No 68 -  The Albion Hotel, Hanley

By 1775 the built-up area had spread westwards into Shelton township and there was continuous building along what are now Town Road, Old Hall Street, Albion Street, and Marsh Street.

 By 1850 the posting-houses in Hanley were the Albion Hotel in Old Hall Street and the 'Saracen's Head' in Stafford Row (now Stafford Street),  and by 1860 the 'Saracen's Head' and the 'King's Head'.

A history of the County of Stafford, vol 8

The name of this hotel was probably derived from a house that had previously stood on or near the same site. In an early 19th century directory, such a building is described: "Albion House, at the top of Shelton, is a handsome modern structure, coated with Roman cement, belonging to Mr. W. Parker, a gentleman extensively engaged in the import trade of cobalt and zaffres . . ."

Some 150 years ago there were several elegant houses in the vicinity of Hanley and Shelton, belonging mainly to the new generation of affluent potters. There was a large house near the Upper Green erected by George Paddock, a successful businessman. Opposite Hanley Church was a three-storey plain brick house belonging to Joseph Mayer, a retired potter. Close by was an old house, coated with stucco, which was formerly the property of Robert Wilson, a contemporary and competitor of Josiah Wedgwood. Bank House, at the top of Shelton, was a large house belonging to Job Meigh, who, in 1823, was awarded the gold medal of the Society of Arts for the introduction of non-toxic glaze. 

In High Street, now Broad Street, there was an 18th century house built by John Baddeley, an eminent potter who died in 1772. Lower down, there was the ancestral home of Wilson Yates, a successful potter, and opposite St. Mark's stood an even older house belonging to the Hollins family. Adjacent stood Charles Meigh's impressive Grove House, which had a large connecting gallery containing a valuable collection of paintings and an extensive library of more than 4,000 volumes. At Cauldon Place, John Ridgway built a large mansion, and opposite was Shelton Hall, erected in 1782 by Charles and Ephraim Chatterley, eminent and opulent manufacturers.

Most of these houses would have been classed as town houses or suburban villas, standing in pleasant and extensive gardens."

Neville Malkin 4th August 1976