This is the text of the guided walk devised for the Trentham Heritage Open Day on 10 September 2016 by members of Trentham World War One Project. It aims to show what Trentham village was like and who was living there about 100 years ago, at a time when the community was overshadowed by war. It has been reproduced in this format in case you are interested in doing the walk yourself. Please beware of the rough ground and the busy roads and remember that many properties are private homes, so please respect the privacy of the residents. A filmed version of the walk, produced by Year 9 pupils at Trentham High School, is available on the website: http://trenthamwarmemorial.org.uk/ Stop 1 Service entrance to the estate yard Estate yard The entrance to the estate yard is over a bridge, originally a drawbridge over a moat. The tall building to the left was the estate office which included a savings bank with a vault. Inside were stables and coach houses. There was a lodge to the right, with windows allowing observance of all goods in and out of the yard. Behind was a drinking fountain with 3 cups and from here bread and beer were supplied to travellers. The family used the grand West Entrance to the house, the remains of which can still be seen in Trentham Park. This entrance was used by the public, who much enjoyed a day out at Trentham Gardens, including skating on the lake in winter. During WW1 the park was used for Army training in trench-making, bayonet exercise and bomb practice, also grazing for Army horses. Stop 2 The Old Bridge The old bridge in Park Drive was once part of a busy thoroughfare as the service road to Trentham Hall and beyond to Hanchurch and Eccleshall In the 1740s Lord Gower wanted to discourage the public from using it as it passed too close to the hall so another bridge was built over the Trent to the north of here and Park Drive became virtually a private access road to the hall and church .It was later widened in the 1840s as part of Charles Barry’s changes to the park. The River Trent flows down from the Potteries and on into Trentham gardens, which explains the pollution problem before adequate sewage systems were built. Poultry house garden We have a good view of the rear of the Poultry House, which we shall see again at the end of our walk. It had extensive gardens and there were fish stews (ponds) where the church car park is now, fed from Park Brook. Note the small lodge near the river which seems to have been used for rearing fowl and the tower which housed pigeons. Park Cottages These derelict remains are all that is left of four ornamental brick and tile cottages built in 1842. One of the cottages was used as a girls’ and infants’ school in the 1860s. The cottages were abandoned about 1980. Stop 3 Former entrance to the Gardens, by the gate Trentham Gardens entrance One hundred years ago this was a private road used by the Sutherlands to take their deceased to the mausoleum opposite. It later became the public entrance to the gardens. The lodges and gates were moved here from the West entrance in the 1930s. Mausoleum Over the road, behind the yew trees, is the Sutherland Mausoleum which was built in 1808, and is the only Grade 1 listed building in Stoke-on-Trent. War Memorial Trentham WW1 project began with the War Memorial. In 2014 we decided to research the names of the 17 men inscribed on the memorial which led us on to find out more about their lives. The Memorial cross was unveiled 2 October 1921. The inscription reads: In grateful memory of the men of Trentham who fell in the Great War and lists 16 names, plus one who died at a later date. The dedication is an unusual one which reads: This memorial cross is the gift of the women of Trentham. Entrance to the Priory The footpath to the left of the mausoleum is the former driveway to The Priory. The Priory, a former vicarage, was built in the late 18th century. In 1911 was occupied by the Wenger family, who manufactured colours and glazes for the pottery industry. It was demolished in the late 50s and its site developed into Wenger Crescent. Schoolmaster’s house The schoolmaster’s house was the other side of the Priory entrance. It was home to Claude Ramon Forse, one of the 17 names on the War Memorial, who was killed in military action in 1918. His wife, Margaret, who was also a teacher, died in 1973, aged 93. The school itself was next door. Sadly, all the buildings on that side of the road were demolished in the 1960s, but they were much photographed so we know what this part of the village looked like in 1916. Poachers’ Cottage One hundred years ago this was the home of huntsman, William Boxall. He began riding as a youngster at Newmarket. In 1873 he came second at the Liverpool Grand National, and on the same horse he won the Sefton cup steeplechase the next day. He was riding for Mr Henry Chaplin, who was married to Florence, daughter of the Duke of Sutherland. In 1877 Will Boxall came to Trentham as first whip, becoming Huntsman to the N. Staffs hounds 1895-1903. His grandson, Peter, who lives locally, has Will’s silver hunting horn and the diary which records the details of every hunt in the final year before his retirement. In 1914, Trentham estate notes refer to Boxall as the stud groom in charge of Canadian remounts, i.e. horses which were brought over from Canada to be trained as Army horses before being sent over to France of which more later. The cottage became Café Monica by the 1920s, and then the Poachers’ Cottage and now it is the Harvester. Pear Tree Cottage and Rose Cottage These are two old cottages behind the Poachers’. Pear Tree cottage was the home of Frederick Johnson, a blacksmith who worked on the estate. Yew Tree Cottage Yew Tree cottage was the home of William and Sarah Jones. Both served the Sutherland family: William for over 50 years, under 3 Dukes. They had occupied Yew Tree cottage since their marriage on 2nd June 1852. Their diamond wedding celebration in 1912 was reported in the Sentinel. Their son Robert Jones, who had previously served in the Hussars, enlisted in the Army Service Corps at Leicester on 12th June 1915, age 44. Stop 4 Driveway by Cranberry cottage Cranberry Cottage Cranberry cottage was designed in 1850 by Charles Barry with its basement intended for a post office. By 1911 it was occupied by the sub postmaster, James Calvert, assisted by his wife Sarah. James Calvert was a cousin of Frank Harris, and those of you that have seen the film “Letters to Hem Heath” will remember Frank the postman. Their son Kendal Calvert joined the Royal Navy in 1908 and served on a variety of ships until 1924 when he was invalided out. After WW1 the Post Office moved to a house on Longton Road. Looking across to the other side of the road: School A boys' school was first opened in Trentham in 1674. A girls' school was established by the Duchess of Sutherland by 1840. The building shown in the photo, built by order of the Duke, was opened in 1877. In 1916 there were 236 pupils, boys and girls and Headmaster, Mr Forse, reported in 1912 that three new subjects had been added to the curriculum: bee-keeping, poultry-keeping and woodwork, practical subjects which were used as a foundation for other school work. In the 1960s the school was no longer adequate for the increased population. It was closed in 1962 and demolished in 1965. Institute The 4th Duke of Sutherland gifted the Institute, opened in 1894, which was aimed at the educational improvement of villagers. It had a billiard room, a stocked library, reading and classrooms, a kitchen, a workshop for handicrafts and a refreshment bar. By 1921 the refreshment room had become something of a liability: droves of Potteries holiday makers used the Institute as a catering establishment when they visited the Park. It was reported that “The unruly mob do a certain amount of mischief and leave behind them a terrible mess!” In the 1911 census Henry Swift Penson is listed as the steward. Henry and his brother Frederick were both professional artists. Henry exhibited at the Royal Academy and taught at the Stoke School of Art and worked as a designer for Minton Hollins ltd. Paintings by Frederick Penson, including landscapes of Trentham were gifted by the family to Hanley Museum and Art Gallery. Henry Swift Penson had two sons, Charles and Edward. Edward Penson enlisted in 1915 but was never sent abroad and was discharged in 1917 as medically unfit. Hunt Stables The next building housed the North Staffordshire hunt stables, on the site of the old Trentham Inn. Since 1862 the hunt stables had been managed at Trentham, its employees being maintained at the Sutherland’s expense. Up to 60 hunters were stabled at Trentham and a pack of 50-60 hounds were kennelled nearby, which we shall learn more of later. The hunt met four days a week before the war. During war time the hunt continued to meet twice a week. William Henry Jones (one of the 17 names) worked as a huntsman at Trentham for 4 years before the war, enlisting in 1915 at Stoke.