Hanley

Last updated 20th, January, 2009

HANLEY is the central hub of the Potteries and home to Stoke-on-Trent’s city centre.

It is one of the six towns which were federated to form Stoke-on-Trent in 1910 and since then it has been the area which has consistently received the most investment.

Its history goes back centuries and as early as 1212 there are records of the area then known as “Henle”, or in 1227, of “Hanlih”.

The name Hanley actually comes from “hean lea”, meaning “high meadow”.

It was once an old mining town, surrounded by colliery spoil tips, which have now been landscaped and reclaimed. Central Forest Park was formerly the site of one of these tips.

In 1776, Hanley became a market town and it became a county borough in 1889.

Over the centuries, Hanley has been home to its fair share of famous names. The seminal author Arnold Bennett was born in Hope Street, Hanley, in the 1860s and lived in the area for 20 years before moving to London. In his famous novels about the Potteries towns, he called Hanley “Hanbridge”.

Captain Edward John Smith, who went down with the Titanic, was also born in Hanley, as was legendary footballer Sir Stanley Matthews, who began his career with Stoke City Football Club.

Ray Reardon, six times world professional snooker champion, was a Hanley policeman in the 1960s and perfected his sporting skill in the town.

And Spitfire designer Reginald Mitchell finished his schooling at Hanley High School. His statue now stands outside the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, in Bethesda Street, Hanley.

Today, the amenities on offer in Hanley make it the most popular of the six towns to visit, and the phrase, “Going up Hanley, duck” is as well used today as it ever was.

The Potteries Shopping Centre, with its vast mix of high street names including Next, Debenhams and Top Shop, make it the main retail attraction.

For others, the indoor market, which sits below the shopping centre, is a more attractive proposition, with its wide range of stalls selling food, gifts and other essentials.

And littered throughout the town itself are many other big-name shops, independent stores, banks and services.

Hanley is also the place to be for clubbers, diners and theatre-goers looking for a good night out.

It is believed that The Place nightclub, which stood on Bryan Street, was one of the first disco nightclubs in Britain, when it opened in the 1970s.

Also in the 1970s, the Heavy Steam Machine, next door to the ABC Cinebowl in Broad Street, was described as the largest discotheque in Europe.

Around the same time, as Northern Soul swept through Stoke-on-Trent, the Golden Torch at Tunstall may have been the name on everyone’s lips, while Hanley’s Top Rank was capable of packing in the punters too.

Later, Valentino’s nightclub – which is now Circus Casino – was to make the record books in 1999, when it held Britain’s first nightclub wedding.

Stoke-on-Trent’s Cultural Quarter, which was created in Hanley in the late 1990s, is home to a wide variety of pubs, restaurants and late-night bars, as well as the Victoria Hall and Regent Theatre, which regularly host some of the country’s best touring shows, musicians, singers and comedians.

Hanley is also well served by public parks, including Central Forest Park, plus there are two casinos and the award-winning Potteries Museum and Art Gallery.

For a more adult kind of entertainment, lap dancing club ST1 caused controversy when it first opened in 2001.

Among Hanley’s schools is St Luke’s C of E Primary School, the only Stoke-on-Trent school which is a listed building. It was built in 1893 and was where a youthful Stanley Matthews was educated in the 1920s.

Hanley is currently in the throes of the regeneration which is set to transform the city. Much of the cash being ploughed into the town is being invested in the Waterside development, a long-term plan for a fresh community built by the side of the Caldon Canal.

About 1,600 new homes have been earmarked for Hanley over the next 10 years, as well as new industrial land and leisure facilities.

Realis Estates recently submitted a planning application for the £250 million East West Precinct, which includes proposals for a department store, cinema, hotel and bus station in Hanley, as well as 70 shops and a host of cafes and restaurants.

The centre, which should create more than 2,000 jobs when it opens in 2013, is part of a £1.5 billion regeneration plan to transform North Staffordshire.

Existing housing in Hanley tends to be priced lower than the national average. There are a lot of rented properties, many occupied by students.

Hanley’s bus station offers more than 90 services and is located in the centre of the town. Regular buses provide links to the whole of Staffordshire and beyond, while holiday-makers can take a coach to many of Britain’s most popular destinations.

The nearest mainline rail service is from Stoke Station, just a short journey out of the centre, and has direct services to many major cities.