Old paintings of Stoke-on-Trent to go on public display

Trent Valley along with other key locations are included in the paintings

A town hall will display ten rare paintings when it re-opens next month after major refurbishments.

Tunstall Town Hall in Stoke-on-Trent has undergone work since 2020 as part of the council's £4m historical sites investment.

The paintings by artist H.L Pratt will be on the first-floor corridor adjacent to the entrance to Tunstall Library.

Councillor Lorraine Beardmore said the works provided "snapshots of Stoke-on-Trent".

Tunstall Town Hall will re-open to the public on 5 September and the paintings, that were created in the mid-1800s, will be on permanent public display.

A view of Shelton Hall from Cliffe Vale

Henry Lark Pratt was born in Derby but moved to Stoke-on-Trent in 1830. He spent a number of years in the city, working at the Minton Works as well as being commissioned by London publishers Chapman and Hall to make drawings of the baronial halls of Staffordshire, Cheshire, and Derbyshire.

The paintings displayed at the town hall will feature locations including Trent Vale, Basford Bank, Longton, Hartshill, Cliffe Vale, and Penkhull.

Ms Beardmore, from City of Stoke-on-Trent Council, said: "We have a proud heritage here in Stoke-on-Trent and along with bringing Tunstall Town Hall back into use, we wanted to showcase some of our historical artworks that have been within our own archives."