Im descended from the Belcher family who lived in Blythe Bridge & Cobridge in the 1970s. They were all 'nailors' and I have discovered some fascinating bits of British social history researching them. My great-great-grandfather was involved in the Pottery industry it's good to know where my solid socialist views come from!Ray (Australia

I would like to trace my fathers' family who were "mayland" and originated from the Potteries, possibly Hanley. They moved out to Wheaton Aston in 1961 . My paternal grandmothers' name was Leonard. Please contact me at

Has anyone out there heard of a place called Macalonie. I believe it was a group of small cottages and was situated in the area of Cobridge between the canal and Cobridge Road. I have been given a cutting from a paper.unfortunately I do"nt know which one or the date. In the cutting it says that "The route to Macalonie was the footpath to Wolstanton, which started by Halls shop in Cobridge Road. It skirted the allotments and crossed the canal by a footbridge, the site of which is sstill marked where the canal can be drained for drailage" Someone recalls the area known as Macalonie was regarded as being a part of the Grange Estate. I would be very interested if anyone has any information that would help me to find out more about this area. Many thanks

I have been researching my family on the Taylor side. great, great, great grandfather William Taylor was a Primitive Methodist Minister. His son another William, born in New Mills Derbyshire, was a hairdresser in Paradise St. Tunstall Stoke-on-Trent circa 1960-1990s. Minister William was probably born circa 1950-1960. Does anyone have any information regarding his ministry.

father, Milton Hampden Kellett, had a second hand book shop at 17 Percy Street, Hanley in 1962. The busines is listed in Kelly's - Staffordshire 1962. This address appears to be part of Northumberland House.Any information relating to the business or the address would be greatly appreciated.RegardsPeter
ruan riley

Looking for any ancestors / decendants /siblings of Sarah Lycett born Tunstall 1948 father William Lycett, mother Maria Speak. Sarah's husband Benjamin Smith. I have not been able to find Sarah on the census lists prior to marriage. Any information on this family would be appreciated.
Adam

Looking for the Raine family who lived in Horsley Grove, Blurton in 1950/1960s. Childrens names Ivan, Kathleen and Jackie.
Thanks

Spent 3 very happy years at Alsager 73/76.Misspent most of it but just about qualified.Spent the next 27 years teaching pupils with learning difficulties and would still be doing so but for a rather nasty car crash in 2001.I would love to find out how fellow reprabates faired out.In particular,Mick Green,Alan Bostock,Ray Ohare,Dave Hardy. If you have any recollections or were part of that era would love to hear from you.Alan

Any body at Alsager campus from 89-91? i used to live at woodiwiss North room 118.. i hear its ben ripped down now, shame alot of good memories staggering to a fro the bar!!! i have lived in Florida since 1992.

I was lucky enough to be a part of a number of performances at the Theatre Royal in the late 1980s. My first experience was with the Scouts Screamline Gangshow (directed by Greg Walker) which ran for a week. After that I applied to be a part of a touring company performance of The Hobbit which also ran for a week. I was one of the dwarves 🙂 My final experience was being a member of a Scout Gangshow segment of the Roy Hudd Variety Show for one night that also featured Paul Daniels, Lord Charles and Ray Allen (if my memory is correct).

All three experiences were amazing for me as a child. The Theatre Royal was the only theatre I had experience of in Hanley at the time and I had seen many shows before featuring a number of stars (e.g. Martin Shaw and Lewis Collins as Bodie and Doyle in one Panto, abseiling down from one of the royal boxes to the stage!). So the opportunity to tread the same boards and to see how things worked from back stage was incredible.

One notable memory that sticks in my mind was an evening tour of the theatre by one of the permanent staff (before a performance). They showed us rooms, staircases, and shafts that were cut off from use after the Theatres earlier fire and subsequent rebuild. Some areas were inaccessible, e.g. a cloak room high up in a shaft behind a locked door. They even showed us a fairly large old lighting control room at the very back of the top circle (nicknamed ‘the gods’). Add into the mix stories of ghosts that haunted the front of house area and the gantry deck at the side of the stage; this really did have quite an impression on me. Back stage, I also remember at the top of the stairs by the dressing rooms there was a door with message reading ‘he who enters here, abandon all hope’ because behind the door there was a drop to the stage area below. And also a very tight spiral stair case with a small chapel room half way down. It was very dimly lit and used by us as a quick way to get up to the changing rooms and back to the stage between scene changes. There was also quite a cosy green room under the stage. I remember all the dressing rooms being quite basic though. I think the only advantage for a big star is that they had a dressing room on the lowest floor closest to the stage, rather than any other luxury! 🙂 Sadly I am certain all these little features have long been removed or sealed up, but it would be interesting to know if any small part of the original theatre still remains intact? A visit it now might be upsetting if it has been changed too much though (suspect so).

Some great experiences at the Theatre Royal that I will never forget…

As a baby my mother Gladys Whiston took me to the Theatre Royal when she taught the girls in the chorus before the evening show. This would have been from 1962 to I think 1965. My memory is being made a great fuss of by the Babes. I was born in May 1962 but it is possibly my earliest memory.
Ware you one of those babes?

Hello, I'm Nigel Keeling, aka Kern to all who knew me. I was in mister Gibsons class from the mid to late 60s. Can't remember the years exactly. People will probably remember me being off school for a long time with head injuries. This affected my memory of my years at sths. I've been trying to recall class names, here goes, Bentley, Bolt, Bryson, Caddy, Copestake, Cork, Harrington, Harrison, Hodgkiss, Hough, Keeling. Believe it or not but I recall not one name after that, weird eh? There were 32 in the class, B stream. Used to hero worship Mr gibson even though we got clobbered regularly with his black gym pump. lol. Never any arguing in his class. Couldn't stand Mr Rainbow the French teacher. Thought Mr (daddy) Night, sometimes known as "woohar" cos of his smokers cough, was ace. Are there ever any reunions? Cheers. Nige.

I’ve lived in London for over 30 years but Stoke will always be home and The Place was a cornerstone of my formative years. For me it was almost magical. I went to The Place VERY regularly from 1978 through until the mid 80s and I never failed to get a rush of excitement and anticipation as I entered and the music took hold. In an austere City during austere times a night at The Place was the perfect escape - a glamorous, carefree, sexually charged world. I only hope that more pictures and even video?? will emerge. In these days of selfie-obsession where digital images capture every notable and not so notable event, it's a great shame that such a pioneering, and important cultural landmark should have left behind so little trace of it's remarkable impact on so many lives. It would be brilliant to read the archives from the 70s which had many articles on the Place.

Stanfield Tech. was an excellent school that provided a good basic education and a platform for me to obtain the degree of Master of Engineering from Sheffield. Have had a wonderful career and emigrated to the United States in 1983. Ran a few US Companies until retirement. On a recent visit to the UK I tried to find the School site but got lost in the one-way system in Hanley Good to find this Website with old Sentinels and am
Keen to read more from the 1960-1990s

Many thanks

I went to Stanfields after passing the 13+ in 1963 and was in the same class as Pete Williams, Mickey DeVille, Ivan Baker etc. I carried on studies at North Staffs Poly (HNC in Elec Eng)and, after doing a Student Apprenticeship with Midlands Electricity Board, went to CEGB Northern Project Group in Cheadle Hulme, designing DRAX Power Station, before returning to MEB (and its successor privatised reincarnations). At their HQ I became the System Design Manager and then the High Voltage Circuits Manager companywide before retiring in 2001. I have been married for 47 years, have two adult children (a schoolteacher and an airline pilot) and three grandsons. I would like to hear from any old Stoke Sentinels from this era thanks great site by the way

Hi there, I worked behind the bar at the place in the late 60's early seventies before I moved to London. It was a fabulous club and I had great times there. The Tamla Motown soul music was great and I still love it today above all other music. It was "The Place" to go when I was young and I almost lived there. I worked at the Michelin during the day but spent most of my evenings there.love to see any Sentinels from the 60-70s Lily Jones

Went to the Place nightclub in the late 60`s early 70`s, we had some wonderful nights there, met my wife there, the music was the best , and is still popular today.
Used to meet all my mates there Dave Ions , Kenny Henshall , Jim Moon, fantastic miss those days would love to live it again through the sentinel in the 1970s

I have been searching for information on a Samuel Bagnall born 1945, Stoke England. He came to Canada and settled in Prince Edward Island. I have been able to find out about our ancestors since him but not any before him. Does anyone know about the family that he left behind in England? Enjoyed your site

Cool site i will be back to check
Out more

WHAT A BRILLIANT SITE, VERY IMPRESSED. I AM LOOKING FOR DESCENDANTS OF JOHN BAGNALL, BORN CIRCA 1934 WATERFALL, STAFFS WHO THEN MOVED TO MAYFIELD, STAFFS AND HAD A SON JOHN CIRCA 1955. ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED