In road transport, Stone was a stopping off point on the London to Holyhead stagecoach route. This rather suggests that there were many “watering holes” for both men and horses in these early years and this is largely confirmed by the presence of two brewers in the town some years ago. The most notable of these was the Joules Brewery which began way back in the 18th century. Joules Bitter was legendary but the brewery was closed in 1974 having been taken over by Bass of Burton-on-Trent. The other brewery was Bents which was also taken over by Bass and closed in 1968.
Seems to be that the town of Stone is, in many ways, “the town that beer forgot”.
Back to road transport. Stone is served by both the A34 and the A51 making it something of a crossroads in the sense of the national trunk road system. However, following the introduction of the motorway system in this green and pleasant land of ours during the second half of the 20th century, Stone was by-passed by the M6.
Seems to be that the town of Stone is, in many ways, “the town that roads forgot”.
Back in the early days of transport, canals were very important for the movement of goods between manufacturing centres. Stone lies on the River Trent and was important in being the headquarters town for the Trent and Mersey canal which was built in the late 18th century to form a navigable link between these two great rivers of Central England. Great news for Stone but the prestige of having the canal headquarters in the town did not last forever. The headquarters were moved to Stoke-on-Trent.
Seems to be that the town of Stone is, in many ways, “the town that canals forgot”.
The transport method which, to all intents and purposes, put the canals out of business was railways. In the late 1840s the railway came to Stone thus ending the era of a coaching and canal town. Railways are, as we know, much more efficient than canals and the old turnpike roads when it comes to moving heavy goods and the railway brought good times to manufacturing in Stone. However, of recent times, the train service to Stone has deteriorated somewhat as the rapid, tilting, Virgin trains from Manchester to Euston pass through Stone but do not stop.
Seems to be that the town of Stone is, in many ways, “the town that railways forgot”.
So, what does all of this mean for Stone today? Well what we have is a very pleasant small town with many amenities which makes for a great place to live. Many of the old canal side buildings have been converted into stylish apartments with the canal being used for pleasure craft. There are a good number of events organised throughout the town during the year. The next event is the switching on of the Christmas Lights by the Mayor and Mayoress next Thursday. Pity that as we will be just too early to participate in this event and have an early audience with Father Christmas. So, perhaps we could say:-
Seems to be that the town of Stone is, in many ways, “the town that Father Christmas remembered” - aaah, that's nice!
Maybe the by-passing of Stone by all of the transport systems have done the town a favour in that “peace” has been restored but where does the beer come from?
Oh, before I forget that this series of short essays is supposed to be vaguely about football, Stone is the birthplace of Stan Collymore.
The Saturday of the match starts early for your ageing scribe as it seems that I have volunteered to take the kit and the kitman from Glossop to Stone. A smooth journey in sunny weather through magnificent countryside brings us to Stone. And, indeed, this looks to be a fairly affluent, quite relaxed small town which has been forgotten by many. However, the trusty young lady who speaks from the mighty Tom Tom tells us that we have not quite reached our destination. Following the instructions precisely we leave Stone and, in due course, arrive at the Motiva Park complex near the village of Yarnfield. This is quite some way out of the town and set on flat land in, essentially, open countryside.
Looking very new and boasting some 15 pitches of differing sizes, this is an impressive football complex capable of hosting many teams. We are advised that teams associated with Port Vale have used the facilities in the past but that they now play host to youth and academy sides from Stoke City. All of the outbuildings are wooden clad and look impressive. The clubhouse is not huge but is big enough and the only disappointment is that it is “cans only” – a missed opportunity here perhaps although the sausage butties are rated as first class. And what do we see just outside the clubhouse? Well, real Stone Dominos. Only three of them but if you had 28 of the size of these any pub table I know would never be able to cope with a game.
The “stadium” pitch is the one used by Stone Dominoes and is the only fully enclosed pitch. Everything is very neat and tidy with a huge example of a scrattin’ shed running the entire length of one side of the ground. The travelling GNE arm numbers around 30 today from a crown given later as 89 – a four flag day. The teams come out of the changing rooms and line up for a minutes silence in memory of the fallen of many conflicts – tomorrow is Remembrance Sunday.
The match kicks off in glorious sunshine and after 45 minutes its half time and GNE lead 2-0. Into the second half and GNE are putting in the best performance of the season and eventually run out as 5-0 winners and, according to most, if we had taken our chances it would have been double figures.
The supporters retire to the bar and contemplate a great afternoon. Yes, the result is important but so is the performance and today we had both – excellent. As the hoolivan travellers prepare to depart amidst conversations about where to restock the van we can reflect on at least one thing in the footballing sense.
Seems to be that the town of Stone is, in many ways, “the town that GNE will remember” - for all the right reasons...
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