Barlaston
Encyclopedia
Barlaston is a village and civil parish
in the borough of Stafford
in the county of Staffordshire
, England
. It is roughly halfway between the city of Stoke-on-Trent
and the small town of Stone
. According to the 2001 census the population of the parish was 2,659.
estate. It was built to the design of C. Lynam in 1886-8, retaining the west tower from the original medieval building, with the subsequent addition of a vestry
in 1969. In 1981 the building had to be closed owing to mining subsidence and a temporary building next to the church took its place until the new church was built on Green Lane.
Wedgwood
moved their pottery
manufacturing
business
from Etruria, Staffordshire
to a large modern factory
in a new village in the north of the parish. The factory was planned in 1936 and built in 1938-40 to the designs of Keith Murray
who was also a designer of Wedgwood pottery. The factory has a tourist visitor centre and has its own car-parks and a bus station. Wedgwood railway station
was opened for the factory in 1940 but closed in 2004. Nearby is Barlaston Hall
c1756 by Sir Robert Taylor (architect)
and at one time a Wedgwood family home.
; the Trent and Mersey Canal
; a route of National Cycle Network
; and the railway - which all pass west of the village.
Barlaston railway station
, opened by the North Staffordshire Railway
on April 17, 1848, is now on the Manchester
branch of the West Coast Main Line
- but inter-city trains do not stop and the local passenger service was replaced by the X1 BakerBus
bus service in 2004.
.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the borough of Stafford
Stafford (borough)
Stafford is a local government district with borough status in Staffordshire in England. It is named after and includes the town of Stafford. It also includes the smaller town of Stone and numerous villages....
in the county of Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is roughly halfway between the city of Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
and the small town of Stone
Stone, Staffordshire
Stone is an old market town in Staffordshire, England, situated about seven miles north of Stafford, and around seven miles south of the city of Stoke-on-Trent. It is the second town, after Stafford itself, in the Borough of Stafford, and has long been of importance from the point of view of...
. According to the 2001 census the population of the parish was 2,659.
History
The old parish church of Saint John is sited on the edge of the WedgwoodWedgwood
Wedgwood, strictly speaking Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, is a pottery firm owned by KPS Capital Partners, a private equity company based in New York City, USA. Wedgwood was founded on May 1, 1759 by Josiah Wedgwood and in 1987 merged with Waterford Crystal to create Waterford Wedgwood, an...
estate. It was built to the design of C. Lynam in 1886-8, retaining the west tower from the original medieval building, with the subsequent addition of a vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
in 1969. In 1981 the building had to be closed owing to mining subsidence and a temporary building next to the church took its place until the new church was built on Green Lane.
Wedgwood
Wedgwood
Wedgwood, strictly speaking Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, is a pottery firm owned by KPS Capital Partners, a private equity company based in New York City, USA. Wedgwood was founded on May 1, 1759 by Josiah Wedgwood and in 1987 merged with Waterford Crystal to create Waterford Wedgwood, an...
moved their pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
from Etruria, Staffordshire
Etruria, Staffordshire
Etruria is a suburb of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England.-Home of Wedgwood:Etruria was the fourth and penultimate site for the Wedgwood pottery business. Josiah Wedgwood, who was previously based in Burslem, opened his new works in 1769. It was named after the Italian district of Etruria,...
to a large modern factory
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
in a new village in the north of the parish. The factory was planned in 1936 and built in 1938-40 to the designs of Keith Murray
Keith Murray (ceramic artist)
Keith Day Pearce Murray was a New Zealand born architect and designer who worked as a ceramics, glass and metalware designer for Wedgwood in the Potteries area of Staffordshire in the 1930s and 1940s. He is considered one of the most influential designers of the Art deco style.Murray was born in...
who was also a designer of Wedgwood pottery. The factory has a tourist visitor centre and has its own car-parks and a bus station. Wedgwood railway station
Wedgwood railway station
Wedgwood railway station served the Wedgwood complex in Barlaston, Staffordshire, England. Although the station is not officially closed, no trains currently call at the station and it is instead served by a rail replacement bus.- History :...
was opened for the factory in 1940 but closed in 2004. Nearby is Barlaston Hall
Barlaston Hall
Barlaston Hall is an English Palladian country house in the village of Barlaston in Staffordshire, overlooking the valley of the River Trent south of Stoke-on-Trent . It was bought by the Wedgwood pottery company in 1931, but disrepair and subsidence due to coal mining brought the hall close to...
c1756 by Sir Robert Taylor (architect)
Robert Taylor (architect)
Sir Robert Taylor was a notable English architect of the mid-late 18th century.Born at Woodford, Essex, Taylor followed in his father's footsteps and started working as a stonemason and sculptor, spending time as a pupil of Sir Henry Cheere...
and at one time a Wedgwood family home.
Education
- Barlaston First School
- The Wedgwood Memorial CollegeWedgwood Memorial CollegeWedgwood Memorial College is a small residential college in Barlaston, near Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. The college is owned and operated by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, and is nationally important as a centre of Esperanto education....
in Barlaston is a Worker's Educational Association residential college, and also serves as the headquarters of the Esperanto Association of BritainEsperanto Association of BritainThe Esperanto Association of Britain is a registered educational charity whose objective is to advance the education of the public in the international language Esperanto....
.
Transport
Close by the village are: the A34 road; the River TrentRiver Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
; the Trent and Mersey Canal
Trent and Mersey Canal
The Trent and Mersey Canal is a in the East Midlands, West Midlands, and North West of England. It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities—east of Burton upon Trent and west of Middlewich—it is a wide canal....
; a route of National Cycle Network
National Cycle Network
The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...
; and the railway - which all pass west of the village.
Barlaston railway station
Barlaston railway station
Barlaston railway station served the village of Barlaston in Staffordshire, England.This station was opened on 17 April 1848 and is on the first line opened by the North Staffordshire Railway on that date....
, opened by the North Staffordshire Railway
North Staffordshire Railway
The North Staffordshire Railway was a British railway company formed in 1845 to promote a number of lines in the Staffordshire Potteries and surrounding areas in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Shropshire....
on April 17, 1848, is now on the Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
branch of the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
- but inter-city trains do not stop and the local passenger service was replaced by the X1 BakerBus
BakerBus
BakerBus is the trading name used by the bus fleet of Bakers Coaches, a bus and coach operator based in Biddulph, Staffordshire, England. They operate a fleet of around 50 vehicles on local bus services and coach hire work.-History:...
bus service in 2004.
Environment
Barlaston and Rough Close Common covers some 50 acres (20 ha) between Barlaston and Blythe Bridge and is a designated Local Nature ReserveLocal Nature Reserve
Local nature reserve or LNR is a designation for nature reserves in the United Kingdom. The designation has its origin in the recommendations of the Wild Life Conservation Special Committee which established the framework for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and suggested a national suite...
.
Nearest places
- Blythe BridgeBlythe BridgeBlythe Bridge is a village situated in the Staffordshire Moorlands District, although it is effectively a south-eastern suburb of the city of Stoke-on-Trent.-Etymology:...
- Downs BanksDowns BanksDowns Bank is an area of open countryside, located two miles north of the town of Stone in Staffordshire, and four miles south of the city of Stoke-on-Trent. It is owned and managed by the National Trust...
- MeirMeir, Stoke-on-TrentMeir Park is a suburb in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire situated between Lightwood and Longton. Meir Park estate extends from Meir uphill to the Blythe Bridge village hall, which is actually located in Meir Heath.-Meir Aerodrome:...
- Oulton Grange
- Tittensor
- TrenthamTrentham, StaffordshireTrentham is a suburb of Stoke-on-Trent, located to the south-west of the city centre and to the south of the neighbouring town of Newcastle-under-Lyme. Although the majority of Trentham is within the city limits, it is mostly separated from the main urban area by surrounding open space and the...