Stoke, or to give it its full name, Stoke-upon-Trent is a town in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire in the United Kingdom. The town is one of six that form Stoke-on-Trent. It is the seat of the city's council.

Confusion and the re-naming debate

Confusion can arise over the similarity of this town's name to that of its parent city. The reasons for naming the city after Stoke, rather than one of the other constituent towns, are primarily historical and practical. A Roman road ran through the place during & after the Roman occupation. It was the site of the first church in the area, built of wood around the year 670. A significant small town grew up around this church. In more recent years, the canals and then the railways came to the area. The main rail station was built in, and named after, Stoke. Travellers to the region would therefore have Stoke as their ticketed destination, even if they were bound for another of the six towns. It therefore made sense to name the city after the oldest and most commonly used name, even though it was not then the most significant from a commercial perspective.

There has been recent debate about re-naming Stoke, so that it does not confuse drivers. Some have suggested 'Stoke Old Town', 'Stoke Town' or 'Stoc' (its original Anglo-Saxon name).

Stoke church

The wooden church of 670 was replaced by a stone one in 805. In 1826 this was again replaced, but the remains of the old Anglo-Saxon church can still be seen in the modern churchyard, together with a ceramic shrine to football player Sir Stanley Matthews.

The Potteries

In the 19th Century, Stoke had a thriving pottery industry, hence its nickname, "The Potteries". Since the last half of the 20th century, however, almost all of the bottle-shaped kilns have been taken down, due to regulations from the 'Clean Air Act' - an estimated 4,000 bottle kilns in the heyday of the pottery industry, today reduced to a mere 46.

Stoke today

Stoke itself, despite being the nominal central administrative town, is now far outclassed by its neighbouring town, Hanley; in terms of size, population, shops and business opportunities. Stoke does, however, have:

• the mainline rail station
• the main campus of Staffordshire University & halls of residence
• a long-established purpose-built art house cinema
• a purpose-built repertory theatre
• the Irish centre
• easy access to the A500
• the Trent & Mersey canal & National Cycle Network paths
• the main complex of Council offices & chamber
• the church & Stoke Approach area & the outdoor artworks
• The King's Hall music & events venue
• a new Sainsbury's store

The A500 at Stoke is currently undergoing two years' of work as part of the major A500 Stoke Pathfinder Project