Staffordshire

Price's National Teapots at Longport (also known as Top Bridge Works) had been occupied by Price Brothers since the 1890s, becoming Price & Kensington after an amalgamation in 1962. The Top Bridge Works was one of the earliest surviving examples of a fire proof pottery works. The building was abandoned and became increasingly derelict until 2019, when despite being listed Grade II it was demolished by the local Council.

Waleswood (Hudswell Clarke 750 built 1906) is setting off to run round the brake vans at Chasetown Church Street terminus of the Chasewater Light Railway. This was one of a number of trips run over the line for the AGM of the Industrial Railway Society.

This bank of four limekilns is now situated in the middle of the Black Country Living Museum. These large draw kilns were originally constructed in the 1840s as a set of three with vertical brick shafts accessed by tunnels separating them. A fourth kiln was built on to the east side of the bank and is apparently of a larger volume than the others. Photo taken during the Red by Night event.

Valve chest on the Sandfields pumping engine at Lichfield. This Cornish engine has a steam cylinder sixty five inches in diameter, the stroke being nine feet, and worked from the beam was a ram and bucket pump. The bucket was 25.625 inches and the ram 17.175 inches in diameter by 9 foot stroke, and once developed 190 hp at seven strokes a minute, whilst pumping water at the rate of two million gallons per day with a delivery head of 355 feet on the force pump. It was supplied and erected for the South Staffordshire Waterwoks Company by Jonah and George Davies of Tipton and completed in late 1873 after their business had ceased trading. The engine finished working in 1927.

Night shot of day boats in the canal arm at the Black Country Living Museum. These narrowboats were used around the Birmingham Canal Navigations and the Great Western Railway owned boats would have been employed moving goods to and from a number of interchange basins owned by the railway company. These are referred to as day boats as they were not lived on as a matter of course unlike the long distance narrowboats. The cabin is smaller than on the latter vessels and provided some shelter and a stove for warmth. The boatmen would usually go home at night as they would never be far from there on the Birmingham Canals. Occasionally they would spend a night on the boat but this was not the usual practice. The initials TB & Co on the rudder or elum are thos of Thomas Bantock & Company. Bantock became boatage agent to the recently completed Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway in 1853 and then to the Great Western Railway in 1855 dealing with canal wharf to rail transfers. In 1858 he set up a business as Thomas Bantock and Company with offices within the Great Western Railway station at Wolverhampton. He was appointed as ‘carrier’ for the Wolverhampton District. The agency was for: ‘carriage of rail-borne goods by road less than 40 miles along a route taken between places within a 25 mile radius of Wolverhampton Low Level Station’. He was paid a percentage of the GWR charge to customers. The cartage agents, as later referred to, were required to provide suitable vehicles, in an approved livery, horses and harness and employ civil, energetic men to the GWR Company’s satisfaction. In 1860 Bantock owned 51 canal boats working from GW/OWW transfer wharves on the Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN). In 1861 he was still the Duke of Bridgwater’s Trustees District agent too. Bantock boats were based throughout the Black Country including 5 boats at Stourbridge (1858 to 1956) and 3 at Stourport. The Great Western had its own narrow boats working on the BCN and in 1866 Bantock hired 16 boats from the GWR at £15 per month. Thomas Bantock and Company expanded their interests becoming an ironmaster, coal mining (Ettingshall Lodge Colliery, Springvale 1865-90), and boat builder at Ettingshall Dock, Millfields. They built for themselves and the GWR completing 116 boats by 1895. They were said to have built their own railway wagons at the same works. The Company offices were now based at the rear of Albion Wharf at Herbert Street, Wolverhampton.

This shallow shaft is close to the show mine at the Black Country Living Museum. It has recently been refurbished along with the support underground by lads from the Free Mines of the Forest of Dean. A night shot taken at the Red by night event.

Former North Western Road Car Leyland Leopard with cut-down Alexander Y bodywork. The bus was converted and used by Crosville, C-Line and Midland Red North as a recovery vehicle. Now preserved and seen at a Gladstone Pottery Museum bus day.

Leaking rather a lot of steam, RSH 7673, Stewarts & Lloyds No 62 'Ugly' charges up the bank from Foxfield Colliery with a rake of mineral wagons.

Winding drum outside the Racecourse Colliery engine house at the Black Country Living Museum.

Terracotta plaque commemorating the foundation laying for Burslem School of Art which was opened by the then Mayor, S Gibson, in 1907. It was designed by local architect A.R. Wood who was also responsible for Tunstall Town Hall and the builders were W Grant & Sons. It is listed Grade II. At one time the building became the local library and has now become part of a sixth form college.

In gently falling snow 5619 takes a short freight through the woods to the east of Consall on the Churnet Valley Railway. Superb conditions for a photo charter and completely unexpected the day before.

Asphalt plant and secondary crusher building at Wredon limestone quarry. After closure the quarry plant stood derelict for a number of years. All now scrapped.

The original Beyer Garratt, K1, which was supplied to the Tasmanian Government Railways in 1909 for use on the North East Dundas Tramway. After overhaul at the Statfold Barn Railway it is seen here out on the line passing the halt on the balloon loop in the fields during a 30742 Charters event.

The coat of arms of the Manchester and Liverpool District Banking Company bearing the Latin motto DECUS PRUDENTIÆ MERCES, meaning "honour is the reward of prudence. Shortened to the District Bank the name was used until 1970 when the business was absorbed into the National Westminster Bank. Derby Street in Leek.

Hunslet 3738 of 1953 running as Holly Bank No.3 starts out of the station at Chasewater with a passenger service on the Chasewater Railway.

Corrugated iron barn at Shaw Farm, Heaton, North Staffordshire.

The Apedale mines were always welcoming when I visited and allowed freedom to wander around the site so long as I did not enter the adits. This view has tubs being tipped close to the Rescue Room with Loomer Road stadium and part of Holditch Colliery site in the background.

The original Beyer Garratt, K1 was supplied to the Tasmanian Government Railways in 1909 for use on the North East Dundas Tramway. After overhaul at the Statfold Barn Railway and it is seen here out on the line passing the museum platform during a 30742 Charters event.