Fenton Walkabout 2013
Fenton Town Hall
From Wikipedia...
Fenton
'Fenton is one of the six towns of the Stoke-on-Trent conurbation which were federated in 1910. It is situated in the south-east of the city. Arnold Bennett called his fictionalised version of Stoke-on-Trent the "Five Towns", and Fenton has been dubbed the town Arnold Bennett forgot.
The name means 'Fen Farm'.
By the 1850s, the area around Duke Street and China Street had become populated during the rapid development of the Potteries. The two principal districts, Fenton Vivian and Fenton Culvert – each with their scattered communities, were brought together to make an urban district with its own board of guardians in 1894. On 1 April 1910, the town was federated into the county borough of Stoke-on-Trent. By 1925 the area was granted city status.
During the First World War Fenton was bombed by Zeppelin 'L 21'.
Fenton is still considered a sprawl of villages by many, and it includes Heron Cross, Mount Pleasant, Saxonfields and Pool Dole. Residential hot spots like Fenpark and Saxonfields have served to enhance the traditional properties expected in a town like Fenton.
Fenton Park is also popular with families, and has football pitches, pavilions and playground. The town’s library lies on Baker Street, and is based within the Carnegie library, the only such building in Stoke-on-Trent. It is now closed. Fenton also had a magistrates court, which served the city from within Fenton’s old town hall. It closed in 2013.'
Fenton
'Fenton is one of the six towns of the Stoke-on-Trent conurbation which were federated in 1910. It is situated in the south-east of the city. Arnold Bennett called his fictionalised version of Stoke-on-Trent the "Five Towns", and Fenton has been dubbed the town Arnold Bennett forgot.
The name means 'Fen Farm'.
By the 1850s, the area around Duke Street and China Street had become populated during the rapid development of the Potteries. The two principal districts, Fenton Vivian and Fenton Culvert – each with their scattered communities, were brought together to make an urban district with its own board of guardians in 1894. On 1 April 1910, the town was federated into the county borough of Stoke-on-Trent. By 1925 the area was granted city status.
During the First World War Fenton was bombed by Zeppelin 'L 21'.
Fenton is still considered a sprawl of villages by many, and it includes Heron Cross, Mount Pleasant, Saxonfields and Pool Dole. Residential hot spots like Fenpark and Saxonfields have served to enhance the traditional properties expected in a town like Fenton.
Fenton Park is also popular with families, and has football pitches, pavilions and playground. The town’s library lies on Baker Street, and is based within the Carnegie library, the only such building in Stoke-on-Trent. It is now closed. Fenton also had a magistrates court, which served the city from within Fenton’s old town hall. It closed in 2013.'
Fenton Town Hall
If you have a spare £250K
So, you are wondering, what all the fuss is with Fenton Town Hall. Why should YOU give a rat's ass about some poxy old building in the armpit of somewhere in northern England you probably couldn't pinpoint on a map of Fenton?!
Well, for a start, it is up for sale. Thing is, if it is sold it will, probably be knocked down and turned into a Tesco Extra (other crappy supermarkets are available). It doesn't have listed building status and can, therefore, be razed to the ground with no more than a cursory glance at the local planning regulations, providing appropriate palms are greased.
Well, for a start, it is up for sale. Thing is, if it is sold it will, probably be knocked down and turned into a Tesco Extra (other crappy supermarkets are available). It doesn't have listed building status and can, therefore, be razed to the ground with no more than a cursory glance at the local planning regulations, providing appropriate palms are greased.
Impressive facade, huh?
Now, we come to the part about why you should care.
1) It is a beautiful building.
2) Inside is a unique War Memorial made of Minton Tiles.
3) Fenton (and the rest of the region, country, world) needs to retain these fantastic old buildings for future generations.
4) The present is transient. What we think today may be right, it may be wrong but, really, is anyone going to be fighting in 200 years to keep the Tesco Express that would fill the space cleared by knocking this majestic structure down? Think about that.
5) You buy the Town Hall, you get your very own Police Station thrown in!
What are good reasons for knocking it down? It's an old building that needs working on, and a little TLC? The same arguments apply as with the Wedgewood Institute, in Burslem. Why don't we use all our technology and modern genius to restore this building. Time to preserve the past, not pull the damn thing down! It is time to stop greed and stupidity from being the motivating factor that drives the human race. The argument that we are following the modern, American way, because it is efficient and universal, is crap. Consider the one thing about the UK that Americans (with all their modern shopping malls, franchise chain eateries, and alleged love of progress) prize above all else; yep, all our old shit. So, if we continue to knock all the old shit down, where are all your yanqui tourist $$$ going to come from? They sure as hell ain't coming over here for the burgers.
1) It is a beautiful building.
2) Inside is a unique War Memorial made of Minton Tiles.
3) Fenton (and the rest of the region, country, world) needs to retain these fantastic old buildings for future generations.
4) The present is transient. What we think today may be right, it may be wrong but, really, is anyone going to be fighting in 200 years to keep the Tesco Express that would fill the space cleared by knocking this majestic structure down? Think about that.
5) You buy the Town Hall, you get your very own Police Station thrown in!
What are good reasons for knocking it down? It's an old building that needs working on, and a little TLC? The same arguments apply as with the Wedgewood Institute, in Burslem. Why don't we use all our technology and modern genius to restore this building. Time to preserve the past, not pull the damn thing down! It is time to stop greed and stupidity from being the motivating factor that drives the human race. The argument that we are following the modern, American way, because it is efficient and universal, is crap. Consider the one thing about the UK that Americans (with all their modern shopping malls, franchise chain eateries, and alleged love of progress) prize above all else; yep, all our old shit. So, if we continue to knock all the old shit down, where are all your yanqui tourist $$$ going to come from? They sure as hell ain't coming over here for the burgers.
Yes, this IS Fenton Town Hall
Click on the links below to find out how you can join in to help save Fenton Town Hall. If you do nothing else, sign the petition, even if it's just to make me not come to your house and move in for a week.
Petition: SIGN IT!
http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/stop-the-desecration-of-fenton-great-war-memorial-1914-1918
Raise awareness
http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/VIDEO-Battle-save-Fenton-Town-Hall-s/story-19613361-detail/story.html#axzz2ddvXkv7x
http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/VIDEO-Stephen-Fry-Ben-Elton-join-fight-save/story-19637512-detail/story.html#axzz2ddvXkv7x
Petition: SIGN IT!
http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/stop-the-desecration-of-fenton-great-war-memorial-1914-1918
Raise awareness
http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/VIDEO-Battle-save-Fenton-Town-Hall-s/story-19613361-detail/story.html#axzz2ddvXkv7x
http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/VIDEO-Stephen-Fry-Ben-Elton-join-fight-save/story-19637512-detail/story.html#axzz2ddvXkv7x
Is this Staffordshire?
And therein lies the problem...
This is the problem with The Potteries, right in this screenshot.
I'm from here. I can make these observations. If you aren't from around here, don't make me slap you around with a week old oatcake...
You see, I clicked on the link from Wikipedia and even the local newspaper, The Sentinel, disavows all knowledge of one of the six towns it is supposed to inform, educate, and entertain. When the local newspaper doesn't give a crap, well, you join the dots.
I'm from here. I can make these observations. If you aren't from around here, don't make me slap you around with a week old oatcake...
You see, I clicked on the link from Wikipedia and even the local newspaper, The Sentinel, disavows all knowledge of one of the six towns it is supposed to inform, educate, and entertain. When the local newspaper doesn't give a crap, well, you join the dots.