Trentham - from ancient parish to modern suburb

Trentham has changed from a village to a suburb within a century but at its heart is a settlement that historical evidence suggests is at least 1,300 years old located close to the river Trent at its junction with two smaller tributaries Park Brook and Longton Brook. Administratively, there are two distinct communities sharing the name Trentham, as the land to the west of the River Trent is in Stafford Borough, whilst that to the east of the river is part of the City of Stoke-on-Trent.

The churchyard, pictured left, was at the centre of the life and land of an early community. The ecclesiastical parish boundary still encompasses an almost equal area to the east and west of the river and to the north and south of the church (which is a grade 2 star listed building designed by Sir Charles Barry) despite being much reduced in size due to the creation of daughter parishes as the population grew, especially in the nineteenth century.

A short history of ancient Trentham

The changing face of Trentham: 1890 - 2003 - the story told by maps and aerial photographs