who, in partnership with his brother, founded the department store made famous by Mrs Slocombe and Captain Peacock.
Daniel Lambert, England’s fattest man, was born in Leicester in 1770. Reaching a weight in excess of 50 stone, he became something of a local celebrity, and was eventually honoured by the city, who awarded him his own postcode.
Leicester was also the birthplace of John Merrick, whose life was immortalised in the film The Elephant Man , featuring John Hurt in the lead role of Dumbo .
This ‘Spot the Ball’ competition featuring a Leicester City game is from an early edition of the Daily Mail. It was considered a little too difficult for their readership
STOKE-ON-TRENT
T HIS PART of England’s West Midlands is commonly known as ‘The Potteries’. Famous for its manufacture of China products, buyers come to Stoke-on-Trent from the world over to obtain fine silk sarongs, chopsticks and rick-shaws.
The area is also well-known for coal, iron, beer and pottery. It was in 1739 that the famous Wedgwood factory was set up at nearby Burslem. Soon their distinctive stoneware pots were in great demand by the townsfolk, who would use them to quaff copious quantities of the local ale, later taking full advantage of the fine porcelain products from the nearby Royal Doulton works.
A well-known neighbouring town which has recently become involved in the local art of brewing is Bournville. Traditionally associated with chocolate, Bournville has taken advantage of its natural springs for the production of lager, which is why there’s a glass and a half of water in every pint.
But a stone’s throw away is Newcastle-under-Lyme, so-named after a ‘new castle’ was built under ‘Lyme’ forest. Nearby, they constructed a feather store on the site of an old scrap yard and recycling centre. And so was born the charming village of ‘Down in the Dumps’.
Famous local characters include Thomas Minton, theinventor of ‘Minton’, Josiah Spode, the inventor of ‘Spode’, and Edward Knoblock, who luckily for some of us, didn’t invent anything.
Stoke-born John Barrington Wain, a writer in the ‘anti-bourgoise realist’ tradition, shot to fame with his witty first novel, Hurry On Down . This spawned the great Hurry On series, including Hurry on Doctor, Hurry On Nurse and most recently, Hurry On Ambulance, the Nearest Bed is Ninety Miles Away .
Other famous local names include the writer Arnold Bennett, who during a visit to Paris, wrote his popular Staffordshire ‘Five Towns’ novels, after an exchange of ideas with Flaubert. And it’s surprising what proportion of Madame Bovary is influenced by the industrial landscape of 19th Century Stoke. As far as scholars can make out, not a single word.
In 1925, these five surrounding towns were subsumed, and officially formed into the new city of Stoke. And what a relief it was to the long-suffering supporters of ‘Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton, Tunstall and Stoke-upon-Trent Rangers FC’, who every Saturday had to respond to the call: ‘Give us a “B”’.
According to the comedian and football historian, Barry Cryer, the great Sir Stanley Matthews comes from Stoke. Rated as the finest controllers of the ball ever, Matthews played professionally well into his fifties. ( Note: But football isn’t the only place fans go to see an astonishingly old man dribbling in public. And for those who haven’t caught Barry’s one man show, I’m told he’s ‘unmissable’. So remember to take plenty of vegetables .)
I have to thank Barry for permission to reproduce this fascinating anecdote from his autobiography Barry Cryer, MyLife Was a Joke , which includes several more stories about the many rich, famous and talented people that Barry has heard of.
Her Majesty the Queen does her marvellous Barry Cryer impression
BUXTON
B UXTON is a delightful spa town but has few claims to fame. The fact that it can proudly boast that Tim Brooke-Taylor was born there is
Daniel Lambert, England’s fattest man, was born in Leicester in 1770. Reaching a weight in excess of 50 stone, he became something of a local celebrity, and was eventually honoured by the city, who awarded him his own postcode.
Leicester was also the birthplace of John Merrick, whose life was immortalised in the film The Elephant Man , featuring John Hurt in the lead role of Dumbo .
This ‘Spot the Ball’ competition featuring a Leicester City game is from an early edition of the Daily Mail. It was considered a little too difficult for their readership
STOKE-ON-TRENT
T HIS PART of England’s West Midlands is commonly known as ‘The Potteries’. Famous for its manufacture of China products, buyers come to Stoke-on-Trent from the world over to obtain fine silk sarongs, chopsticks and rick-shaws.
The area is also well-known for coal, iron, beer and pottery. It was in 1739 that the famous Wedgwood factory was set up at nearby Burslem. Soon their distinctive stoneware pots were in great demand by the townsfolk, who would use them to quaff copious quantities of the local ale, later taking full advantage of the fine porcelain products from the nearby Royal Doulton works.
A well-known neighbouring town which has recently become involved in the local art of brewing is Bournville. Traditionally associated with chocolate, Bournville has taken advantage of its natural springs for the production of lager, which is why there’s a glass and a half of water in every pint.
But a stone’s throw away is Newcastle-under-Lyme, so-named after a ‘new castle’ was built under ‘Lyme’ forest. Nearby, they constructed a feather store on the site of an old scrap yard and recycling centre. And so was born the charming village of ‘Down in the Dumps’.
Famous local characters include Thomas Minton, theinventor of ‘Minton’, Josiah Spode, the inventor of ‘Spode’, and Edward Knoblock, who luckily for some of us, didn’t invent anything.
Stoke-born John Barrington Wain, a writer in the ‘anti-bourgoise realist’ tradition, shot to fame with his witty first novel, Hurry On Down . This spawned the great Hurry On series, including Hurry on Doctor, Hurry On Nurse and most recently, Hurry On Ambulance, the Nearest Bed is Ninety Miles Away .
Other famous local names include the writer Arnold Bennett, who during a visit to Paris, wrote his popular Staffordshire ‘Five Towns’ novels, after an exchange of ideas with Flaubert. And it’s surprising what proportion of Madame Bovary is influenced by the industrial landscape of 19th Century Stoke. As far as scholars can make out, not a single word.
In 1925, these five surrounding towns were subsumed, and officially formed into the new city of Stoke. And what a relief it was to the long-suffering supporters of ‘Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton, Tunstall and Stoke-upon-Trent Rangers FC’, who every Saturday had to respond to the call: ‘Give us a “B”’.
According to the comedian and football historian, Barry Cryer, the great Sir Stanley Matthews comes from Stoke. Rated as the finest controllers of the ball ever, Matthews played professionally well into his fifties. ( Note: But football isn’t the only place fans go to see an astonishingly old man dribbling in public. And for those who haven’t caught Barry’s one man show, I’m told he’s ‘unmissable’. So remember to take plenty of vegetables .)
I have to thank Barry for permission to reproduce this fascinating anecdote from his autobiography Barry Cryer, MyLife Was a Joke , which includes several more stories about the many rich, famous and talented people that Barry has heard of.
Her Majesty the Queen does her marvellous Barry Cryer impression
BUXTON
B UXTON is a delightful spa town but has few claims to fame. The fact that it can proudly boast that Tim Brooke-Taylor was born there is
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