The Marsh Head

February, 2007 saw the demolition of the Marsh Head in High Street, May Bank.
Formerly an 1830s beerhouse and once owned by Parker’s Burslem Brewery, the Marsh Head had a coach house and stabling attached. It was rebuilt in 1940 and has long been a landmark at the gateway to the village as it is approached from Wolstanton. The pub’s name has never changed, recalling the bygone name for May Bank. Many older May Bankers recall George Mountford, the licensee in the 1950s who objected to swearing in front of female customers and who kept the pub scrupulously clean. Sadly, old standards have not been apparent in recent years. Following a major Ansell’s refurbishment, the Marsh Head re-opened in 1991 catering mainly for a younger clientele. In March, 1994, it became a Mr Q’s pool-themed pub offering a number of pool tables and further alienating more mature customers. In February, 2006 the Sentinel reported that the pub landlord had moved to Glasgow having stolen a weeks takings.

A planning application for the demolition of the pub and the erection of a three-story building comprising 24 apartments was refused by Newcastle Borough Council in October, 2005. However, modified plans have now been accepted by the Council’s planning department. The site is set to accommodate 14 new homes, despite the congestion and heavy traffic flow in this area of May Bank.
Local people have always been fiercely protective about May Bank and Wolstanton Marsh and there is concern that part of Upper Marsh, near the old pub site may be considered for extra parking space for the residents of the new flats. Such a development would require permission from the Duchy of Lancaster as the owner of the land. Car owners living at the school end of Upper Marsh are likely to have greater difficulty than before in exiting on to High Street. Many of these arguments were put forward by the Potteries Pub Preservation Group which objected to plans for the site. The group had suggested that the Marsh Head building might be converted into offices or shops as a means of retaining the village’s most distinctive building. As matters stand, we have lost an important aspect of May Bank’s history and more than likely gained problems in the shape of a traffic bottleneck and increased pollution.