Fenton: Hitchman Street and Victoria Road

Fenton Thumbnail cruwys.jpg

Hitchman Street is located in Fenton, one of the six towns of Stoke-on-Trent. Hitchman Street Conservation Area consists of thirteen red brick terraced dwellings and a shop which hinges around the corner from Victoria Road. The buildings date from 1889 and there is a date stone of 1890 to mark their completion. Another terracotta stone bears the monogram ‘WMB’. From the conservation area appraisal:

“William Meath Baker was the absent owner of an adjacent pottery, inherited from his Uncle, William Baker. William Baker’s sister (Aunt of WMB) was called Hitchman when she married, hence the name of the Street.”

No 9 and 11 Hitchman Street Fenton
No 9 and 11 Hitchman Street Fenton

No 11 marks the end of the terrace where it leads down towards Fountain Street.

No 7 Hitchman Street, Fenton pen and ink drawing
No 7 Hitchman Street, Fenton

Number 7 Hitchman Street was once home to the Hammersley family:  Samuel, his wife Mary and their only son Charles Meakin Hammersley. Looking at the records, Charles was a Staff Sgt in the 1st North Midlands Royal Garrison Artillery who was killed in France almost 100 years ago to the day. His death was recorded on 7th July 1917,  age 38. His father lived for only four months after and he passed away on 17 Nov 1917, aged 74.

Mary Hammersley however, must have had a strong constitution as she endured another war and died some 32 years later on 24th Nov 1949, aged 98.

Derek Scragg has collected a large number of memorial inscriptions from Stoke-on-Trent and surrounds, and his most up-to-date transcriptions, with maps and photographs can be found on his site of North Staffordshire Headstone Inscriptions

5 Hitchman Street fenton by Ronnie Cruwys
No 5 Hitchman Street, Fenton
3 Hitchman Street cruwys
No 3 Hitchman Street
No 1 Hitchman Street cruwys
No 1 Hitchman Street Fenton

Detail of some of the terracotta tiles seen high up in the gables.

Victoria Road and Hitchman Street corner
Victoria Road and Hitchman Street corner
32 Victoria Road by Ronnie Cruwys
32 Victoria Road
34 Victoria Road
34 Victoria Road
36 and 38 Victoria Road
36 and 38 Victoria Road, Fenton
40 and 42 Victoria Road
40 and 42 Victoria Road
44 and 46 Victoria Road
44 and 46 Victoria Road

Do you know of any one who lived along here? Would you like to share any history to be included here? Please get in touch as I would love to hear from you.

Signed limited edition print available to buy online from Barewall Gallery, Burslem.

Thanks for reading

Ronnie

Comments

2 responses to “Fenton: Hitchman Street and Victoria Road”

  1. Fifty Streets:2/3 | Drawing the Street Avatar

    […] lives that have gone ahead of me. For instance, I discovered that Charles Hammersley set out from this house almost a century ago, only to be killed in France in […]

  2. Fenton and Families | Drawing the Street Avatar

    […] other day I received an email via my archive blog ‘Drawing the Detail’ from a lady who mentioned that her grandparents, the Rowbothams, lived in one of these Fenton […]

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