Fire?

Posted on July 15, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged arson, Falcon works, Fire, heritage, History, Life, Pottery, Stoke, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

I don’t know what happened but there was a fire last week on the old Falcon Works pottery site near us. We saw a column of smoke rising from behind the Portmeirion pottery that is across the road from us. Then we heard a fire engine heading towards the pottery. The smell was very strange, like burnt rubber. My hubby went for a walk round the back of the works when we got back from Cornwall, he said it just looked the same as normal?

It turns out that the land has recently been sold to developers. Could this be a coincidence? A lot of old derelict industrial sites in the area seem to be hit by suspected arson recently. It is worrying to think of the damage being done to our heritage.

Planning application

Posted on July 15, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged apartments, Art, Building, creative industries, historic, History, Life, Planning, Spode site, Stoke, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

I’ve just written a comment on our local council website to oppose planning approval for development of the historic Spode Factory site in Stoke, Stoke-on-Trent.

Planning application in for Spode Site. Search on Stoke.gov.uk for details. Planning application 67906/FUL comments need to be in by 20.07.22.
I wrote :
Elanora Street and the surrounding area in Stoke Town are subject to a lot of heavy traffic. I think this proposal will have a negative effect, particularly around peak traffic flow times.
In addition, as a Studio holder based at the Acava Art Studios on the Spode site I am concerned about how my business will be affected. I need vehicular access to my studio when collecting or delivering artworks and art materials. I would want to be reassured that artists in the studios will not have there businesses restricted or inconvenienced.
Spode Site is a heritage site. It should be developed with an understanding of its historical value to the town, city, and world. But instead the city council seem to be taking the low brow option of cramming ‘apartments’ onto the site.
Like the Goodsyard proposal currently in the process of being considered, it is another uninspired use of land.
In a decade of austerity it is also a question as to whether anyone would want to buy an apartment on a brownfield site where the history has been removed!
Security on the site has been reduced due to council cuts. There have been incidents of intruders entering the site in the evening and nights. Has consideration been given to the security when the work goes ahead?
Finally I want to say I believe this proposal is ill-conceived and destructive of a historical site. The development will be detrimental to Stoke’s standing as a heritage centre. So much of our local history is being allowed into crumble into dust. The council has a short sighted bias which does not seem to want to take responsibility for Stoke-on-Trents culture

My friends banner

Posted on July 8, 2022July 9, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, banner, Bethesda Methodist Chapel, Blue and white, Friend, Hanley, Life, Painting, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

When we sang at Bethesda Chapel last weekend this brilliant banner that my friend Kate had painted was on display hanging from the balcony.

The banner depicts an octopus, whale, fish, a ship and people. I meant to ask what it was meant to represent because I don’t think it was created for the Animal Apocalypse show, but it certainly was appropriate. It is painted in a lovely style, slightly abstracted. The colours matched in well with the colour scheme of the Chapel. Maybe it will be brought out again if we do another performance. X

Three counties open

Posted on July 6, 2022 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, Burslem, Burslem School of Art, Coast, Colour, England, Exhibition, Fine Art, Painting, Seaside, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, three counties open3 Comments

I’m very pleased to say I have had my painting ‘coast’ accepted in the three counties open exhibition in Burslem School of art later this year.

Burslem School of Art is famous for teaching artists their skills in the early twentieth century. I think Clarice Cliff was one of their students. I know the artist Arthur Berry studied there before becoming famous as the potteries ‘Lowry’.

It’s great that a physical exhibition will actually be held this year. I hope many people will be able to come and see it.

Bethesda

Posted on July 4, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Albion Street, Bethesda Chapel, England, Hanley, Methodist Chapel, Organ, Restoration, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent2 Comments

View of the organ and some of the exposed brickwork where the plasterwork has either fallen off or has been removed. In places brickwork is missing. The main doors at the front of the building are barred on the inside with planks of wood, to prevent unauthorised access to the old Chapel. It looks tired and dilapidated but when I think back to how it was a few years ago there has been considerable improvement, slowly but surely it is coming back to life. It was a privilege and pleasure to hear the organ being played yesterday and to perform there in such amazing surroundings.

Bethesda Chapel performance

Posted on July 3, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Albion Street, animal apocalypse, Bethesda Methodist Chapel, cornet player, Hanley, organ music, Performance, Singing, Stoke-on trent, words and musicLeave a comment

I stole this photo from a friend because I forgot to take my phone with me to the performance of Animal Apocalypse at Bethesda Chapel this afternoon.

Imagine the stalls in the bottom of the photo full of between forty or fifty people plus ten or twenty more in the sides of the Chapel. There were twenty or more people in the choir, plus the narrator, our choir leaders, a cornet player and the organist and a person carrying signs to indicate what animals we were singing about in the performance.

We were ably supported by the friends of Bethesda Chapel who are volunteers who are helping to maintain it through its renovation.

We sang various songs about animals and whales and birds and listened to information about extinction and what we can do as ordinary people to try and prevent it, even if it’s just growing a patch of nettles for butterflies. Somewhere we must make a stand to save things. I think it was appreciated by the audience.

Sunday entertainment

Posted on July 2, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Bethesda Chapel, Eventbrite, Hanley, Music, Poems, Poetry, Songs, Stoke-on trent, Sunday, WordsLeave a comment

Animal Apocalypse, a musical look at the plight of our planet. It should be very moving and thought provoking.

Bethesda Chapel, Albion Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. A methodist Chapel that is being restored to its former glory.

Today at 3pm. 3.7.2022 Tickets through Eventbrite or by donation at the door.

Featuring words, music and poems. With Sean O’Callaghan and the Clay Chorus. Devised by Robert of Etruria and Gred Stephens. Choir leader Kate Barfield.

We have been rehearsing for this for several weeks now. It’s come together really well, with the choir learning harmonies to some new and old songs, and the readings touching on the statistics of environmental issues together with classic poems and words. Should be a good event.

Out all day

Posted on June 28, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Busy day, Choir practice, Exercise, Singing, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Westport lake, YogaLeave a comment

Long day, a walk, a yoga class, singing. I feel exhausted. The walk was just round Westport Lake on a windy day. There were more geese than I’d seen for a long time. Mostly Canada Geese. But we are not allowed to feed them, because of bird flu. The Westport Lake Tearoom does not sell bird food anymore to try and restrict the spread of the disease. We just walked past the birds and felt sorry for them. Clearly they are used to being fed so they congregate together, so the disease can spread.

Later I went to yoga class, I’m limited in what I can do, so I try and do the movements sitting on a chair. I modify the positions to fit in as well as I can with the rest of the group.

Then later we practiced songs at choir. Some of them are joining the performance at Bethesda Chapel in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent on Sunday. The show is called Animal Apocalypse. It is about the extinction and loss of animals in the world. It was quite a good practice. All in all a very busy day!

Local murals

Posted on June 15, 2022 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, B'arts, constellations, Design, Draco, Hare, Leopard, Local, Murals, Painting, Rabbit, Stars, Stoke, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

Round the back of B’arts are a series of three murals. I think they may be constellations? I know there is a star group called Draco but I’m not sure about the Leopard or the Hare /rabbit? Anyway it’s a random piece of art but I do like it. There are chalked in letters above each animal so I’m guessing it’s not finished yet? Whatever, I love the movement in the animals. Good to see colourful art in the area.

Doodling again

Posted on June 15, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, B'arts, chamber of trade, Creativity, factory group, Quiz, Sketching, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

This was meant to say: fledgling artists? at factory event at B’arts.

Basically it was a meeting of local artists and creative to talk about how the pandemic and other events was effecting the local creative community. It was good because they had a comedy quiz set up so we merrily brainstormed ideas of what we could do to improve things.

Eventually four teams came up with varying ideas, and the ‘factory’ team from the local chamber of commerce agreed to act on our ideas! Some of that will hopefully be about art administration, accounting, mentoring and other practical help. I hope it does.

Talking about creativity it comes in a week when our local city council held a creative conference about our city, but declined to invite local historic and architectural experts. Instead they held it by invitation only and bought in people from other cities. Thanks for the non inclusion!

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Stoke-on trent