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At the top of Broad Street
stands the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, which fronts onto Bethesda
Street.
The
following two statues stand outside the museum on Broad Street:
"The Steel Man"
Sculptured by Colin Melbourne (head of
Sir Henry Doulton Sculpture School)
Stainless Steel casting of statue by
R. Goodwin and Sons
The struggle of the Shelton Bar
steelworkers to retain their livelihood became an industrial
folk-legend. The Victoria Theatre staged a successful musical
documentary to publicise their cause. Ted Smith, leader of Stoke Council
headed up the fight. The statue of a steel worker was produced by Goodwin
Foundry and was used as a "mascot" during marches around
the streets of the city.
The fight was lost and after more than 100 years
of continuous operation the blast furnaces were shut down on June 23rd
1978 and 2000 workers were made redundant. Rolling continued at the
works but the whole works were closed in April 2000 by Corus.
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plaque on the plinth reads:
"I believe in the dignity of
labour whether with head or hand; that the world owes no man a
living, but that it owes every man an opportunity to make a
living. This sculpture was created to commemorate the struggle
of the Shelton Steel Workers to preserve the future of their
works for the community."
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Reginald Mitchell (1895 - 1937),
designer of the WWII Spitfire aeroplane
Mitchell
was born nearby in Butt Lane, Newcastle.
In the Potteries Museum is an example of a Spitfire aeroplane.
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