Another visit to Stoke...
Mainly to spend time with Bebe...
As well as Grandad Gerry & Nana Stip-Pep
Festival Park Marina
Drawbridge
One of our dreams is to live on a barge...
Trent & Mersey Canal
Sime's plate of vegetables, complete with vegan gravy
Our hotel, not quite in Stoke - but it's a chain we use in France & Sime really fancied staying there...
It was very nice & only £18 a night!
The only time I'd agree that Sime's feet are big...
They're very small really!
Nobody's ever told me that only one eye goes cross-eyed...
But one of the kids is the same!
This is taken from the mural in the Potteries Shopping Centre.
Jabez is a character from The Evening Sentinel - a man who speaks in pottery dialect. The man who created Jabez also wrote three books. Sime met him in 1973 & still has the first two books which Wilfred Bloor (the author) signed. The author used the pen name A. Scott, a reference to the north Staffordshire village he came from, which is called Scot Hay.
Sime can also speak & understand pottery dialect, whereas I came from 3 miles over the border in Cheshire - so haven't a clue... Thank goodness for online translators!
Here's a bit more about pottery dialect...
The City of Stoke-on-Trent is comprised of the SIX towns of: Longton, Fenton, Stoke, Hanley, Burslem & Tunstall. Most people think there are only five towns, but this misconception comes from the novel: Anna Of The Five Towns by Arnold Bennett.
On this trip we spent some time in Hanley...
An old bottle oven which now has become a feature inside these offices.
The Coachmakers Arms
We didn't go in, but used to frequent this establishment many moons ago.
Another great old pub which we didn't go in!
Hope Street is the place to go to buy musical instruments...
And other things of a discreet nature... Hahaha!
I grew up knowing this guy as Jack Frost.
Brassington's is a lovely old fashioned shoe shop.
We like this building, but neither of us can remember what it used to be.
The place to go for exotic tobaccos.
It's always been there...
Lovely buildings on Percy Street.
It looked lovely... Next time!
Webberley's a family run, independent book shop which has been trading for 99 years!
Market Tavern on the corner of Tontine Street.
Sir Stanley Matthews.
Stoke's most famous sportsman.
The Sentinel seller
A lovely old herbal & health store which has been going since 1906.
We couldn't leave Hanley without Sime going for a test drive...
And a coffee for me...
We had a lovely visit, much more relaxed than usual...
And thankfully Bebe's doing ok.
Hope you enjoy our tour as much as we did!
We're off out with Hugo now to Eden followed by the cinema...
Have a good week.
Kay & Sime
xx
Comments
Jane x
That metal sculpture reminded me of a book I read, set oop North, where the children were afraid of "Spring heeled Jack".
Your dinner looked gorgeous,I could just eat every scrap now..better go and get some lunch, I'm drooling on the keyboard :-O
Enjoy Eden!
Kay :)
We both agree that we were very scared of him as kids, but at the same time completely fascinated!
Kay :)
Kay :)
Wishing both of you a wonderful week!
xo Catherine
Kay :)
Kay :)
Kay :)
Great virtual tour. I really enjoy seeing where you two go and love that Jack Frost sculpture!
Kay :)
Kay :)