We are very pleased to welcome thousands of visitors to Stone during the Festival. Here we have included some information about the town which we hope you will find interesting and helpful. If you require any further information please contact us. We hope you enjoy your stay.

The Early Years

Stone was named after the pile of stones raised on the graves of the Princes killed in 665AD by their father, King Wulfhere of Mercia - because of their conversion to Christianity. The church built over these stones, in 670 AD, was replaced in 1135 by an Augustine Priory, which survived until the dissolution, in the reign of Henry V111. The building collapsed in 1749, to be replaced by the church of St. Michael and St. Wulfrad in the 1750s.

Stone's location along various communication networks ensured its development and prosperity from medieval times. The London to Chester , Holyhead and the North of England road and the Trent & Mersey Canal , built in 1771, both ran through the town.

Brewing and shoemaking prospered. Shoemakers worked in small shops and factories and by 1874, 1,600 people were engaged in the industry. There was considerable export trade to Australia , New Zealand and South Africa . The introduction of new, labour saving machinery in the 1850s caused considerable disruption within the labour force.

Today old industries have declined, or disappeared - to be replaced with new industrial estates. The canal still plays an important part in Stone's economy.

Thanks to Stafford Tourist Information for this extract from the Stone Town Trail. For further details email tic@staffordbc.gov.uk

Trent & Mersey Canal

The canal has played a vital role in the development of the town. In 1766 Josiah Wedgwood and engineer James Brindley met at the Crown Inn (now Crown Hotel), High Street, Stone and signed the document that established the Trent & Mersey Canal Co.. The canal opened five years later - in 1771. For Wedgwood the canal provided a quick, safe and cheap method of bringing large amounts of raw materials to the potteries and also transporting fragile china products to Liverpool and London docks.

Stone became the headquarters of the Trent & Mersey Canal , with its office at Westbridge House, below the Star Lock, on what is now Westbridge Park . The Canal Cruising Company, established in 1948 and still run by the third generation of the Wyatt family, operates from the Wharf that provided maintenance and boat building facilities for the canal.

Many canal side sites have, in recent times, been sold for housing developments. The ‘Moorings' apartments, just below the Star Lock, are based on the old Stubbs warehouse, whilst opposite the Wharf, apartments and houses surround the old Trent Hospital - formerly a Workhouse.

Road names on other housing developments have been taken from Stone's long association with the canal. These include: ‘Brindley Close'(after the Surveyor General of the Trent & Mersey Canal Co.), ‘Rangeley View' and ‘ Dixon Close' after the Rangeley & Dixon foundry that cast mileposts in 1819. Rendel Wyatt, (founder of the Canal Cruising Company in 1948) and LTS Rolt, (author of the book ‘Narrowboat') did so much to promote the narrowboat holiday industry. Both have roads named after them.

Although freight ceased to be carried by canal boats in the early 1950s, the canal still plays a major part in Stone's economy. Some 12,000 canal narrowboats pass through Stone every year.

A fascinating collection of black and white and sepia prints of historical events in Stone, dating back to the 19 th century, can be found at Staffordshire Past Track

Food and Drink

Joule Brewery

As far back as the 12th century, Stone was famous for the qualities of the ales brewed by the canons at Stone Priory. This tradition was carried on by various brewers, over the centuries. Perhaps the most famous brewery, associated with the town, was that of John Joule and Sons. Francis Joule

came to Stone in 1785 to take over one of the established breweries. Legend has it that the brewery was located on, or near to the site of the old monastic brew house. And as it was the custom of the monks to mark their casks with "the sign of the cross", Joules decided to adopt the red cross as their trademark. As well as supplying the home market, the company also exported beers to Australia , New Zealand and California .

In addition to brewing, Joule's also had a superb reputation for the quality of its wine cellar.

Further information about Joules Brewery can also be found from www.labology.org.uk/brewhist.htm

Bents Brewery

Another of the town's breweries was Bents - located in the northern part of Stone. The brewery was originally founded by Mr Montgomery, from Liverpool , who was attracted to Stone by the quality of its brewing water. The brewery was eventually taken over by Bents, another Liverpool brewer.

The beer was taken to Liverpool by train from the nearby railway station.

!!STOP PRESS!!

BREWING RETURNS TO STONE!

Stone Food and Drink Festival is delighted to report that, after a gap of several decades, brewing is returning to Stone! Ian Bradford, former head brewer at Titanic Brewery and Ron Makins have formed Lyme Stone Brewery and will be producing real ales from the Old Brewery on Mount Road in time for the Festival. Look out for ales with a 'Stone' name in pubs in and around the town!

Gooseberries Galore

Stone became well known for annual gooseberry shows. And from 1860 to 1901 the all- E ngland gooseberry growing competition was held in Stone. The world's biggest gooseberry was grown in Stone in 1842 by John Flower and weighed 37 pennyweights and seven grains. That record remained unbroken for just over a hundred years. The scales, used to weigh the gooseberries, is now in the County Museum at Shugborough.

Damson Dyes

Another fruit widely grown in and around Stone were damsons. However, these were not for eating. Vast quantities of damsons were in fact taken by canal, the Crown Street Wharf , to the dye factories, in the north west , where they were used to produce the purple dye, so popular with the Victorians.

Cheese

Cheese fairs where held in the town from the mid-19 th century. Again the canal played an important part in transporting cheese to other parts of the country.

Raising Bread the Hovis ® way

Perhaps the town's greatest claim to fame, with a food link, is Richard ‘Stoney' Smith (1836-1900), who was born at Stone Mill. He invented a bread called 'Smith's Patent Germ Bread' which was to revolutionise breadmaking. Smith, by perfecting a method of steam cooking, invented a genuinely new brown flour, rich in vitamins and nutrients. After a nation-wide competition, Smith's bread was renamed Hovis ® - taken from the latin 'hominis vis' which means 'strength of man'. Its success was overwhelming – and by 1895, Hovis ® sales had reached 1 million loaves per week!

Thanks to local historian Phillip Leason and Hovis Flour for their contributions to this section.