The Potteries Yesteryear by Robert Lewis Booth
The following montage illustrates the
major industries in Stoke-on-Trent
of Yester-year.
A pit mound, pit head and winding house
Steam train
Bottle neck oven kilns
Steel worker
Potter
Canal
Coal miner
Yesteryear
shown framed
Date 2004
Oil on canvas panel
Size 24” x 9” 610 x 228
Stoke-on-Trent is a unique city in England. Made up of six distinct towns:-
Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley, Stoke, Fenton, and Longton, collectively known as “The Potteries”.
Up to 80,000 workers were employed in the pottery industries.
The city also employed thousands of mine workers
The steel works (Shelton bar iron & steel) employed approximately 3000 workers
Friday night was chipshop night in the Potteries
by Robert Lewis Booth
Cheers!!
Typical Potteries pub scene of yesteryear, chatting, relaxing with a pint, and sharing a little “Praise and Grumble”.
Oil on canvas board size: 14” x 10”. 356 x 254mm
by Robert Lewis Booth
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Arthur Berry artist, playwright, poet and teacher.
("A Three and Sevenpence Halfpenny Man" )
Oil on canvas board size: 14” x 10”. 356 x 254mm by Robert Lewis Booth
Longton Park
Acrylic on canvas board size: 14” x 10”. 356 x 254mm by Robert Lewis Booth
Oil on canvas cavas board size 14" x 10" by Robert Lewis Booth
“Typical photo of the bygone potteries”
Pollution was a major problem in the Potteries because of the large number of kilns also other factory chimneys and houses using coal fires. It was not surprisingly the area had a very high death rate associated with diseases of the lungs.
Apparently in the 1950’s there were approximately 2000 bottle neck oven kilns dotted around the city spewing out their acrid smoke.
Redundant Bottle neck kiln
by Robert Lewis Booth Acrylic on canvas board 12" x 10"
Redundant Bottle Kiln Minkstone Works, Normacot Road Longton.
In 1867 the Josiah Spode company's trade name was changed to WT Copeland & Sons, then in 1970 reverted back to the company’s name of Spode.
Oil on canvas board 12” x 16” 305 x 405mm by Robert Lewis Booth
Bottle neck kilns 'Spode Factory Stoke' water colour
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Water colour Canal/ pottery scene Middleport Stoke-on-trent 1956
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By Robert Lewis Booth
Oil on canvas board panel, size: 240 x 350mm. Approx :-10" x 14"
“Coal Face”
