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

I wonder if I am the only h2g2-er in Stoke? I've left a message on the Stoke-on-Trent pages, but all the threads are old. Surely its not just little old me?

I'm an ex Staffs Uni (Stoke) thingy-wotsit, though I live in Birmingham at the moment, do I count?

I live in 'Castle. But I'm not a proper local....

Thank God. Thought I was the only one... Tell me, what's the best thing about Stoke and how did you end up here of all places? I have an excuse, I was born here, and no matter how hard I try always come back. I guess I just the place!
Cheers

H

Well, I'm still getting the hang of local politics and rivalries, but if I understand correctly, my role as a Newcastle resident is to go on about living in a Royal Borough and looking down on Stoke.

I first came here to study, but I work here now and if I get my contract renewed, I could be here for a long time yet. Best thing about the area is how friendly people are. Generally!

A lot of the non-native students hated it but I loved it (I transferred in after a year at a Manchester based Uni!), the people were fantastic, the city was small enoguh to be close-knit but big enough to have everything if you knew where to look but alas The Wheatsheaf is no more (well, it's a Wetherspoon's and that's no use, is it?!?!?!)

Don't worry I'm pretty friendly. Yeah the whole Stoke/Newcastle thing is a bit of a standing joke come pain in the bum. There's the Five (or Six) towns and then Castle being kind of superior, but hey, that's ok. My ancestors were from Newcastle before the castle was built so I suppose I should really be called newcastle_helen but it just hasn't got the same ring. Also no-one knows where it is, or they think you're a Geordie...
As for local politics, Don't Even Go There. Truly.
So what do you do then? Apart from obscure sports and philiosphy that is? Cool space, by the way.

xHx

Damn right about the Wheatsheaf. A Tragic Loss. Have you tried the Talbot Hotel? Is it any good? I've not got up there myself yet.
Glad you like it here, it's always strangely gratifying to hear!


xHx

I didn't make it to the Talbot, though I know it by reputation

Did you realise both other posters to this thread are fencers, helen?

Been a while since I partied in those parts

I'm in Burton-on-Trent- a certain other researcher managed to get the two confused when coming to visit me

Um...bit of a difference

I take it you mean fencing as in "en garde" and rapiers and stuff, if so that's pretty . What's the "reputation" of the Talbot then? I'm a bit out of the city (usually go out in Stone or Stafford to be honest as I work there) so don't catch all the gossip. Would like to check it out but I don't want to go up and find it's "pick your window" if you know where I'm coming from!
Catch you later

xHx

I buckled my swash in the side room at Leek Road sports centre (until the club closed down)

Can't remember whether it was good or bad really (the talbot) just that it's name was known - infer from that what you will

I was a Wheatsheaf man, pure and simple - though there was the night we had Belinda Carlisle for a fiver at Leek Rd Union

Belinda Carlisle huh? Right, okaaaaaay... Well, if it's musical confessions time I once saw T'Pau at Brannigan's - now that was a surreal evening.
I think I'll maybe give the Talbot a miss until I can get some more info from a few people. Tend to have a lot of punk/industrial/death metal nights, you know, music to slash your wrists to...! Not quite my thing, neither is getting spat on. Oh well, I'll make do with the Swan @ Stone, good beer and live music Thursday nights. Bit hit & miss but it is free!

xHx

"...punk/industrial/death metal..." sounds like bliss to me!


I remember when Cico's used to be fun The Goth movement hung around in Stoke for much longer than elsewhere

Hi all,

I'm a Keelite (I now work there), so I'm very much at the Castle end of that part of the world. I used to go fencing in Stone from time to time (and Staffs Uni come to mention it), but mostly at Keele.

I knew a few people who went to Chico's - some went because they liked the music and blaaaaaaack, but others were "look at me" goths who went on and on about their imaginery persecution at the hands of "trendies" who "didn't understand" them. Rather sad, really, but each to their own!

Otto

You still fence there Otto (either place?) We may have crossed swords *lol*

I liked the music, and blaaaack, and you just KNOW goths aren't going to cause any trouble

I'm sort of injured at the moment which limits how much I can do (shin splits), so I'm not doing much fencing as that does the most aggrevating. I still notionally fence at Keele though.

daSilva, you mentioned the Staffs club closing down. Was that because of a light fingered coach? I've had the impression that you were at Staffs before I was at Keele, but I don't know what I base that on! Perhaps we were contemporaries....

Helen, I have a question for you about the Potteries. Why are there no-one with red hair, apart from students and visitors? I have met *one* ginger potter. Ever. There must be a reason for this.

Otto

Hi Otto
Can't say I'd noticed a lack of ginger people. There's one guy in my village who's v. ginger, but I don't think he was born here. Will keep my eyes open. Maybe its something to do with the gene pool? Or perhaps there's some as-yet undiscovered anti-gingerism in Stoke that causes them all to leave at an early age? Hmmmm

xHx

I didn't notice, but a friend of mine came up here for a wedding about ten years ago (ouch!) and he's very ginger. It's something he noticed while walking around Newcastle. Perhaps there's just lots of ginger people in London...

Otto