, known simply as ''"castle"'' to many local people, is a busy market town in
Staffordshire ,
England , not to be confused with the larger city of
Newcastle Upon Tyne . Newcastle-under-Lyme is about 26 miles (42 km) north of the county town of
Stafford .
The town sits around 5 miles (8 km) west of neighbouring city
Stoke-on-Trent , although the suburbs of the town run into those of the city. Newcastle is often unofficially considered to be an affluent suburb of the city of Stoke-on-Trent, both form part of an area known as ''
The Potteries ''.
In the
2001 census the town had a population of 74,427. The larger
Borough Of Newcastle-under-Lyme has a population of 122,000.
The town was selected for the campus of University College of North Staffordshire in 1949, which was granted full university status as
Keele University in 1962. Keele University is situated close to the village of Keele, just west of Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre. A significant number of students attending Keele University live in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Newcastle's industries include: construction materials, apparel, computers, publishing, electric motors, and machinery. In 1944, the
Rolls-Royce Derwent Jet Engine for the
Gloster Meteor were made here.
The town grew up around a 'new'
Castle which was built by the
Normans in the
12th Century , ruins of which still survive, and was named "under-Lyme" due to its proximity to the former Lyme forest.
Like neighboring
Stoke-on-Trent , Newcastle's early economy was based around
Pottery , and later also
Coal Mining - both of which have declined in recent decades.
Newcastle was one of the boroughs reformed by the
Municipal Corporations Act 1835 . In 1932 it took in what had been the
Wolstanton United urban district, covering the parishes of
Chesterton ,
Silverdale and
Wolstanton , also taking the parish of
Clayton from
Newcastle Under Lyme Rural District .
Newcastle was on the national canal network, but the
Canal , running from the
Trent And Mersey Canal at
Stoke-on-Trent to
Sir Nigel Gresley's Canal has been disused since
1935 and the vast majority of it filled in.
Newcastle has many places of worship including 'Newcastle's Faith' which is an old
Non-conformist place of worship, the 'Old Meeting house', connected to the church of St Giles'. For many years it has been used by the
Unitarian s, amongst whom were
Josiah Wedgwood and his family. It is said
Monk s had a
Secret Passage in the church of St. Giles, but this is more folk-lore than fact. Newcastle is a
Methodists stronghold, especially the
Kidsgrove area.
Catholic churches are many in Newcastle, most notably Holy Trinity, whose style is
Gothic in blue engineering bricks, described as... "the finest modern specimen of ornamental brickwork in the kingdom" at the time. Holy Trinity shares partisanship between Catholics and Protestants.
The largest
Baptist church in North Staffordshire is on the A34 in Newcastle, and has a lively, growing congregation.
Newcastle's most famous son is
Joseph Cook , who became
Prime Minister of
Australia . The town can also claim to have been the birthplace or schooling place of the novelists
Arnold Bennett and
Vera Brittain , and the poets
John Wain and
T.E. Hulme . Newcastle-under-Lyme is also the birthplace of
Philip Astley , father of the modern day
Circus .
A
Carnival was held in Newcastle every May for 30 years, until 2005. The cost of staging the event (especially insurance) became prohibitive for the Council. Newcastle has over the years increased dramatically the number of
Pubs , wine bars and night clubs, and is known in the area for requiring a large police presence at the weekend. Newcastle now rivals Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, for its alcohol-based nightlife. There is also a small-but-vibrant town-centre live music scene with
Folk Music ,
Jazz ,
Blues and
Heavy Metal all catered for.
Educational institutions include:
The well renowned
Keele University , situated by the village of
Keele is only 3 miles outside of Newcastle, and the
Keele University Medical School is based in the
University Hospital Of North Staffordshire grounds in Hartshill, bordering Newcastle.
The town is home to
Newcastle Town F.C. , an
Association Football club, who currently play in the
North West Counties Football League Division One . The Lyme Valley area is also home to Newcastle-under-Lyme
Cricket Club , Newcastle, Staffs
Rugby Union club and the Newcastle
Track Cycling Association. Newcastle Athletic Club is based at the Ashfield Road Track.
