Kenneth is not surprised over the uncertainty.

“The lane has been badly neglected,” he tells me. “I don’t think anybody is quite sure who owns it or where the boundaries are. If it’s a public road then it should be maintained and people should know about it. It’s strange though that the footpath is the only entrance to the council-owned park and yet they tell me the road is un-adopted. It doesn’t make sense.”

A man who might know is Paul Pearce, the City’s Right’s of Way officer based at the Civic Centre.

“Part of my work is to authenticate all access roads in the city,” he says. “It may be difficult to take in but there are some 1440 similar lanes to the one you’re interested in throughout the city. I can tell you though that the fields were known as a recreation ground between 1900 and 1920. Confirmation of a right of way entails investigations that often take a long time if not years before we can apply for an order of access followed by public consultation. The current definitive map was established in 2005 and I have to say your path isn’t yet on it. We know of its existence but at the moment all I can say is it is not proven to be a public highway therefore it cannot yet be adopted. Of course it would be helpful if we knew for definite that the Hulton Abbey monks used this path as a regular route to their farms in Cobridge, but so far we’ve found no such proof.”

Paul has OS maps dating from the 1850’s. Other maps in 1880 and 1900 show the footpath running through open-land mostly occupied by a honeycomb of drift mines. These maps are startling examples how the Potteries landscape has changed with heavy industry and dense housing development supplanting open fields.

Yates 1775 map showing the relationship between Sneyd Street, Abbey Hilton and Ruston Grange

“By 1898 one map shows a Horse Lane renamed Leonard Road and a former Albany Road West is now Northam Road.” says Steve. “And there was a large area still locally known as Clayholes Pit. As best it’s my guess that our lane was one the monks used to get to the hilltop where the Sneyd Arms is.”

An early postcard shows the Sneyd Arms as a large corner terrace, as impressive I reckon as the one there today.

“Research indicates it was a Parkers inn in 1905,” continues Steve. “The innkeeper then was name Brocklehurst who were a big family around here that also owned the large farm in Birches Head Road. Sneyd Arms was rebuilt to its present fashion in 1938 and the peculiar dome over the door was added in 2000.”

Postcard of the original Sneyd Arms
The Sneyd Arms became a Parkers Inn in 1905.
The licensee's name on the board is Brocklehurst, members of the Brocklehurst family lived in the Sneyd Green area and owned the farm in Birches Head Road. 

Chris Duncan is a trainee manager of the Sneyd Arms.

“I’ve worked here for five years,” he says. “There’s not much left of the inside that former regulars will recognise. Firstly it is now completely open-plan. The cosy rooms and the bars and lounge have all gone. The garden and children’s play area at the back was once a bowling green. We change with the times don’t we? I suppose we have to.”