Hanley

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox UK place Hanley is one of the six towns that, along with Burslem, Longton, Fenton, Tunstall and Stoke-upon-Trent, amalgamated to form the City of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. The town is the main business, commercial and cultural hub of the wider Potteries area.

HistoryEdit

EtymologyEdit

The name Hanley comes from either "haer lea", meaning "high meadow", or "heah lea" meaning "rock meadow".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Municipal originsEdit

File:Hanley - Town Hall - geograph.org.uk - 3006959.jpg

Hanley Town Hall

Hanley was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1857 and became a county borough with the passage of the Local Government Act 1888. It was based at Hanley Town Hall. In 1910, along with Burslem, Tunstall, Fenton, Longton and Stoke-upon-Trent it was federated into the county borough of Stoke-on-Trent. Hanley was the only one of the six towns to be a county borough before the merger; its status was transferred to the enlarged borough. In 1925, following the granting of city status, it became one of the six towns that constitute the City of Stoke-on-Trent.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Coal miningEdit

At one time, there were many coal mines in North Staffordshire. Hanley Deep Pit was opened in 1854. It was the deepest pit in the North Staffordshire coalfield, reaching a depth of 1500 feet. At its peak in the 1930s it employed some 2,000 men and boys often producing Template:Convert of coal a week. The pit was closed in 1962 but much of the headgear and spoilheaps were left in situ. Then, in the 1980s, the original site was cleared, landscaped and converted into Central Forest Park.<ref>Pictures of Hanley Deep Pit Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>History of Hanley Deep Pit from local newspaper extracts Template:Webarchive</ref> Coal miners in the Hanley and Longton area ignited the 1842 General Strike and associated Pottery Riots. The College Road drill hall was completed in 1903.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Garden FestivalEdit

The 1986 Stoke-on-Trent Garden Festival led to the reclamation of large areas of land west of the city centre area – including the former Shelton steelworks, which had been derelict since 1978. When the Garden Festival closed, the land remained derelict for some time, before being re-developed partly into public parkland and partly for retail and leisure.

Public transportEdit

In 2013, a new bus station opened in Hanley. This replaced the former bus station, on Lichfield Street. The new bus station was the first stage in the regeneration project which will see the previous bus station demolished, and replaced with a new centre consisting of shops, restaurants and a cinema. The new bus station is bigger than its predecessor, and has seen various routes in and out of the city changed to accommodate its location. The bus station features a sheltered waiting area, Spar shop, cafe and toilets, is covered by CCTV, and has digital timetables showing information on travel times for the day, as well as Now/Next above the entrance to each bay. Access to the station is controlled by automatic doors, at both the pedestrian entrance and coach bays.Template:Citation needed

The new bus station links Hanley with towns in North Staffordshire, as well as Buxton, Crewe, Shrewsbury, and Stafford. Most services are run by First Potteries, though there are a number of smaller independent operators, such as D&G Bus, and Arriva Midlands. In addition, National Express Coaches connect Hanley with destinations including London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, with additional seasonal services to holiday destinations. As part of the redevelopment of the town and wider city, a new bus interchange was opened on John Street in March 2013, allowing the current station to be demolished to make room for further redevelopment of the town.

Hanley no longer has a railway station but there was once one located on Trinity Street, on the Potteries Loop Line, which was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway for passengers on 13 July 1864.<ref>The North Staffordshire Railway Rex Christiansen & R. W. Miller. David & Charles Newton Abbot 1971 p. 79</ref> The station survived for 100 years – it was closed in 1964, as part of the Beeching Axe, and the land is now a car park. The nearest railway station is in Template:Rws, Template:Convert south-southwest of Hanley bus station.

Hanley is connected to the waterways network; it meets the Trent and Mersey Canal at Festival Park, it is also connected to the east of the country via the Cauldon Canal.

Cultural sitesEdit

File:Staffordshire pottery and its history (1913) (14586934407).jpg

Map of Hanley in 1800, showing over 20 potteries, including Ridgway Potteries.

Hanley has several cultural facilities such as the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery (a large ceramics collection, and restored Spitfire), the Victoria Hall, the Regent Theatre, BBC Radio Stoke's studios are based in the town.

ReligionEdit

Christian churches and chapels in Hanley include:

Bethel Evangelical Free Church (Newhall Street),
Bethesda Town Mission (Jasper Street),
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Cardiff Grove),
Church of Scientology (Warner Street),
Congregational Independent Tabernacle Church (High Street),
Elim Church (Bucknall Old Road, corner of Mynors Street, Northwood),
Etruria Wesleyan Chapel (Etruria Old Road, Etruria),
Holy Trinity C of E (Lower Mayer Street, Northwood),
Providence Methodist Church (Junction of Town Road, and Hulton Street),
St. John's C of E (Town Road, Hanley),
St. Luke's C of E (Wellington Terrace),
St. Mark's C of E (Broad Street, Shelton),
Mt. Zion Pentecostal Faith Temple (Shelton),
St. Matthew's C of E (Birches Head),
Sacred Heart RC (Jasper Street), Trinity Methodist (Keelings Road, Northwood), and
St Simon and St Jude (Seaford Street, College Road (was Victoria Road), Shelton).