h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Staffordshire, England, UK - A6012181
Author: Number Six - U115522

Hello everyone - this is the first stages of a collective response to Challenge h2g2's request for an entry on Staffordshire... all contributions welcome, whether just snippets or suggested links or whole finished sections!

What about celebrities who come from Staffordshire?

Here's a brief contribution - hopefully more to follow!

Newspapers

The Sentinel (link to http://www.thisisthesentinel.co.uk/) is a daily evening newspaper based in the Potteries which serves North Staffordshire and South Cheshire. Like most local evening papers in the UK, it contains a mixture of international, national and local news along with a lively letters page, events listings, and detailed coverage of the three main professional football teams in the area as well as local sport.

*waves to Otto*

I'd forgotten about the Sentinel. I used to deliver it And the Express & Star, which covers Stafford but is more focused towards Wolverhampton.

Ought to put in a bit about Keele Uni and Staffs Poly as well. Oh, sorry, I mean the 'University of Staffordshire'

*waves back*

There's an edited entry on Keele University at A346367, though it's a bit dated now.

*waves to EMR as well*

There's a little bit in there under 'famous sons and daughters' - it'll need expanding to explain who they are of course - and I've just expanded the 'music' section.

Will add Otto's 'Newspapers' section as well.

I'm getting very lazy these autumn days so at the mo here's all I have:


The Gladstone Pottery Museum = http://www2002.stoke.gov.uk/museums/gpm_main.html

BBC Staffordshire = http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/going_out/venues/g_m/gladstone_museum.shtml

BBC Stoke = http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/features/history/2003/north/longton.shtml
BBC Stoke = http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/content/articles/2005/07/26/staffordshire_bottle_ovens_feature.shtml

Six towns = http://www.thepotteries.org/

Previously known for its Coal = http://www.thepotteries.org/mining/

ex-resident Potters =

Musically:

Slash (Guns and Roses)
Robbie Williams

Footballing:

Stanley Matthews

Urbanly:

Bentilee (Europes largest Council Estate)

Larry Grayson,
Reginald Mitchell,
Anthea Turner
Capt of Titanic
Bruno Brookes?
Nick Hancock

was thinking of writing about the potteries but at the mo am just feeling rather lazy.

Oh and here is a little web address about brewing for all those lovers of beer.

http://www.coorsvisitorcenter.co.uk/vc_home.asp?section_id=0

I am finding that the BBC have plenty of info on different Stoke attractions.

The Captain of the Titanic, Edward John Smith, was born in Hanley in 1850.
(link to A457067)

Here are H2g2 entries on the people I mentioned earlier ... which happen to have come from one of the potteries entries

A593543 Robbie Williams - the 'Entertainer'
A3063133 Guns And Roses
A760763 Larry Grayson - Look at the Muck on 'Ere! - Part Two
A760772 Larry Grayson - Look at the Muck on 'Ere! - Part Three
A758072 Larry Grayson - Look at the Muck on 'Ere! - Part One

University websites are:

http://www.staffs.ac.uk/
http://www.keele.ac.uk/

Looks forward to seeing how all this will fit together.

Thanks everyone - must add some of this in later on.

Slash, Robbie Williams, Stanley Matthews, Reginald Mitchell we've already got - although is that little museum with a Spitfire in it still there in Hanley?

I thought the captain of the Titanic came from Stoke, that's straight in. I never knew Anthea Turner started out at Signal Radio, but I am old enough to remember Bruno Brookes starting out doing the afternoon show on BBC Radio Stoke (200m/1503khz Medium Wave, or 96.4 VHF Stereo, that takes me back!). And despite being a pre-teenager at the time, I was nevertheless old enough to know better than to listen to him!

Larry Grayson - great links, and enjoyed reading them, but unless I missed it I couldn't see a connection with Staffordshire there. Am I being dense?

Nick Hancock's in as well. On a footballing level, as well as both Stanleys (Matthews and Collymore), I think Mark Bright and Robbie Earle are both from the Potteries. They certainly played for Port Vale. Got a feeling Garth Crooks might have some sort of connection as well.

Need to add in Kerr and lbclaire's info on Burton and Kinver as well

There's lots of info on http://www.staffordbc.gov.uk/live/cme2493.htm and http://www.staffordbc.gov.uk/live/cme6.htm?scheme_name=lgnl&scheme_category_id=200067

How's this coming along?

Slowly, or actually not at all... but I'll be back in Staffordshire for the month of March, and I hope to make a bit of progress before then.

OK, I agree that most of Staffordshire is somewhere you pass through, usually as fast as possible on the M6 or Virgin Rail. But, if you do you miss the best bit which is the Staffordshire Moorlands. Do not be be misled by the Peak District National Park. Despite everything they claim it is not mainly in Derbyshire. Quite a lot of it is in Staffordshire including all the west bank of Dovedale. Have a look at the Churnet valley and Caldon Canal.
So, for the record let's ignore Stoke-on-Trent which is in cultural freefall, ignore the flat agricultural land around Stafford, ignore Cannock and Tamworth, ignore Staffordshire County Council's pathetic and anachronistic "The Creative County" tagline and head for the north. Just watch your speed. Staffordshire is full of irrational speed limits and speed cameras. "The Gatso County" would be more accurate.

Could you add something on Drayton Manor Zoo in Staffordshire?

There were some meerkat pups born there in 2005. From my Meerkat entry which is in PR at the moment A9495615 :

<>



Another edited entry for you: A450596 Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, UK

Oh dear. I'd forgotten this one. I'd better have a look at it at some point...

We'd love to see this finished - you may have already seen this message, but there will be a T-shirt in it for you if you can get it through onto the Front Page.