The battle of the town halls

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The battle for the town hall

The new Stoke-on-Trent county borough Council met for the first time on Thursday, March 31st 1910. By the direction of the Local Government Board, who had in view the controversial question of the centre of government, the inaugural meeting took place on neutral ground at the North Stafford Hotel, Stoke. Major Cecil Wedgwood presiding as Acting Mayor of the new Borough. He was elected first Mayor and served in 1910, 1911.

The Elizabethian / Jacobean style North Stafford Hotel
the meeting place for the first Council

The question of a municipal centre was one that claimed the attention of the public immediately following Federation and although a handsome Council Chamber was ready for the members of the new Council, it was decided that they should pay a series of visits to the six towns—holding a Council Meeting in each.

On October 27th, when the Council visited Stoke, they found that the new municipal buildings, which at that time were being erected, were sufficiently complete to permit the meeting being held in the 'gorgeously-decorated and elaborately furnished chamber', which was to be the future meeting place of the Council. A motion by Alderman Wilcox Edge, a worthy of that period, resulted in the new buildings at Stoke being chosen for the new home of the municipal government.

At the same time, Hanley was chosen for the education offices and police headquarters.

Geen's monument

Although Geen proposed and supported the federation of the towns of Stoke, Fenton and Longton - he did not want it to be extended to the other towns - he thought that such an extension would be taken over by the much bigger town of Hanley, because of this fear he became a "bitter anti-federationist".

The King's Hall, Stoke - "Geen's monument"
photo: Dec 2008 by 'Futurilla'
licensed under this Creative Commons agreement

These buildings (and Stoke Town Hall) became the headquarters of the new county borough council - much to the disappointment of Burslem who had started to build a new town hall (later to be the Queen's Hall) in anticipation that they (as the 'Mother Town') would host the the headquarters of the new council.

Malkin's Folly

Malkin was in favour of federation but he resigned from the federation committee of the Burslem council because of its anti-federation majority.

Against opposition Malkin pushed through the building of a new (Burslem's third) town hall - it was hoped that this would be the municipal centre of the anticipated federation (because of Burslem's position as 'The Mother Town').
The foundation stone was laid by Alderman Malkin on 14 March 1910, however by the time it was completed in 1911 it was redundant as Stoke had been chosen as the civic centre.
Burslem's 'town hall' became the Queen's Theatre and was known as 'Malkin's Folly'

Postcard of Queen's Hall, Burslem (c1913) - "Malkin's Folly"

These buildings (and Stoke Town Hall) became the headquarters of the new county borough council - much to the disappointment of Burslem who had started to build a new town hall (later to be the Queen's Hall) in anticipation that they (as the 'Mother Town') would host the the headquarters of the new council.

next: Frederick Geen - a bitter anti-federationist
previous: What is Federation?
contents: Index page for Federation

Stoke-on-Trent Local History

Federation of the six towns 31st March 1910 saw the federation of the six towns to form the County Borough of Stoke-on-Trent