Stoke-On-Trent- A Foreign Place.- Jessica-Jo Bown. S0911376.

Hanley

"Elderly Resident"

Hanley is seen as the primary commercial centre in the city, making it for me as a photographer the first place to investigate when documenting the area and its people. This woman stood out to me when exploring Hanley, possibly because the town was so grey and dull and she added a much needed touch of colour and warmth.

Hanley

"Newspaper Booth"

A juxtaposition to the warm old lady I had seen only ten minutes before, this grumpy character looked cold and miserable in her small newspaper booth. Her persona was something I became used to in Stoke as a whole. The people were not outwardly friendly to me, something even harder to encourage with a camera around your neck.  

 Hanley

"A Different View"

When looking beyond the towns people and actually taking in the landscape I found it very interesting. The red brick buildings scattered around me, the clouds in the sky and the red leaves on the trees announcing that Autumn had arrived. Here Stoke almost looks modern and cheerful, shedding any resemblance to the run down town centre I had seen.

Gladstone Pottery Museum

"Bottle Kilns"

Here we can see some of the surviving bottle kilns. These represent a rich history for Stoke, something they are very proud of. For Stoke gave birth to pottery greats such as Royal Dalton and Wedgwood. These kilns can be seen scattered all over Stokes landscape providing us with an insight into an industry that once was.

All this aside, I found the red brick and the unique shapes very beautiful and almost timeless.

The Trentham Estate

"Canoeing In Trentham"

Trentham for me was the first place in Stoke that really inspired me. My mood improved almost instantly as friendly faces passed me on the beautiful nature trails that surround the lake there, something I wasn't expecting after Hanley's reaction to me. The elderly people particularly smiled, said good morning to me and made me feel welcome for the first time.

Here 6 pensioners chatted away loudly as they rowed. The gentleman on the back retorts

"You wait until next week when your at the back and you wont be laughing then!"

As the 4 women laugh in tune together.

The Trentham Estate

"Change of Light"

As I wandered through the estate the light started to change again, and here we can see what I feel as an individual visiting Stoke- almost a metaphor for the city. The area is rich in culture, whether that is easy to see or not- it can be found. Yet somehow the people of Stoke themselves don't appear to see this. Their influence on me, and the landscape that surrounded me left me feeling overall sad and lonely.  How could such a bleak town be surrounded by such beauty?

Here this landscape captures my emotions. Its beauty is there but is almost hidden behind the clouds and grey tones.