Master Potters in Georgian  Burslem (1714-1837)

 

 

 

 

 

The rebuilding of Burslem Town Centre in the Georgian Period

The pictures on this page illustrate the transformation of the town centre in the 18th century.

Location 13 on the index map


St John Square 2000

 


St John Square 1880

The photograph above, from the Warrillow collection in Keele University, shows an old cottage in St John's Square shortly before demolition c. 1880. This was possibly the building marked as No 129 on the 1740 map. The cottage had been modernized by 1880 with the former thatch replaced by a tiled roof, its timber frame hidden behind a plastered front and the opening on the right, enlarged to accommodate a shop window. Even then it was an anachronism compared with its neighbours. 

The shop with the name sign "Salt" still stands as can be seen on the photograph at the very top of this page. The cottage replaced by a three story building.

a very detailed tour of St. Johns Square


 


The illustration above is a view of about 1800 
from Fountain Place towards the Town Hall in Market Square. 

It shows the new two and three story Georgian houses built in the principal streets of the town which replaced the former cottages and timber-frame buildings. Some of these buildings such as the New Inn on the left and the three-story block on the right are still extant. 

Just visible beyond that block is the sign-post for the Legs of Man Inn. Between about 1780 and 1830 this was the principal inn of the town. For most of that, time the public house was run by the Cotton family. All the important meetings relating to the town and its industry were held here. It. was also the first coaching inn of the town. Allbut's directory of 1802 records that every day at 6 a.m. the Expedition coach left for London from the Legs of Man Inn, and a second coach left for Liverpool at 6 in the evening. The Legs of Man Inn declined in importance after the departure of the Cotton family in the 1820's and the Leopard Inn became the principal public house and posting inn.


 


next stop is New Church Street (now William Clowes Street)


questions/comments/contributions? email: Steve Birks