The Green Man in Stoke: Why He Appeared Everywhere in the 1890s

The Green Man is one of Britain’s most enduring symbols — a leafy face of rebirth and renewal, carved in stone, wood, and terracotta for centuries. In Stoke-on-Trent, the Green Man appeared everywhere during the 1890s: on Hanley shopfronts, in Stoke’s Church Street façades, and even on the organ and carved cupboards of Stoke Minster. Today the Green Man is celebrated in the Green Man Festival. It is also a great song by Steeleye Span.

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0:00 Hanley Green Man
0:49 Stoke Old Market
1:51 Stoke Jacksons Buildings
2:10 Stoke Crafty Lion
2:57 Old Swan Inn Stoke
3:36 Stoke Minster Organ
4:20 Johnson Brothers Hanley
4:49 Stoke Minster Organ Cupboard
5:07 Summary
5:32 Outro

But why did this ancient figure return with such force at the end of the Victorian era? This video explores 10+ surviving examples from 7 sites, explains how local potters shaped moulded terracotta and other ceramic panels for new buildings, and tells the story of Reverend Henry Johnson of Johnson Brothers Pottery, who commissioned an organ in 1899 that carried its own Green Man carvings into the Minster.

For lovers of folklore, architecture, and festivals, the Green Man of Stoke connects myth and industry, reminding us how an ancient face became part of the fabric of a modern city.

Like Pottery or Ceramics? Discover more of the legacy of the British Potteries and its world heritage on the ‪@PotteriesAuthor‬ Channel. All the links to find out more about me at https://linktr.ee/authoronthepotteries

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