SUCH is the prominence of the Duke William pub in Burslem that it has been mentioned in one of Arnold Bennett's books.

In Old Wives Tale, Bennett, pictured, refers to the pub as the 'Marquis of Granby', where he notes its location "at the top of the Square".

Mother Town historian Fred Hughes believes it was first built around 1815 before being redeveloped towards the end of the 19th Century.

He said: "It was during the Victorian era when another floor was added to the pub as it was originally two-storey.

"The Victorians did a mock-Tudor design and, although they were very good with their own designs, they were brilliant at copying.

"It was renovated at a time when Burslem was booming and it was done to keep up with demand. The town had a population of 42,000 and there were plenty of pot banks.

"At one time there were something like 120 pubs in Burslem and Duke William would have been considered one of the best."

In the 1960s the pub attracted top jazz musicians such as Ronnie Scott and Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis.