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The
Bakers - the
family who 'built' Fenton:
The
construction of Victoria Square
In the mid 1880s
William Meath Baker demolished the cottages on the east
side of his factory fronting High Street (now City Road) and what
later became Victoria Square.
Here in 1885 he constructed 30 houses with ornate
frontages decorated with moulded brickwork and terracotta tiles. The
houses were of various sizes, some double fronted and some with
passage halls, but most had a two storied rear wing containing a
third bedroom, as well as a water closet at the end of the yard.
The area in front of the new houses at the
junction of High Street and Victoria Road was occupied by a large
pool, the property of Messrs C Challinor & Co.
Victoria Square c.1915
On the left are the houses William Meath Baker built - the
public urinal in front.
In the centre of the picture is a drinking fountain presented by
William Baker
[this was moved to
Fenton Park
and in 2006 to a site opposite the original works on City Road]
tramlines can be
seen in the foreground
the pottery works on the right was
established in 1825 by the Mason brothers for the manufacture of
their famous Ironstone China.
In 1849 the works were taken over by Samuel Boyle and in 1862 by E &
C Challinor
View from the top of Victoria Road
looking along King Street towards Longton
[and Lane Delph
 ]
Houses on the corner of City road and Victoria Road
The row of 14 houses fronting City Road (Nos 17-43)
(in the gap to the extreme left of the photo)
were demolished in 1997 because they were in a very poor state of
repair.
The remaining houses (1999) are still the property of a descendant
of William Meath Baker.
photos: Sept 1999
1878 OS map of the top of Victoria
Road
[click for larger map]
Note the large pool opposite
the potworks
1924 OS map - showing 'Victoria
Place' at the top of Victoria Road
[click for larger map]
The
water fountain presented by William Baker
The inscription reads:
'The gift of William Baker
for the benefit of
the residents of Fenton
July 1861'
Hitchman Street
William Meath Baker also had developed
a new street off Victoria Road - which was named Hitchman Street. [Hitchman
was the name of William Meath Baker's aunt]
Here on a triangular site which also
faced Victoria Road he built 12 houses and a shop in the same style
as the houses fronting High Street and Victoria Square. They were
completed in 1890 - the event commemorated by a date stone in the
façade facing Victoria Road which also featured the monogram “WMB”.
The plots on the south side of
Hitchman Street were sold to local builders who constructed 16
terrace houses in a much plainer style typical of terrace
developments elsewhere in Fenton.
Houses on the corner of
Hitchman Street (left) and Victoria Road (right)
Houses in Hitchman Street
[Hitchman was the name of William Meath Baker's aunt]
photo: July 2000
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