The
impact of people and places in Wolstanton and May Bank is recorded in this
pictorial record that recognises the contribution of village notables,
dear old friends and long-gone institutions.
A
wealth of photographs depicting the joys of community life mingle with
contemporary pictures, showing, often with dramatic impact, the shocking
demolition of facilities we perhaps took for granted, such as The Plough,
the Oxford Arms and The Marsh Head.
Elsewhere,
images of former shops such as Holdridge's, Swettenham's and the Spinning
Wheel show how High Street shopping patterns have changed. Author Mervyn
Edwards has only ever lived in Wolstanton and May Bank, and through this
unique selection of old and new images, he presents a tribute to the place
he happily calls home.
Mervyn Edwards was born in Newcastle-under-Lyme in 1961 and became a Green Badge (Heart of England) tourist guide in 1989. He worked at the now-defunct Chatterley Whitfield Mining Museum for four years, becoming Assistant Education Officer, and later becoming a local history tutor for the Workers’ Educational Association and Project Officer for the Burslem Heritage Centre.
He is a regular contributor to The Way We Were (published by the Staffordshire Sentinel newspaper) and has published
a number of books on North Staffordshire history.
Mervyn is a familiar voice on BBC Radio Stoke, Spokesman for the Potteries Pub Preservation Group and a leading member of Burslem History Club.
He is also a successful artist and cartoonist and has completed 17 Potteries Marathons.
