Meir, Staffordshire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Meir | |
|
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| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| Unitary authority | Stoke-on-Trent |
| Ceremonial county | Staffordshire |
| Region | West Midlands |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Stoke-on-Trent |
| Postcode district | ST3 |
| Dial code | 01782 |
| Police | Staffordshire |
| Fire | Staffordshire |
| Ambulance | Staffordshire |
| UK Parliament | Stoke-on-Trent South |
| European Parliament | West Midlands |
| List of places: UK • England • Staffordshire | |
Meir is a suburb in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire situated between Lightwood and Longton.[1][2]
Contents |
[edit] Meir Aerodrome
Meir Aerodrome closed in the early 1970s[3] and the site has now become the Meir Park housing estate. The earlier parts have mainly aviation-associated street names. The last official flight was on 16 August 1973 when Fred Holdcroft flew a Piper Tri-Pacer carrying a Sentinel journalist to Manchester.[4] The last unofficial flight "a year or two" later by Eric Clutton was in a home-made folding machine called FRED (Flying Runabout Experimental Design) which the pilot towed home behind his car.[5][6] The light planes used to be parked on the grass alongside the A50 road, opposite the Airport Garage, which remains.
[edit] Schools
- Crescent Primary School
- Longton High School
- Meir Heath Primary School
- Sandon High School
- St Augustine's R.C. Primary School
[edit] Transport
Meir is situated along the A50. At the centre sits the crossroads with the A520. Once a notorious traffic jam site, a new tunnel was built which takes the A50 underneath. The twin tunnels are walled with ceramic panels which were reported to have cost about £1000 each when they began to come loose through rusting of their attachments after a few years[citation needed].
Meir was served by a railway station which was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway on May 12, 1894.
[edit] Trivia
- Meir Park estate extends from Meir uphill to the Blythe Bridge village hall, which is actually located in Meir Heath.
- The stationmaster from Meir railway station (long closed) used to be responsible for weighing the air passengers and their luggage[specify].
- The Airport garage hosted England's first "Drive Through" restaurant, which is now a Little Chef and no longer offers that facility[specify].
- The Fairey Fairlight aeroplane was assembled at a Rootes Group factory nearby during the Second World War[specify].
- More recently Russell Hobbs kettles were made at what is now the Italian-owned Indesit factory.
- Staffordshire Potteries had a factory (now demolished) beside the aerodrome.
- The late US President John F. Kennedy attended a political meeting at the (now demolished) Meir Broadway cinema when he was a serviceman during the war, as a guest of the then Member of Parliament[specify].
[edit] Nearest Places
[edit] References
- ^ Cartlidge, Nicholas Jon (1996). A Meir Half Century. Photographs and news both church and secular from the years 1889 to 1939 covering the Meir and its near neighbours. Leek: Churnet Valley Books. ISBN 1897949154.
- ^ Cartlidge, Nicholas (2004). Meir Today, Gone Tomorrow. An affectionate portrait from within living memory. Leek: Churnet Valley Books. ISBN 1904546226.
- ^ Lycett-Smith, Roger (1998). Airfield Focus 34: Stoke on Trent (Meir). GMS Enterprises. ISBN 1870384687.
- ^ Holdcroft, Geoff. "My father made last flight from Meir", The Sentinel, 9th May 2006.
- ^ Cartlidge, Nicholas. "FRED deserves flight accolade", The Sentinel, 15th May 2006.
- ^ Clutton, Eric (2003). An Aeroplane called FRED.
