely while listening to an alternating playlist mostly featuring Slade and The Sweet. 'Little Willy' still hasn't gone home after all these years!

- Staking out the Strand -

I'd been to the Congress before (with Mr D9 back in 2019) and it was still as good as I recall, but our next two places are something of a mystery. Traversing the 1960s shopping joys of the Longton Exchange precinct - a popular amenity with a friendly community sensibility - we can reach the Strand, a deceptively spacious bar fashioned from a former tobacconist's shop. The Caldmore Taverns group were responsible for the conversion here and they've done a great job, even serving up a tasty glass of Wincle's Hanging Stone Smoked Porter. The beer at our third port of call is sadly nowhere near as good; in fact the Black Sheep Bitter at the George & Dragon was probably well past its best but the pub as a whole left a memorable impression! Quite what the regulars thought of us is anyone's guess, with Messrs Beardsmore and May almost swallowed by a very low soft sofa. We manage to prise them back up eventually.

- Longton Market -

Aside from the pubs (and Woolworth's!) it's good to see a little more of Longton, one of the six towns which federated together to form the City of Stoke on Trent - the arrangement officially came into force on 31st March 1910. We'd seen brown tourist signs for the Victorian Market and needed to take a closer look, even though trade is winding down for the day. The building alone is architecturally impressive having originally been built circa 1862/3 and then enlarged in 1914; it currently operates on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and you can imagine the promotional patter of stallholders filling the air, telling of bargain fruit, veg, fish, meat and other household products. The Town Hall adjoins one end of the market site at Times Square.

- The Glebe Hotel -

The return number 11 to Stoke hurtles back through Fenton and drops us off on Church Street practically outside the Wheatsheaf Wetherspoons. We're safely within the 2pm to 5pm window where the cheaper afternoon meal deals apply, and Stephen gallantly copes with a shortage of salt sachets. Burgers, chicken bowls, brunches and ham/eggs duly consumed - and with the Maxim John Bull Stout declared as decent - we move nearby to assess the Six Towns (an Irish affair taking on what used to be a Titanic boozer called the White Star) then finish at the Glebe Hotel. I am a fan of the latter and can easily understand why staff at the adjacent Civic Centre make this their post-work bolthole. Joule's have applied their customary high-end finish of dark wood, mirrors and stained glass insets, while some of the breweriana creations prompt talk about Football Pools coupons and Premium Bonds - those were the days!

- The Birthday Boy in Action -

Satisfied by a closing slurp of Slumbering Monk, it's over to the railway station we trot albeit the 18:44 Birmingham departure is delayed by around twenty minutes. A platform bench thus offers time for reflection on another successful Stoke trip, and the general passage of time, before another very busy set of carriages mean seating can be at a premium. The final word should of course go to Stephen so here we see him at the George & Dragon, his Coke almost tantalisingly out of reach as the perils of a certain sofa take effect. I wonder which destinations might be in line for celebrating Chip Foundation birthdays in 2027?

The Stoke Sojourn 2024

We've reached that time of year when I attempt to plug any holes in my annual trip compendium by targeting areas as yet unvisited. One of 2024's most glaring gaps is The Potteries so I've got my eyes firmly fixed on Stoke, the city that always delivers special adventures. Will the day be able to match the high standards set by Penkhull, Hartshill, Burslem et al?

- Glebe Street Bridge -

Stoke on Trent railway station is my starting point, noting that the road outside is being dug up amidst a mass of one-way restrictions while the North Stafford Hotel opposite is in the process of being renovated. Picking my way past the ongoing Goods Yard development - a Capital & Centric scheme which uses Levelling Up funding - I scurry down the steps onto the canalside to commence my Trent & Mersey mission. Bridge 113 seems familiar on the side of Grindeys Solicitors (within shouting distance of Stoke Civic Centre) but anything beyond that counts as completely fresh towpath territory...

- Trent & Mersey Scenery -

An immediate discovery is Jones & Shufflebottom's plumbing and bathroom works in all their corrugated glory; the firm is known as Jones & Shuffs for short and they have neighbouring plants both boasting white block lettering. There is then a ramshackle moorings base near Whieldon Road as I flirt with the fringes of Fenton - 'Rock and Roll Lady' is one of the boats residing here. The bridges descend numerically and there are hints of street art, some of the tags and characters being recognisable from Wolverhampton. Bridge 109 is a blue-railinged tunnel beside a huge waste incinerator plant with its beige concrete chimney towering above. Just a short distance further and I'm in prime position to exit for the footballing feature I've been promising myself, Bridge 108a leading directly onto Stoke City FC’s hinterlands. 

- The Bet365 Stadium -

Given that I'd previously been to Vale Park with Mr D9 back in 2015, this visit ensures I've achieved Stoke sporting parity by checking out the home of The Potters. It's an impressive arena, purpose built in a self contained site near Trentham Lakes that's probably a far cry from the old Victoria Ground. Some of the access gates are only in use on matchdays but I can use the main driveway off the A50 to eye up the stands, ticket office and club shop. I recall this being known as the Britannia Stadium when it originally opened in the 1990s but the Coates family association ensures the links to betting sponsorship nowadays.

- Gordon Banks Statue -

A general wander along nearby approach roads reveals a tribute to Gordon Banks with 1966 trophy aloft and goalkeeping gloves in hand; as resemblances go this is a very good likeness, focusing on his proud England achievements rather than anything at club level (he served Stoke with distinction between 1967 and 1973). Had I done my research properly, I would also have sought out the Stanley Matthews Memorial Statue further around the stadium perimeter but I'll have to save that for a future treat. I do however manage to get pictures of the adjacent Trentham Lakes Harvester restaurant by way of consolation.

- A Michelin Marker -

Delighted with that stadium recce, I retrace my steps back over the Trent & Mersey Canal and continue on towards Stoke Town. Signs for Sideway accompany me across the busy arterial roads and around Michelin Roundabout, where mini Michelin Man figurines are a telltale clue that I'm outside the global tyre company's main UK headquarters. The River Trent is similarly present and correct with its own associated footpath so I make a mental note to investigate that for its future walking potential.

- The Plough Motel, Boothen -

Campbell Road is my route into Boothen, one of those Stoke suburbs that resonates with footballing history. The Plough Motel is still standing but apparently disused - a nice 1920s building with an ornamental name cartouche - while the Home Cooking chip shop opposite would've been right up my street were I not eating later. The Plough might have expired but there is a hostelry close at hand with plenty of life to it, the Gardeners Retreat being a bikers oasis with lots of leathers among the bearded clientele. This is a Marston's boozer of the best kind - friendly, local and utterly unpretentious - with quality Pedigree too. Further excellent hospitality is provided by the Wellington on London Road, an authentic corner local serving Draught Bass and where everyone is called 'duck'.

- Spode Art -

Talking of authenticity, how's about an unscripted ferret around the old Spode Works for a classic interlude? I'd done some of it with Mr D9 a few years ago but this is on a different level, having free rein to roam the industrial remains to my heart's content. The arch entry has been done out to resemble the famous Willow pattern plates with blue and white porcelain finery painted across the tarmac while a three-sided plinth adds extra lustre via depictions of bottle kilns, narrowboats and skilled illustrators. Beyond that I'm let loose among the outbuildings, capturing disused fire exits and safety notices aplenty. Partial regeneration appears to be underway here with boutique workshops and the British Ceramics Biennial exhibition.

- A Glebe Conclusion -

 I need a classy finale and they don't come much more prestigious than the Glebe, an elegant taphouse which effectively abuts the aforementioned Civic Centre. Mr D9 and I splashed and dashed this once upon a time so it's nice to linger slightly longer; Joules are midway through a refurb (hence the external scaffolding) but that doesn't detract from a beguiling interior of dark wood and heraldic crests, truly befitting an establishment slap bang next to the seat of local government. This councillors' bolthole is more than acceptable for me, spotting stained glass and a carved Stoke coat of arms. A pint of Pale drinks nicely sitting below a Six Towns etched barrel and effect woodwork promoting draught ale - it's just a shame I need to get a move on to catch my train home. Stoke you've been stellar yet again, cheers!