The impact of people and places in Wolstanton and May Bank is recorded in this pictorial record that recognises the contribution of village notables, dear old friends and long-gone institutions. A wealth of photographs depicting the joys of community life mingle with contemporary pictures, showing, often with dramatic impact, the shocking demolition of facilities we perhaps took for granted, such as The Plough, the Oxford Arms and The Marsh Head. Elsewhere, images of former shops such as Holdridge's, Swettenham's and the Spinning Wheel show how High Street shopping patterns have changed. Author Mervyn Edwards has only ever lived in Wolstanton and May Bank, and through this unique selection of old and new images, he presents a tribute to the place he happily calls home.

The area of North Staffordshire combines urban and rural areas, from Stoke-on-Trent and the Potteries, the town of Newcastle-under-Lyme, the moorland and Peak District towns and villages to the border with Cheshire and Derbyshire. In spite of the many changes that have occurred in North Staffordshire, its towns, cities and villages have retained their identity, with historical buildings alongside the new. This fascinating selection of old and new images of North Staffordshire will be essential reading for all those who know the area.

Newcastle-under-Lyme manages to combine a rich and often dramatic history with a vibrant contemporary feel. You'll find no better illustration of this coming together of the old and the new than in the town's diverse variety of pubs. From hostelries of genuine antiquity through to battered old backstreet boozers, and from cutting-edge brewpubs to craft-beer bars, this Staffordshire market town really does offer something for everyone. People have been enjoying the hospitality offered by Newcastle's many watering holes since the days when the town was a major producer of clay smoking pipes. Today, that reputation continues as a teeming mix of locals, students and tourists look to quench their thirst. From bustling alehouses that maintain a live music scene through to traditional taverns offering a more sedate atmosphere redolent of a seemingly bygone age, this book will guide you through the town's pub landscape.

Renowned for their illustrious ceramic manufacturing heritage, the Staffordshire Potteries originally centred upon six towns: Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley, Stoke-upon-Trent, Fenton and Longton. The modern city of Stoke-on-Trent was created from these six towns and around fifty villages. In The Potteries Through Time, author Mervyn Edwards presents a nostalgic visual chronicle of the towns and villages in the Potteries across the decades. In his previous Through Time books, Mervyn Edwards focused upon each of the six towns individually. This latest volume explores the hills and hollows between the centres whilst also offering new archive photographs of the main towns. We find shabby backstreets cowering in the shadow of enormous coal tips - the Potteries' own 'black hills' - and there are industrial hotspots and busy suburbs. Then there are the proud old chapels and pubs and the even prouder people that patronised them. Stoke-on-Trent was not a pretty place, but as the proverb tells us, 'where there is muck there is brass', and the fascinating landscape came to be captured by all manner of writers, artists and photographers. This collection of archive photographs is an engaging book that charts changing times and the shifting identity of the Potteries. It will be of immense interest to local residents, visitors and all those with links to the area.