Victoria Methodist Queen 1971

A proud day for the members of Victoria Methodist Chapel in Stoke on Trent as the young members of the church take part in their annual Sunday School parade.

Smallthorne, a mining community in the north east corner of Stoke on Trent, has a proud history of Methodism with three chapels existing at one time within a short distance from Ford Green Road. This film, shot by Bill Stanley, shows the annual parade to crown the Sunday School Queen from the Victoria Chapel. We see the parade passing along Regina Street and then towards a carnival held in the grounds of the 17th century Ford Green Hall.

As an aside, Smallthorne was also home to a thriving community of Esperanto speakers thanks to the encouragament of local mayor, the Esperanto speaking, Horace Banks.