Twenty-four heritage landmarks across Stoke-on-Trent are set to receive a share of a £240,000 restoration fund, helping protect small but important pieces of the city’s story.
The sites were chosen following more than 600 votes from residents and organisations as part of the Centenary Restoration Fund, led by Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Re-Form Heritage.
The programme is supported by a £240,252 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The funding will support landmarks across all six towns, as well as Bucknall, Etruria and Hartshill. The selected sites include war memorials, tombs, fountains and sculptures, each reflecting different parts of Stoke-on-Trent’s heritage.
Together, they tell stories of ceramics, coal mining and the lasting legacy of the 1986 National Garden Festival, which is approaching its 40th anniversary.
Among the chosen landmarks is the Sneyd Colliery Disaster Memorial in Burslem, which commemorates the 57 men and boys killed in a coal dust explosion on New Year’s Day 1942. The memorial, often known as the pit wheel, was unveiled in 2007 near Swan Bank and includes a plaque listing the names of those lost.
Also included is Her Head by Dhruva Mistry, one of the artworks commissioned for the 1986 National Garden Festival. The sculpture was given to the city by the Henry Moore Foundation and moved to its current location on Potteries Way in 1988.
The tomb of Josiah Wedgwood at Stoke Minster will also benefit from the scheme. The Grade II-listed burial site sits in the churchyard to the south of the main building, where Wedgwood, a non-conformist, was buried outside the church rather than within it.
The programme will fund practical conservation work to repair and protect the landmarks, helping to keep them visible and cared for within the communities they serve.
Councillor Jane Ashworth, leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said the scheme reflects how strongly people feel about the city’s local heritage.
“These landmarks matter to local communities. They help tell the story of our city and the people who shaped it.
“The level of public support we’ve had for this scheme shows how much these landmarks matter to people across Stoke-on-Trent.
“This restoration fund is about protecting the heritage people see every day in their neighbourhoods.
“We'll now begin work to protect and care for these features across all six of our towns.”
Andrew Emery, CEO at Re-Form Heritage, said the work will also create opportunities for people to connect more closely with the places around them
“As we prepare to start the first stage of repair works, we’re also beginning to work with partners and community representatives to develop a programme of public activities alongside the repairs.
“This means people will have opportunities to learn more about their local heritage, share stories, and get involved while the work is taking place.
“Taking this joined-up approach helps make sure these sites are well cared for and continue to matter to the communities around them.”
Full list of Stoke-on-Trent landmarks chosen for the restoration fund
Tunstall
- Cenotaph and Memorial Wall, Memorial Gardens
- Memorial to Lance Sergeant Rhodes
Burslem
- Sir Henry Doulton Statue
- Swan Square War Memorial
- Sneyd Colliery Disaster Memorial
- War memorial at St John's Churchyard
- Trubshaw Cross
- Hot Lane War Memorial
- Drinking fountain, St John's Square
- Burslem Park Gates
Etruria
- Shirley Drinking Fountain
Bucknall
- Bucknall War Memorial
Hanley
- Hanley Cemetery War Memorial
- Albion Square War Memorial, Hanley
- Statue of James Brindley
- Colliery Wheel Memorial
- Her Head Sculpture
Hartshill
- Orthopaedic Hospital Railings Memorial
Stoke
- Tomb of Josiah Wedgwood
- Kingsway Cenotaph
- Statue of Colin Minton Campbell
Fenton
- Glebedale Park Memorial
- Fenton War Memorial
Longton
- Longton Cenotaph
About Re-Form Heritage
Re-Form Heritage is a Stoke-on-Trent-based charity that works to transform historic buildings at risk for the benefit of the local and wider community.
Its flagship site, Middleport Pottery, was saved from closure and restored through public and private funding, becoming both a visitor attraction and a centre for creative businesses.
Appointed the Heritage Development Trust for Stoke-on-Trent in 2023, the charity now plays a leading role in safeguarding the city’s built heritage, including the ongoing regeneration of the Grade II*-listed Bethesda Methodist Chapel.
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