Newcastle-under-Lyme
Encyclopedia
Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town
in Staffordshire
, England
, and is the principal town of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme
. It is part of The Potteries Urban Area
and North Staffordshire
. In the 2001 census the town had a population of 73,944. It is not to be confused with the larger city of Newcastle upon Tyne
.
, built in the 12th century. The "Lyme" section could refer to the Lyme Brook or the extensive lime forest
s that covered the area in mediæval period.
, as it grew up around the 12th century castle, but it must early have become a place of importance, for a charter
, known only through a reference in a charter to Preston, was given to the town by Henry II of England
in 1173. The 'new' castle was built to supersede an older fortress at Chesterton
about 2 miles to the north, the ruins of which were to be seen up to the end of the 16th century.
In 1235 Henry III
constituted it a free borough, granting a guild
merchant and other privileges. In 1251 he leased it at fee-farm to the burgesses. In 1265 Newcastle was granted by the Crown
to Simon de Montfort
, and subsequently to Edmund Crouchback, through whom it passed to Henry IV
. In John Leland's time the castle had disappeared "save one great Toure".
Newcastle did not feature much in the English Civil War
, save a Royalist
plundering. During the Civil War, Major Thomas Harrison a Cromwellian army officer and leader of the fanatical Fifth Monarchy Men, rose to prominence.
The governing charter in 1835 which created the Newcastle-under-Lyme Municipal Borough absorbed the previous borough created through the charters of 1590 and 1664, under which the title of the corporation, was the "mayor, bailiffs and burgesses of Newcastle-under-Lyme."
of the "six towns" (Stoke
, Hanely, Fenton
, Longton
, Burslem
and Tunstall
) Newcastle remained separate. Despite its close proximity, it was not directly involved in the pottery industry, and it strongly opposed attempts to add it at a later date with a postcard poll showing residents opposing it by a majority of 97.4%. Although passed by the House of Commons
, it was rejected by the House of Lords
.
Newcastle sent two members to parliament from 1355 to 1885, when it lost one representative.
Following the Local Government Act 1972
it became the principal settlement of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme.
s. Later coal mining
, brick
manufacture, iron
casting and engineering
rose to prominence. Very fine red earthenware and also soft-paste porcelain
tableware
(the first such production in Staffordshire) was produced in Newcastle at Samuel Bell's factory in Lower Street between 1724 and 1754 when all production ceased. With the exception of a failed enterprise between 1790 and 1797, which then switched to brewing
, there was no further commercial production of pottery within the town of Newcastle. Production of earthenware tiles however continued at several locations within the borough. Manufacture of fine bone china
was re-established in the borough in 1963 by Mayfair Pottery at Chesterton
.
The manufacture in the borough of clay tobacco smoking pipes started about 1637 and grew rapidly and was second only to hatting within the borough. Nationally, the town was ranked with Chester
, York
and Kingston upon Hull
as the four major pipe producers. This industry continued until the mid-19th century when decline set in rapidly and by 1881 only one tobacco pipe maker was left.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries the town had a flourishing felt
hat manufacturing industry, which was probably at its peak locally in the 1820s when a third of the town's population were involved in the industry in over 20 factories but by 1892 there was only one manufacturer still in production in the town.
In 1944, the Rolls-Royce Derwent engine for the Gloster Meteor
fighter was made in the borough.
was a campaigner for better nourishment for babies and young children and better maternity care for mothers. The former chairwoman of Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
(CND), Janet Bloomfield
(née Hood) is a peace and disarmament campaigner. Vera Brittain
writer, feminist (and mother of Liberal Democrat
Shirley Williams) was born in the town.
There have been two particularly notable Members of Parliament
(MPs). Josiah Wedgwood IV
was a Liberal
, Independent and Labour Party
MP, who served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
in the cabinet
of Ramsay MacDonald
, in the first ever Labour government. He was an MP from 1909 to 1942. John Golding
was elected as a Labour MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme
at a by-election in 1969. He served in the governments of Harold Wilson
and Jim Callaghan, as PPS to Eric Varley
as Minister of Technology
, a Labour whip in opposition, and Minister for Employment, stepping down in 1986. The current MP is Paul Farrelly
.
, its station being on a branch line from Stoke-on-Trent
via Newcastle, Silverdale
and Keele
, to Market Drayton
in Shropshire
. Newcastle station
opened in September 1852, after numerous construction difficulties involving the two tunnels of 605 yards and 96 yards respectively at Hartshill. There were also two halts to the west of Newcastle station, located at Brampton
and Liverpool Road
. The section from Silverdale to Market Drayton closed to passengers in May 1956 and the rest of the line in March 1964. Only a small section remained from Madeley to Silverdale, and from Silverdale to Holditch and this was for coal traffic from the local collieries. The line from Newcastle Junction to Silverdale has been removed, with the site of Newcastle station and the Hartshill tunnels being filled in.
Newcastle was on the national canal
network, but the canal
, running from the Trent and Mersey Canal
at Stoke-on-Trent to Sir Nigel Gresley's Canal
has been disused since 1935 and most of it filled in.
, its suburb
s running into those of the city. Newcastle town centre is just 2 miles (3 km) from Stoke-upon-Trent
and less than 4 miles (6 km) from Stoke-on-Trent City Centre (Hanley). Newcastle-under-Lyme is about 17 miles (27 km) north of the county town
of Stafford
.
These are the average rainfall and temperatures from the Met Office
weather station at Penkridge
, some 24 miles (39 km) to the south. They show the averages from 1971 to 2000.
Of the 73,944 residents recorded in the 2001 census, 51.7% (38,210) were female and 48.3% (35,734) male. 78.2% (57,819) stated their religion was Christian
, with 12.9% (9,570) saying they had no religion. Muslim
, Jewish, Buddhist and Sikh
all recorded less than 1% of the population. 97.8% of the population defined themselves as white
, with the balance being mixed race
(0.6%), India
n (0.4%), Pakistan
i (0.2%), black
(0.2%), Chinese
(0.2%) with other ethnic groups forming 0.4%.
62.2% (21,586) of the population work full time
and 19.4% (6,746) part time
. The largest employment types are manufacturing
with 7,058 (21.5%), wholesale
and retail
6,157 (18.7%), health
and social work
4,097 (12.5%) and financial
, real estate
&
business
activity 3,823 (11.6%).
Jewish residency of the area stretches back into the 19th century. In 1873 they purchased an old Welsh
chapel
to be used as a synagogue
. In 1923 a new synagogue was built in Hanley. This was closed in 2004 and the congregation moved to a smaller synagogue in Newcastle.
Near the turn of 21st century, the town received a major redevelopment to incorporate a new street (Castle Walk) in to the town centre, providing Newcastle with a new bus station
and bringing in more companies.
A large number of pubs, clubs and bars provide Newcastle with a relatively strong nightlife, with students' night being on Wednesdays.
Newcastle-under-Lyme is served by the M6 motorway
to the south and west of Newcastle and by the A500 road
to the north and east. There are access points from the M6 at junctions 15 and 16, to the south and north respectively. The A34 trunk road
runs through Newcastle from north to south and was the main road between Birmingham
and Manchester
until the M6 motorway opened. There is a large bus station in the town centre.
Newcastle does not have a railway station within the town, however Stoke-on-Trent railway station
is located in-between the town centre of Newcastle and city centre of Stoke-on-Trent, serving the Potteries as a whole. It is located on the West Coast Main Line
.
s in the state sector. There is also Newcastle-under-Lyme School, an independent school
established in the 17th century whose alumni includes T. E. Hulme
, John Wain
and William Watkiss Lloyd
. There is also a special school located in the town called Blackfriars School.
The town has a further
and tertiary education
Newcastle-under-Lyme College established in the 1966. In January 2010 the new £60 million college campus was unveiled.
Britain in Bloom
competition. In 2005 it was the national winner in the ‘small city/large town’ category (35K-100K). The town features several parks including the Queen’s Gardens, at the eastern end of Ironmarket, was awarded the Britain in Bloom Judges’ Award for Horticultural Excellence in 2003 and is the only park within the ring road
. Grosvenor Gardens in the centre of one of the town’s roundabouts, hidden away below road level. The Queen Elizabeth Garden is located outside the town centre and is to undergo refurbishment using National Lottery Heritage Fund
money.
To the north west of the town centre is Brampton Park, home to the museum and art gallery.
known as The Stones operates on High Street. The market was originally held on Sunday; in the reign of John
it was changed to Saturday; by the charter of Elizabeth
it was fixed on Monday. Grants of fairs were given by Edward I
, Edward III
and Henry VI
. Today the market is open six-days a week, there are over 80 stalls on this open-air market. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays see a general market, on Tuesdays there is an antiques market and Thursdays are for the sale of bric-a-brac.
A cattle
and livestock
market was held on Mondays until the mid-1980s.
was Europe’s first purpose-built theatre in the round
. It is just outside the town centre and offers a full programme of entertainment, whether modern or classic plays or impressive concert performances.
The Borough Museum and Art Gallery depicts the civic history of the Borough of Newcastle under Lyme and an authentic, life-size Victorian
street-scene whilst the art gallery hosts work by local and national artists as well as ‘travelling’ exhibitions. Until 2005, there was an annual carnival held on the Spring Bank Holiday
but this has been cancelled due to rising policing costs.
Notable residents who contributed to the arts and entertainment include Philip Astley
, founder of the ‘modern’ circus. Jackie Trent
singer and songwriter was born in the town. Arnold Bennett
the novelist, playwright, and essayist completed his schooling at the Middle School and called the town Oldcastle in his novels. Dinah Maria Mulock who wrote under her married name of Mrs. Craik, lived in the town in Lower Street and Mount Pleasant and attended Brampton House Academy. E S Turner, the social commentator was educated in the town.
Historically, the city had a strong tradition of festivities marking the start of a new municipal year
.
It was known as Oldcastle in Arnold Bennett
's Clayhanger trilogy of novels.
, an association football club currently play in the Northern Premier League First Division South. The Lyme Valley area is home to Newcastle & Hartshill Cricket Club. The largest Rugby Union club is Newcastle, Staffs Rugby Union Club. Cycle Staffordshire organises many local cycling events as does the Newcastle Track Cycling
Association. The town has its own velodrome
. Lyme Racing Club is a popular local cycle club with over 150 members with and increasing junior membership. The club is active in many areas of cycling including time trials, track racing, road racing, Audax riding, mountain biking as well as regular Sunday club runs and general leisure cycling. Newcastle Athletic Club is based at the Ashfield Road track, next to Newcastle College, it was built in 1964 and is an ash track. The club competes in North Staffs XC League, Local, National and Heart of England League 3. The town is also home to one of the largest and most successful volleyball clubs in England, Newcastle (Staffs) Volleyball Club
, which was established in 1980 and has teams playing in the National Volleyball League, producing numerous England and Great Britain international players over the years. There are various golf courses at Kidsgrove, Wolstanton, Keele, Westlands.
Dominic Cork
, the cricketer
and Robbie Earle
a former footballer were both born in the town.
, a divine and Anglican priest. Josiah Wedgwood
was a Unitarian
and he and his family attended meetings at the Old Meeting House, adjacent to St. Giles' Church, which is still in use for this purpose.
The town itself has a large number of Anglican churches including St. Giles' Church, the mediæval parish church dating from 1290, as well as several Catholic churches, most notably Holy Trinity, whose style is Gothic
in blue engineering bricks, described as... "the finest modern specimen of ornamental brickwork in the kingdom" at the time.
In the 18th century John Wesley
made repeated visits to the area which was becoming more industrialised. He recruited many residents to Methodism
. This is reflected in the large number of Methodist churches. The largest Baptist
church in North Staffordshire is in Newcastle.
Of interest also is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon
), located across from the Brampton Park, which serves as the 'stake centre' for the church in the region and has an on-site Family History Centre
where the public can research their ancestry for little or no charge.
(Germany), Neuchâtel (Switzerland), Neufchâteau
(France), New Castle, Indiana
(USA), New Castle, Pennsylvania
(USA), New Castle, Delaware
(USA), Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal
(South Africa) and Shinshiro (Japan).
This small international network of just eight towns, formed in 1998, is designed to encourage friendship and co-operation between the towns and to this end a school in the South African town benefited in 2004 from gifts of computing equipment surplus to Newcastle-under-Lyme's needs. The annual Newcastles of the World Summit was held in Newcastle-under-Lyme for six days from 17 June 2006.
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and is the principal town of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme (borough)
Newcastle-under-Lyme is a local government district with borough status in Staffordshire, England.It is named after its main town of Newcastle-under-Lyme where the council is based, but also includes the town of Kidsgrove, the villages of Silverdale and Keele, and the rural area surrounding Audley...
. It is part of The Potteries Urban Area
The Potteries Urban Area
The Potteries Urban Area is a conurbation in North Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England.It includes the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and the towns of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Kidsgrove....
and North Staffordshire
North Staffordshire
North Staffordshire describes an area of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It contains the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire Moorlands and the City of Stoke-on-Trent. The Stoke and Newcastle areas make up The Potteries Urban Area, whilst the Moorlands are largely...
. In the 2001 census the town had a population of 73,944. It is not to be confused with the larger city of Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
.
Etymology
The Newcastle part of the name derives from being the location of a 'new' castleCastle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
, built in the 12th century. The "Lyme" section could refer to the Lyme Brook or the extensive lime forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s that covered the area in mediæval period.
1100s-1800s
Newcastle is not mentioned in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, as it grew up around the 12th century castle, but it must early have become a place of importance, for a charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
, known only through a reference in a charter to Preston, was given to the town by Henry II of England
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
in 1173. The 'new' castle was built to supersede an older fortress at Chesterton
Chesterton, Staffordshire
Chesterton is a small, former mining village, located in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. It sits near the market town of Newcastle-under-Lyme....
about 2 miles to the north, the ruins of which were to be seen up to the end of the 16th century.
In 1235 Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
constituted it a free borough, granting a guild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
merchant and other privileges. In 1251 he leased it at fee-farm to the burgesses. In 1265 Newcastle was granted by the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
to Simon de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester , sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from other Simon de Montforts, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He led the barons' rebellion against King Henry III of England during the Second Barons' War of 1263-4, and...
, and subsequently to Edmund Crouchback, through whom it passed to Henry IV
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
. In John Leland's time the castle had disappeared "save one great Toure".
Newcastle did not feature much in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, save a Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
plundering. During the Civil War, Major Thomas Harrison a Cromwellian army officer and leader of the fanatical Fifth Monarchy Men, rose to prominence.
The governing charter in 1835 which created the Newcastle-under-Lyme Municipal Borough absorbed the previous borough created through the charters of 1590 and 1664, under which the title of the corporation, was the "mayor, bailiffs and burgesses of Newcastle-under-Lyme."
Recent
When Stoke-on-Trent was formed by the 1910 amalgamationFederation of Stoke-on-Trent
The federation of Stoke-on-Trent refers to the events leading to the 1910 amalgamation of the six Potteries towns of Burslem, Tunstall, Stoke-upon-Trent, Hanley, Fenton and Longton into the single county borough of Stoke-on-Trent. An anomaly in the history of English local government, this was the...
of the "six towns" (Stoke
Stoke-upon-Trent
Stoke-upon-Trent, commonly called Stoke or Stoke town, is a component town of the city of Stoke-on-Trent, in the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, England....
, Hanely, Fenton
Fenton, Staffordshire
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...
, Longton
Longton, Staffordshire
Longton is a southern district of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, and is known locally as the "Neck End" of the city. Longton is one of the six towns of "the Potteries" which formed the City of Stoke-on-Trent in 1925.-History:...
, Burslem
Burslem
The town of Burslem, known as the Mother Town, is one of the six towns that amalgamated to form the current city of Stoke-on-Trent, in the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, in the Midlands of England.-Topography:...
and Tunstall
Tunstall, Staffordshire
Tunstall is an area in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. It was one of the original six towns that federated to form the city. Tunstall is the most northern town of the city of Stoke-on-Trent....
) Newcastle remained separate. Despite its close proximity, it was not directly involved in the pottery industry, and it strongly opposed attempts to add it at a later date with a postcard poll showing residents opposing it by a majority of 97.4%. Although passed by the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, it was rejected by the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
.
Newcastle sent two members to parliament from 1355 to 1885, when it lost one representative.
Following the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
it became the principal settlement of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Economy
Like neighbouring Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle's early economy was based around hatting trade, silk and cotton millCotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
s. Later coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
, brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
manufacture, iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
casting and engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
rose to prominence. Very fine red earthenware and also soft-paste porcelain
Soft-paste porcelain
Soft-paste porcelain is a type of a ceramic material, sometimes referred to simply as "soft paste". The term is used to describe soft porcelains such as bone china, Seger porcelain, vitreous porcelain, new Sèvres porcelain, Parian porcelain and soft feldspathic porcelain, and is also used more...
tableware
Tableware
Tableware is the dishes or dishware , dinnerware , or china used for setting a table, serving food, and for dining. Tableware can be meant to include flatware and glassware...
(the first such production in Staffordshire) was produced in Newcastle at Samuel Bell's factory in Lower Street between 1724 and 1754 when all production ceased. With the exception of a failed enterprise between 1790 and 1797, which then switched to brewing
Brewing
Brewing is the production of beer through steeping a starch source in water and then fermenting with yeast. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BCE, and archeological evidence suggests that this technique was used in ancient Egypt...
, there was no further commercial production of pottery within the town of Newcastle. Production of earthenware tiles however continued at several locations within the borough. Manufacture of fine bone china
Bone china
Bone china is a type of soft-paste porcelain that is composed of bone ash, feldspathic material and kaolin. It has been defined as ware with a translucent body containing a minimum of 30% of phosphate derived from animal bone and calculated calcium phosphate...
was re-established in the borough in 1963 by Mayfair Pottery at Chesterton
Chesterton, Staffordshire
Chesterton is a small, former mining village, located in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. It sits near the market town of Newcastle-under-Lyme....
.
The manufacture in the borough of clay tobacco smoking pipes started about 1637 and grew rapidly and was second only to hatting within the borough. Nationally, the town was ranked with Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
and Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
as the four major pipe producers. This industry continued until the mid-19th century when decline set in rapidly and by 1881 only one tobacco pipe maker was left.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries the town had a flourishing felt
Felt
Felt is a non-woven cloth that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing woollen fibres. While some types of felt are very soft, some are tough enough to form construction materials. Felt can be of any colour, and made into any shape or size....
hat manufacturing industry, which was probably at its peak locally in the 1820s when a third of the town's population were involved in the industry in over 20 factories but by 1892 there was only one manufacturer still in production in the town.
In 1944, the Rolls-Royce Derwent engine for the Gloster Meteor
Gloster Meteor
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. It first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force...
fighter was made in the borough.
Politics
The town has been the birthplace of several notable politicians and activists. Fanny DeakinFanny Deakin
Fanny Deakin was a politician from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England, noted for her campaigns for better nourishment of young children and maternity care for mothers....
was a campaigner for better nourishment for babies and young children and better maternity care for mothers. The former chairwoman of Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is an anti-nuclear organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...
(CND), Janet Bloomfield
Janet Bloomfield
Janet Bloomfield was a peace and disarmament campaigner who was chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament from 1993 to 1996....
(née Hood) is a peace and disarmament campaigner. Vera Brittain
Vera Brittain
Vera Mary Brittain was a British writer, feminist and pacifist, best remembered as the author of the best-selling 1933 memoir Testament of Youth, recounting her experiences during World War I and the beginning of her journey towards pacifism.-Life:Born in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Brittain was the...
writer, feminist (and mother of Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
Shirley Williams) was born in the town.
There have been two particularly notable Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MPs). Josiah Wedgwood IV
Josiah Wedgwood, 1st Baron Wedgwood
Colonel Josiah Clement Wedgwood, 1st Baron Wedgwood, DSO, PC, DL sometimes referred to as Josiah Wedgwood IV was a British Liberal and Labour politician who served in government under Ramsay MacDonald...
was a Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
, Independent and Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MP, who served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is, in modern times, a ministerial office in the government of the United Kingdom that includes as part of its duties, the administration of the estates and rents of the Duchy of Lancaster...
in the cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
of Ramsay MacDonald
Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
, in the first ever Labour government. He was an MP from 1909 to 1942. John Golding
John Golding (British politician)
John Golding was a Labour Party politician and Trade Union leader in the United Kingdom.He was educated at Chester Grammar School, Keele University and the London School of Economics...
was elected as a Labour MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme (UK Parliament constituency)
Newcastle-under-Lyme is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- History :...
at a by-election in 1969. He served in the governments of Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
and Jim Callaghan, as PPS to Eric Varley
Eric Varley
Eric Graham Varley, Baron Varley, PC was an English politician and former Cabinet Minister on the right wing of the Labour Party....
as Minister of Technology
Minister of Technology
The Minister of Technology was a position in the government of the United Kingdom, sometimes abbreviated as "MinTech". The Ministry of Technology was established by the incoming government of Harold Wilson in October 1964 as part of Wilson's ambition to modernise the state for what he perceived to...
, a Labour whip in opposition, and Minister for Employment, stepping down in 1986. The current MP is Paul Farrelly
Paul Farrelly
Christopher Paul Farrelly is a British Labour Party politician and journalist, who has been the Member of Parliament for Newcastle-under-Lyme since 2001.-Early life:...
.
Transport
The town was once served by the North Staffordshire RailwayNorth Staffordshire Railway
The North Staffordshire Railway was a British railway company formed in 1845 to promote a number of lines in the Staffordshire Potteries and surrounding areas in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Shropshire....
, its station being on a branch line from Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
via Newcastle, Silverdale
Silverdale, Staffordshire
Silverdale is a suburban village and civil parish in Staffordshire, west of Newcastle-under-Lyme. In 1932 it became part of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme and is now, with the exception of the north-eastern end, part of the Silverdale and Parksite ward....
and Keele
Keele
Keele is a village and civil parish in northern Staffordshire, England. It is approximately three miles west of Newcastle-under-Lyme, and is close to the village of Silverdale...
, to Market Drayton
Market Drayton
Market Drayton is a small market town in north Shropshire, England. It is on the River Tern, between Shrewsbury and Stoke-on-Trent, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" and earlier simply as "Drayton" ....
in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
. Newcastle station
Newcastle-under-Lyme railway station
Newcastle-under-Lyme railway station was a railway station that served the town of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. It was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway in 1852.The station was located on King Street opposite the Borough Arms Hotel...
opened in September 1852, after numerous construction difficulties involving the two tunnels of 605 yards and 96 yards respectively at Hartshill. There were also two halts to the west of Newcastle station, located at Brampton
Brampton Halt railway station
Brampton Halt railway station was a railway station located in the Brampton area of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. It was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway in 1905 but was short-lived, closing in 1923..-Links to Pictures:...
and Liverpool Road
Liverpool Road Halt railway station
Liverpool Road Halt railway station was a railway station located in the north of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. It was opened in 1905 by the North Staffordshire Railway in connection with the introduction of railmotor services.....
. The section from Silverdale to Market Drayton closed to passengers in May 1956 and the rest of the line in March 1964. Only a small section remained from Madeley to Silverdale, and from Silverdale to Holditch and this was for coal traffic from the local collieries. The line from Newcastle Junction to Silverdale has been removed, with the site of Newcastle station and the Hartshill tunnels being filled in.
Newcastle was on the national canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
network, but the canal
Newcastle-under-Lyme Canal
The Newcastle-under-Lyme Canal was a 3 mile 6 furlongs level canal from the Trent & Mersey Canal at Stoke-on-Trent to Newcastle-under-Lyme...
, running from the Trent and Mersey Canal
Trent and Mersey Canal
The Trent and Mersey Canal is a in the East Midlands, West Midlands, and North West of England. It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities—east of Burton upon Trent and west of Middlewich—it is a wide canal....
at Stoke-on-Trent to Sir Nigel Gresley's Canal
Sir Nigel Gresley's Canal
Sir Nigel Gresley's Canal was a private canal between Apedale and Newcastle-under-Lyme both in Staffordshire, England. It was used to transport coal from Sir Nigel Gresley's mines. It opened in 1776 after being approved by Act of Parliament in 1775. The act placed controls on the price at which...
has been disused since 1935 and most of it filled in.
Geography and climate
Situated in a valley alongside the Lyme Brook, the town is immediately west of the neighbouring city of Stoke-on-TrentStoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
, its suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s running into those of the city. Newcastle town centre is just 2 miles (3 km) from Stoke-upon-Trent
Stoke-upon-Trent
Stoke-upon-Trent, commonly called Stoke or Stoke town, is a component town of the city of Stoke-on-Trent, in the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, England....
and less than 4 miles (6 km) from Stoke-on-Trent City Centre (Hanley). Newcastle-under-Lyme is about 17 miles (27 km) north of the county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of Stafford
Stafford
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
.
These are the average rainfall and temperatures from the Met Office
Met Office
The Met Office , is the United Kingdom's national weather service, and a trading fund of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills...
weather station at Penkridge
Penkridge
Penkridge is a market town and ancient parish in Staffordshire, England with a population of 7,836 . Many locals refer to it as a village, although it has a long history as an ecclesiastical and commercial centre. Its main distinction in the Middle Ages was as the site of an important collegiate...
, some 24 miles (39 km) to the south. They show the averages from 1971 to 2000.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average max. temperature °C Celsius Celsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death... (°F Fahrenheit Fahrenheit is the temperature scale proposed in 1724 by, and named after, the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit . Within this scale, the freezing of water into ice is defined at 32 degrees, while the boiling point of water is defined to be 212 degrees... ) |
6.5 (43.7) |
6.9 (44.42) |
9.5 (49.1) |
12.0 (56) |
15.7 (60.26) |
18.4 (65.12) |
21.1 (69.98) |
20.8 (69.44) |
17.5 (63.5) |
13.5 (56.3) |
9.5 (49.1) |
7.4 (45.32) |
13.3 (55.94) |
| Average min. temperature °C (°F) |
1.0 (33.8) |
1.0 (33.8) |
2.5 (36.5) |
3.5 (38.3) |
6.2 (43.16) |
8.9 (48.02) |
11.1 (51.98) |
10.9 (51.62) |
9.0 (48.2) |
6.4 (43.52) |
3.3 (37.94) |
1.8 (35.24) |
5.5 (41.9) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) |
62.7 (2.46) |
44.4 (1.75) |
51.2 (2.02) |
48.5 (1.91) |
52.7 (2.07) |
59.3 (2.33) |
46.7 (1.84) |
57.7 (2.27) |
63.6 (2.50) |
60.5 (2.38) |
62.0 (2.44) |
66.8 (2.63) |
676.0 (22.61) |
| Sunshine (hours per month) |
45.3 | 59.0 | 89.9 | 129.9 | 179.5 | 160.8 | 183.5 | 168.6 | 122.1 | 94.6 | 58.5 | 38.4 | 1330.1 |
| Source: Met Office | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Comparative Census Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 UK Census United Kingdom Census 2001 A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194.... |
Newcastle-under-Lyme | Borough | England |
| Total population | 73,944 | 122,030 | 49,138,831 |
| White | 97.8% | 98% | 91% |
| Asian | 0.6% | 0.6% | 4.6% |
| Black | 0.2% | 0.2% | 2.3% |
| Christian | 78.2% | 78.5% | 72% |
| Muslim | 0.7% | 0.5% | 3.1% |
| Hindu | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1.1% |
| No religion | 14% | 13.1% | 15% |
| Unemployed | 2.3% | 2% | 3.3% |
Of the 73,944 residents recorded in the 2001 census, 51.7% (38,210) were female and 48.3% (35,734) male. 78.2% (57,819) stated their religion was Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, with 12.9% (9,570) saying they had no religion. Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, Jewish, Buddhist and Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
all recorded less than 1% of the population. 97.8% of the population defined themselves as white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
, with the balance being mixed race
Multiracial
The terms multiracial and mixed-race describe people whose ancestries come from multiple races. Unlike the term biracial, which often is only used to refer to having parents or grandparents of two different races, the term multiracial may encompass biracial people but can also include people with...
(0.6%), India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n (0.4%), Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i (0.2%), black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
(0.2%), Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
(0.2%) with other ethnic groups forming 0.4%.
62.2% (21,586) of the population work full time
Full time
Full-time employment is employment in which the employee works the full number of hours defined as such by his/her employer. Full-time employment often comes with benefits that are not typically offered to part-time, temporary, or flexible workers, such as annual leave, sickleave, and health...
and 19.4% (6,746) part time
Part time
A part-time job is a form of employment that carries fewer hours per week than a full-time job. Workers are considered to be part time if they commonly work fewer than 30 or 35 hours per week...
. The largest employment types are manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
with 7,058 (21.5%), wholesale
Wholesale
Wholesaling, jobbing, or distributing is defined as the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional, or other professional business users, or to other wholesalers and related subordinated services...
and retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
6,157 (18.7%), health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
and social work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
4,097 (12.5%) and financial
FINANCIAL
FINANCIAL is the weekly English-language newspaper with offices in Tbilisi, Georgia and Kiev, Ukraine. Published by Intelligence Group LLC, FINANCIAL is focused on opinion leaders and top business decision-makers; It's about world’s largest companies, investing, careers, and small business. It is...
, real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
&
business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
activity 3,823 (11.6%).
Jewish residency of the area stretches back into the 19th century. In 1873 they purchased an old Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
to be used as a synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
. In 1923 a new synagogue was built in Hanley. This was closed in 2004 and the congregation moved to a smaller synagogue in Newcastle.
Economy
Newcastle's 20th century industries include: iron working, construction materials, clothing (especially military, police and transport uniforms), computers, publishing, electric motors, and machinery.Near the turn of 21st century, the town received a major redevelopment to incorporate a new street (Castle Walk) in to the town centre, providing Newcastle with a new bus station
Bus station
A bus station is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. It is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can stop...
and bringing in more companies.
A large number of pubs, clubs and bars provide Newcastle with a relatively strong nightlife, with students' night being on Wednesdays.
Transport links
Newcastle-under-Lyme is served by the M6 motorway
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
to the south and west of Newcastle and by the A500 road
A500 road
The A500 is a major primary A road in Staffordshire and Cheshire, England. It is dual carriageway for most of its length and connects Nantwich, junctions 16 and 15 of the M6 motorway with the city of Stoke-on-Trent...
to the north and east. There are access points from the M6 at junctions 15 and 16, to the south and north respectively. The A34 trunk road
Trunk road
A trunk road, trunk highway, or strategic road is a major road—usually connecting two or more cities, ports, airports, and other things.—which is the recommended route for long-distance and freight traffic...
runs through Newcastle from north to south and was the main road between Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
until the M6 motorway opened. There is a large bus station in the town centre.
Newcastle does not have a railway station within the town, however Stoke-on-Trent railway station
Stoke-on-Trent railway station
Stoke-on-Trent Railway Station is a main-line railway station in central England. It is located on the Stafford to Manchester branch of the West Coast Main Line and serves the Staffordshire city of Stoke-on-Trent...
is located in-between the town centre of Newcastle and city centre of Stoke-on-Trent, serving the Potteries as a whole. It is located on the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
.
Education
The town has an extensive number of both primary and secondary schoolSecondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
s in the state sector. There is also Newcastle-under-Lyme School, an independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
established in the 17th century whose alumni includes T. E. Hulme
T. E. Hulme
Thomas Ernest Hulme was an English critic and poet who, through his writings on art, literature and politics, had a notable influence upon modernism.-Early life:...
, John Wain
John Wain
John Barrington Wain was an English poet, novelist, and critic, associated with the literary group "The Movement". For most of his life, Wain worked as a freelance journalist and author, writing and reviewing for newspapers and the radio. He seems to have married in 1947, since C. S...
and William Watkiss Lloyd
William Watkiss Lloyd
William Watkiss Lloyd , was an English writer.He was born at Homerton, Middlesex, and educated at Newcastle-under-Lyme independent school. At the age of fifteen he entered a family business in London, with which he was connected for thirty-five years...
. There is also a special school located in the town called Blackfriars School.
The town has a further
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
and tertiary education
Tertiary education
Tertiary education, also referred to as third stage, third level, and post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of a school providing a secondary education, such as a high school, secondary school, university-preparatory school...
Newcastle-under-Lyme College established in the 1966. In January 2010 the new £60 million college campus was unveiled.
Parks and gardens
Newcastle excels in the Royal Horticultural SocietyRoyal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...
Britain in Bloom
Britain in Bloom
RHS Britain in Bloom, supported by Anglian Home Improvements, is the largest horticultural campaign in the United Kingdom. It was first held in 1963, initiated by the British Tourist Board based on the example set by Fleurissement de France. It has been organised by the Royal Horticultural Society ...
competition. In 2005 it was the national winner in the ‘small city/large town’ category (35K-100K). The town features several parks including the Queen’s Gardens, at the eastern end of Ironmarket, was awarded the Britain in Bloom Judges’ Award for Horticultural Excellence in 2003 and is the only park within the ring road
Ring road
A ring road, orbital motorway, beltway, circumferential highway, or loop highway is a road that encircles a town or city...
. Grosvenor Gardens in the centre of one of the town’s roundabouts, hidden away below road level. The Queen Elizabeth Garden is located outside the town centre and is to undergo refurbishment using National Lottery Heritage Fund
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
money.
To the north west of the town centre is Brampton Park, home to the museum and art gallery.
Traditional market
Dating back to 1173 Newcastle’s marketMarket
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
known as The Stones operates on High Street. The market was originally held on Sunday; in the reign of John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
it was changed to Saturday; by the charter of Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
it was fixed on Monday. Grants of fairs were given by Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
, Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
and Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
. Today the market is open six-days a week, there are over 80 stalls on this open-air market. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays see a general market, on Tuesdays there is an antiques market and Thursdays are for the sale of bric-a-brac.
A cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
and livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
market was held on Mondays until the mid-1980s.
Culture
The New Vic TheatreNew Vic Theatre
The New Vic Theatre is situated in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. It was purpose-built as a theatre in the round and opened in 1986, replacing a converted cinema, the Victoria Theatre, Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent.-History:...
was Europe’s first purpose-built theatre in the round
Theatre in the round
Theatre-in-the-round or arena theatre is any theatre space in which the audience surrounds the stage area...
. It is just outside the town centre and offers a full programme of entertainment, whether modern or classic plays or impressive concert performances.
The Borough Museum and Art Gallery depicts the civic history of the Borough of Newcastle under Lyme and an authentic, life-size Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
street-scene whilst the art gallery hosts work by local and national artists as well as ‘travelling’ exhibitions. Until 2005, there was an annual carnival held on the Spring Bank Holiday
Bank Holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
but this has been cancelled due to rising policing costs.
Notable residents who contributed to the arts and entertainment include Philip Astley
Philip Astley
Philip Astley was an English equestrian, circus owner, and inventor, regarded as being the "father of the modern circus"...
, founder of the ‘modern’ circus. Jackie Trent
Jackie Trent
Jackie Trent is an English singer, songwriter, and actress.-Career:Trent's first stage appearance was as a ten-year-old ingenue in the pantomime Babes In The Wood, but her primary interest was a career in pop music...
singer and songwriter was born in the town. Arnold Bennett
Arnold Bennett
- Early life :Bennett was born in a modest house in Hanley in the Potteries district of Staffordshire. Hanley is one of a conurbation of six towns which joined together at the beginning of the twentieth century as Stoke-on-Trent. Enoch Bennett, his father, qualified as a solicitor in 1876, and the...
the novelist, playwright, and essayist completed his schooling at the Middle School and called the town Oldcastle in his novels. Dinah Maria Mulock who wrote under her married name of Mrs. Craik, lived in the town in Lower Street and Mount Pleasant and attended Brampton House Academy. E S Turner, the social commentator was educated in the town.
Historically, the city had a strong tradition of festivities marking the start of a new municipal year
Municipal year
The municipal year is a period used by local government in the United Kingdom. It starts in early May because that was roughly when the New Year originally started. It is not a fixed date so the number of days in any municipal year varies. It is the space of time between one round of local...
.
It was known as Oldcastle in Arnold Bennett
Arnold Bennett
- Early life :Bennett was born in a modest house in Hanley in the Potteries district of Staffordshire. Hanley is one of a conurbation of six towns which joined together at the beginning of the twentieth century as Stoke-on-Trent. Enoch Bennett, his father, qualified as a solicitor in 1876, and the...
's Clayhanger trilogy of novels.
Sport
The town is home to a wide range of sports clubs and associations. Newcastle Town F.C.Newcastle Town F.C.
Newcastle Town F.C. are an English football club based in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. They play in the Northern Premier League First Division South. They are full members of the Staffordshire Football Association.-History:...
, an association football club currently play in the Northern Premier League First Division South. The Lyme Valley area is home to Newcastle & Hartshill Cricket Club. The largest Rugby Union club is Newcastle, Staffs Rugby Union Club. Cycle Staffordshire organises many local cycling events as does the Newcastle Track Cycling
Track cycling
Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using track bicycles....
Association. The town has its own velodrome
Velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...
. Lyme Racing Club is a popular local cycle club with over 150 members with and increasing junior membership. The club is active in many areas of cycling including time trials, track racing, road racing, Audax riding, mountain biking as well as regular Sunday club runs and general leisure cycling. Newcastle Athletic Club is based at the Ashfield Road track, next to Newcastle College, it was built in 1964 and is an ash track. The club competes in North Staffs XC League, Local, National and Heart of England League 3. The town is also home to one of the largest and most successful volleyball clubs in England, Newcastle (Staffs) Volleyball Club
Newcastle (Staffs) Volleyball Club
Newcastle Volleyball Club is an English volleyball club based in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England, affiliated to Volleyball England, with teams competing at national level for women, men, girls and boys...
, which was established in 1980 and has teams playing in the National Volleyball League, producing numerous England and Great Britain international players over the years. There are various golf courses at Kidsgrove, Wolstanton, Keele, Westlands.
Dominic Cork
Dominic Cork
Dominic Gerald Cork is a former English cricketer. Cork is a right-handed lower-order batsman who bowls right-arm fast-medium, and is renowned for his swing and seam control. Making his début in first-class cricket for Derbyshire in 1990, he was selected to play for England in 1992, aged 21. He...
, the cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
and Robbie Earle
Robbie Earle
Robert Fitzgerald "Robbie" Earle MBE is an English-born Jamaican former international footballer who played as a midfielder. He played 578 league games in senior club football, scoring 136 goals....
a former footballer were both born in the town.
Religion
The town has a long religious history. It was the birthplace of John James BluntJohn James Blunt
John James Blunt was an English divine and Anglican priest. His writings included studies of the early Church.-Life:Blunt was born at Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire. He was educated at St John's College, Cambridge, where he took his degree as fifteenth wrangler in 1816 and obtained a...
, a divine and Anglican priest. Josiah Wedgwood
Josiah Wedgwood
Josiah Wedgwood was an English potter, founder of the Wedgwood company, credited with the industrialization of the manufacture of pottery. A prominent abolitionist, Wedgwood is remembered for his "Am I Not A Man And A Brother?" anti-slavery medallion. He was a member of the Darwin–Wedgwood family...
was a Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
and he and his family attended meetings at the Old Meeting House, adjacent to St. Giles' Church, which is still in use for this purpose.
The town itself has a large number of Anglican churches including St. Giles' Church, the mediæval parish church dating from 1290, as well as several Catholic churches, most notably Holy Trinity, whose style is Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
in blue engineering bricks, described as... "the finest modern specimen of ornamental brickwork in the kingdom" at the time.
In the 18th century John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
made repeated visits to the area which was becoming more industrialised. He recruited many residents to Methodism
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
. This is reflected in the large number of Methodist churches. The largest Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
church in North Staffordshire is in Newcastle.
Of interest also is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
), located across from the Brampton Park, which serves as the 'stake centre' for the church in the region and has an on-site Family History Centre
Family History Center (LDS Church)
Family History Centers are units of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
where the public can research their ancestry for little or no charge.
International network
The town is part of a world-wide network of towns and cities with the name Newcastle. These include Neuburg an der DonauNeuburg an der Donau
Neuburg an der Donau, literally Neuburg on the Danube River, is a town which is the capital of the Neuburg-Schrobenhausen district in the state of Bavaria in Germany.-Divisions:The municipality has 16 divisions:-History:...
(Germany), Neuchâtel (Switzerland), Neufchâteau
Neufchâteau, Vosges
Neufchâteau is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.Inhabitants are called Néocastriens.-Geography:Positioned at the confluence of the Rivers Meuse and Mouzon, the little town dominates the Vosges Plain...
(France), New Castle, Indiana
New Castle, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,780 people, 7,462 households, and 4,805 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,987.5 people per square mile . There were 8,042 housing units at an average density of 1,351.3 per square mile...
(USA), New Castle, Pennsylvania
New Castle, Pennsylvania
New Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Pittsburgh and near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border just east of Youngstown, Ohio; in 1910, the total population was 36,280; in 1920, 44,938; and in 1940, 47,638. The population has fallen to 26,309 according to the...
(USA), New Castle, Delaware
New Castle, Delaware
New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, six miles south of Wilmington, situated on the Delaware River. In 1900, 3,380 people lived here; in 1910, 3,351...
(USA), Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal
Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal
Newcastle is the third largest city and urban center in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Newcastle is located in the North West corner of the province along the Ncandu River and is moderately industrial....
(South Africa) and Shinshiro (Japan).
This small international network of just eight towns, formed in 1998, is designed to encourage friendship and co-operation between the towns and to this end a school in the South African town benefited in 2004 from gifts of computing equipment surplus to Newcastle-under-Lyme's needs. The annual Newcastles of the World Summit was held in Newcastle-under-Lyme for six days from 17 June 2006.