My late father, W Gary Bailey, and my grandfather, Master Builder W Lloyd Bailey (who built all of the houses on Brown Lees Road, Brown Lees ) were conducting maintenance work at the church, namely re-mortaring the exterior walls. My father noticed the mortar dropped through between 3 sandstone blocks at the rear of the chapel.
The ensuing discovery beneath the church was the fabled burial crypt of the De Trafford family, some 500 years old. The vault had been plundered over the centuries, and an ancient oak door led into a small chamber containing human remains, and lead caskets inscribed De Trafford. Apparently, they resided in 1510 at the nearby Swythamley Hall.
My late father told me about this discovery in 1981, and I have been fascinated by this church ever since !!!
Anybody wishing more details on this is welcome to email me

I lived in Remer St Crewe from 1941 to 1966.
I remember;-
Bonars farm , Mosses farm, Barnetts farm all on Remer St.
Groby Rd residents, Percy Barnett, Arthur and Lizzie Badrock.
Powells farm.
North St Chapel
Beeches garage
Elliots fish and chips , Greenway
Dolly Bostocks shop Greenway
Billy Stretch cobblers North St. He was deaf and dumb.
Micklewrights farm Stoneley Rd

I was born in Leek and went to St lukes school and then onto Milner in Springfield road. Did anyone else out there go to either of these schools

I remember as a 4 year old in Biddulph standing outside my late grandmother ( Annie Bailey's ) railway cottage, watching the steam engine pulling coal laden, wooden frame coal wagons past the Railway Cottages. The Driver and Fireman would both wave their cloth caps at me, as I stood and watched, fascinated !!! The smell of the steam and coal was acrid, full of magic and atmosphere !!

My Alsager 1960s memories There was never a housing estate in those days so everyone was able to walk to school across the open fields. There was also a farm situated near the junction of Sandbach Road North and Lodge Road

We arrived in England on 15/12/1988. My hubby Stephen and I were to be married on 7th January 1989 in Biddulph. I was amazed at the size of Heathrow Airport and for the first time in my life, I saw an English taxi, the ones we only see in pictures in South Africa. Mom Ivy, Dad Roy and sister-in-law Helen fetched us at the airport. Once in Biddulph, I was astounded by the beautiful greenery, the friendly people and the tranquil surroundings. I also was surprised to find out that people in Biddulph drive on the same side of the road as us here in South Africa. During our five week stay, I met some of the most awesome people, we went to Wales and London. Piccadilly Circus was astonishing, just as we have read in articles back home. On 7th January 1989, we got married in a beautiful church in Biddulph. It was raining softly. The most beautiful day of my life. We had a little reception back at my Mom Ivy and Dad Roy's house.

It's with sadness that I write this little memory as we are so far apart and it would have been wonderful seeing the family every day. Mum, Dad, Helen, Andrew, Frasier and Imogen, we hope to see you soon. We miss you all, we miss Biddulph, we miss England.

I was born in Doxey, about one mile from Stafford town centre. My forebears lived in and around what was then called Castletown, that is the area on the left of Doxey Road. My maternal grandmother Alice Parsons was the keeper, with her husband Harry, of the Castle Tavern which has a prominent position on the corner of Castle Street. They took the inn in about 1902 and continued until Harry's death in 1910. Alice kept the inn going by herself for a few years. The inn is a very different place now from what it must have been in Alice's time. It was then an inn which served mainly the needs of the workforce of the railway. Castle Street led at that time to Bagnall's railway engine works. Whilst at the inn Alice fell down the cellar steps and broke both her wrists. On a recent visit I was taken down into the cellar by the landlord and one can easily see how tha accident happened. She was a very tough lady and lived on in Doxey until she was 99 years old.

Hi, I was born in Stafford and emigrated to Australia in 1975 and I have not revisited England since. Me and my older sister remember vividly exploring 2 old houses (Im unsure of how old they were) which were demolished in the early to mid 1970s. One was a white brick what seemed like a mansion to us at the time and the other was a dark old house which was right next to now Barnfields Primary School.(the white house was also in same vicinity). We used to visit Fourboys shop regularly with friends 'The Dodds' - Mark, Steven and Jackie, also a Jane Miller (only child). I am almost obsessed with finding out re: these houses and their history / photos. Can anyone shine a light? It's pretty hard when you are on the other side of the world. Regards,

My memories of Stafford relate to my younger childhood. My grandparents lived in Bedford Avenue and as youngsters my sister and I would go and stay with my nana and grandad in the school holidays. We used to go shopping and visted the market over the years where we would spend our pennies. After trawling round the various stalls my nana would stop at the cake shop next door, before heading home. I can also remember waiting for the bus opposite the market when we lived at Farmdown Road and went to Stafford with my mother.

I grew up on the Weston Park Estate and my close friends were Ann Parker and Linda Jay, as we all lived a few doors away. We used to go to Riverside disco approximate 1970 and the Young Farmers disco on Friday nights at the County Showground. Also the Yeoman, the rugby club on the Newport Rd I think, the Top of the World, The Place and The Placemate in Stoke and do you remember the Alpine Lodge pub at Rickerscote. When we were younger we went to the Saturday club at the Odeon cinema. We used to go for lunch at Jenks cafe in town and felt very grown up! There was a Debenhams too then. We frequented the park in our early teens and the station cafe before we graduated to the Swan bar when we were at stafford college. I haven't lived there since I got married but often go on a nostalgic shopping trip with my friend Ann. It would be lovely to hear if anyone else remembers any of my old haunts. We were soul mad so there was quite a following and still is. So share your memories too.

My grandfather George Cook (born 1902)came from Tutsbury. We know little about him as he did not return from WWI.
I have a picture of him sent by my fathers aunt during the 1960s. The return address is
Mrs W. Cooper, Caverswall Crossing, Meir, Stoke-on-Trent, England.
I would appreciate learning any information about Mrs. W. Cooper.

Add more accounts of the 1970 early 80s versions please

Select more of the 1970s would love to read stories about northern soul nights

Who remembers top rank up Hanley duck what a place

Would is be possible to post the 1967 editions? Market Street, Longton, 1967. The shop with the Dutch gable is Haydens, a clothiers and outfitters who had branches in Tunstall and Hanley in addition to this shop on Market Street. Next door, at number 17, is Brough's the Florists. On the other side is A Sant, Opticians. There was a William Sant MPS, chemist and optician, in the same shop in 1912. Although under a different name, the shop is still an optician's. From the Bert Bentley collection at Stoke City Archives

looking for 1954 issues when a flood caused devastation to a pub called the George and Dragon Chesterton

¶By 1960 the almost wholesale demolition of buildings in Goose Street, Lower Street, Holborn, and the surrounding area had obliterated any traces, if such survived, of the early development of the town on the low-lying ground between the castle site and the High Street. Among houses still standing or partly demolished in this area, one or two are of the early 18th century.

They include the Pomona Inn, which retains a brick façade of c. 1700 and a semicircular door-hood on carved brackets. It was also in this area, in Lower Street, that a house of Dominican friars, established by 1277,stood. At the dissolution (1538) the domestic buildings included a hall called Kingsley Hall and 'the New Chamber'.

With some lands nearby they were granted in 1540 to John Smith, yeoman of the guard, with remainder to his son Richard for life. In 1578 John Somer held them, and in 1705 Ralph Beech of Newcastle. At the second date they were decayed and had 'lately' been partly used for a kiln and malthouse. The foundations were discovered in 1870–1 when the cattle market was being constructed. Further excavations in 1881 revealed some skeletons and a large sepulchral slab which was removed to St. Giles's churchyard.

The only medieval domestic structure which has been found within the area of the ancient borough is the Star Inn on the south side of Ironmarket. This is a timber-framed building consisting of a two-bay hall parallel with the street, the bays being divided by an open truss with chamfered timbers and an arch-braced tie beam. West of the hall is a two-storied cross wing, its ground floor now occupied by a shop. The upper story probably contained the solar of the medieval house. Subsequent alterations to the building include an inserted ceiling to provide bedrooms in the upper part of the hall and a yard entry driven through its eastern bay. These may well have been made early in the 17th century. There are later brick additions at the back of the house

I'm after some information and maybe photos of a property my father called 'the bank house'. The bank in question was probably a NatWest bank as that was the type of bank my grandfather was a manager of. My father was born in the bank house (ie the house/flat behind/over the bank) and the building stood across the street from St Mary's church. Does anyone have any pictures of the house? Is it still standing (unlikely, I know)? Is there somewhere I could get any further information in my research?

I am presuming my father was christened at St Mary's, so can anyone tell me what happened to the records? He was definitely christened, but I'm not certain of the church. When he was four years old, the family moved to Oxford Road and attended Christ Church, but he was christened before that

I know it isn't Kidsgrove but this chippie was just over the lift bridge and across from Allison's, it was owned by a man called Jack Pye and his wife, they not only sold fish and chips but fresh fish and chickens etc, I worked there for a short time when I was about 16, going back nearly 55 years! :shock: I am sure one or two of you must have gone there for supper after the clubbing! Obviously most of you would be too young to remember

I went to school fairly close to the Cauldon Canal between Hanley/Milton and do remember the "pottery" barges passing by in the early to mid 70's, one actually tipped over (ware everywhere)....made front page news in "The Sentinel"