borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Wolstanton United Urban District, both
to the west of Stoke. This never took place, due to strong objections from
Newcastle Corporation. A further attempt was made in 1930, with the promotion
of the Stoke-on-Trent Extension Bill. Ultimately, Wolstanton was instead added
to Newcastle-under-Lyme in 1932. Although attempts to take Newcastle,
Wolstanton and Kidsgrove (north of Tunstall) were never successful, the borough
did expand in 1922, taking in Smallthorne Urban District and parts of other
parishes from Stoke upon Trent Rural District. The borough was officially
granted city status in 1925, with a Lord Mayor from 1928. When the county
borough of Stoke-on-Trent initially applied for city status in 1925, citing its
importance as the centre of the pottery industry, it was refused by the Home
Office as it had fewer than 300,000 inhabitants. The decision was overturned,
however, when a direct approach was made to King George V, who agreed that the
borough ought to be a city. The public announcement of the elevation to city
status was made by the King during a visit to Stoke on 4 June 1925.
The county borough was abolished in 1974, and Stoke became a
non-metropolitan district of Staffordshire. Its status as a unitary authority
was restored on 1 April 1997, although it remains part of the ceremonial county
of Staffordshire.
Industry
Pottery
Since the 17th century, the area has been almost exclusively known for its
industrial-scale pottery manufacturing. Companies such as Royal Doulton, Dudson
Ltd, Spode (founded by Josiah Spode), Wedgwood (founded by Josiah Wedgwood),
Minton (founded by Thomas Minton) and Baker & Co. (founded by William
Baker) were established and based there. The local
