Fenton According to Wikipedia

Rightly or wrongly it is increasingly common for any digital desktop research about a subject to begin with Google and then quickly move onto an open-source platform such as Wikipedia ("The Free Encyclopedia"). With this in mind this post will look at the things that Wikipedia says about Fenton and it's references.

Fenton Skyline in August 2010 (Image: Wikipedia / EchetusXe)

Fenton, meaning "flat, marshy land" is one of the six towns of the Stoke-on-Trent conurbation, situated in the south-east of the city. It has been dubbed the town Arnold Bennett, the English novelist, forgot in his 1902 work Anna of the Five Towns (he also wrote the Clayhanger triology and The Old Wives' Tale). It lies in a key geographical location, within easy reach of the A500, A34 and the A50, and is just a short distance away from Longton, Hanley and Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Many people semingly consider Fenton a sprawl of villages, including Heron Cross, Mount Pleasant, Saxonfields and Pool Dole, and although it has had its share of big industry, particularly from the Potteries trade, it is predominately a residential area. It first started to become populated when groups of farms and private small-holdings were built there, with the rapid develpment of the Potteries by the 1850s leading to growth around Duke Street and China Street. Fenton has been the home of a number of potteries such as Coalport, and its architectural heritage includes the Listed Christchurch, War Memorial, Bottle Kilm at the former Bencroft Works and the Calcining Kilns at James Kents. Large houses were established alongside pot-banks including Great Fenton Hall, Heron Cottage and Grove House. 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. It was bombined in the First World War by Zeppelin L21.

Heron Cross Pottery & Bottle Kiln (Image: © Brian Peach July 2001)

Unlike over Potteries towns it doesn't have a centre, with amenities and shops spread over a sizeable area. a market, with approximately 25 stalls, is held every Thursday, based in City Road. Victoria Road contains DIY shops, home furnishings and electircal stores and a retail park, which inlcudes a Dunelm Mill and a Curry's. The town has a library (on Baker Street), based within the carnegie library, the only such building in Stoke-on-Trent. It also has a magistrates court, serving the whole city from within Fenton's old town hall. Fenton Manor Sports Complex apparently houses the biggest swimming pool in Staffordshire and 1,300-seat areana. Other recereational facilities can be found at Fenton Park, with football pitches, pavilions and a playground.