The editor dragged two of the artists away from their drawing boards at Appetite’s Newcastle Common arts space and enjoyed a stroll and a chat to find out more.

“It turns out with Newcastle-under-Lyme that the market’s been one of the main things for the culture of the place,” says Kidda.

Kidda’s theme for Maps in March is the town’s bustling market.

“Recently I was reading a report,” said Kidda, “where apparently in 1162, that’s when the town was first documented in historic records, what happened was the castle was built and erected. Apparently the closest other one was Chester. It was basically erected which allowed people in the local villages to come for protection. And what happened is the garrison would allow people to trade their things every Thursday, and before you knew it, it basically turned in to a market, because people were transporting through from Liverpool to Manchester or Birmingham. And instead of it being Stoke, Newcastle-under-Lyme became the coaching city. It ended up being like, actually you can have that market on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, just make it all week!”

Listen to the editor’s full interview with Kidda here:

Eco artist Su Hurrell, you may know her as Ladybird Su, is also scouting around the town centre for inspiration for her new map.

Su’s theme for Maps in March is the town centre’s green spaces and trees, and she’s already made some great finds!

Su took the editor to a raised planter on Brook Lane where there’s a surprising little tree.

She explained: “In the middle of this planter is an ancient olive tree. I’ve been told that the tree is about a hundred years old. It used to live in Grosvenor Gardens, which are the sunken roundabout gardens up in the town centre. But it was moved when the council reconfigured the planting island. It’s pretty amazing to see a mature olive tree in the middle of Newcastle, surrounded by more native species, and it’s just very happy there, got a lovely little sunspot to grow in.”

Listen to the editor’s full conversation with Su here:

Isn’t it incredible? There are lots of quirky little features that we walk and drive past every day. Appetite’s Maps in March project is aiming to make some of these town centre sites better known and better appreciated.

The five illustrators are keen to hear from you if you know of an interesting feature for their maps.

The new maps will explore these specific themes: nature, independent businesses, markets and stalls, food and drink outlets, and feeling safe within the town centre.

Call in to Appetite’s Newcastle Common arts space on High Street to share your input to the maps. The artists are there on Wednesdays and Saturdays, 11am to 3pm, for the next few weeks.

The latest exhibition at the new Jim Wain Courtyard Gallery at Newcastle-under-Lyme’s Brampton Museum opened on Saturday 19th March, and runs to 8th May.

A group of successful female artists with a close connection to Newcastle-under-Lyme present an eye-catching collective exhibition, ‘Juncture’.

The multi-talented members of #7 – who met while teaching at Newcastle College – are holding the first group show in the new gallery: an eclectic mix of new work created in response to the theme of juncture.

More details here:

The team behind the highly successful monthly Castle Artisan Market held in Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre is looking to replicate their success in the heart of the Potteries with a brand-new event in Hanley.

Piccadilly Artisan Market is a new venture between the Castle Artisan Events team, Stoke-on-Trent BID, and a selection of 40 artisan traders from in and around the region. It seeks to showcase Staffordshire’s best makers, bakers and creators.

The first event is due to take place in the Piccadilly / Cultural Quarter area on Sunday 27th March from 10am to 3pm. It will present 40 trader stalls offering a wide variety of fine potteries produce, artwork from local artists and quality crafts, as well as live music organised by the BID team, and a free play with clay activity courtesy of CraftyKidz for younger visitors.

Jake Burgess, creator and organiser from Castle Artisan Events, said: “We’ve been blown away by the success of our Castle Artisan Events over the last 14 months, and when we were approached by Stoke-on-Trent BID to bring a brand-new event to Piccadilly we jumped at the chance.

“As traders and locals ourselves, we want to showcase the amazing work that small independent traders in our area create and offer something just that little bit different to our visitors, so we’re hoping that the people of Stoke-on-Trent get behind this new monthly event and join us on Sunday 27th of March for what promises to be a fun filled day for the whole family.

Richard Buxton, CEO of Stoke-on-Trent Business Improvement District, said: “We’re very excited to be bringing this new monthly event to Piccadilly as it really does showcase the incredible artisanal talents of local traders from right around the city. There’s going to be something for everyone, so we hope to see a great footfall on the day and a brilliant atmosphere in the heart of our hometown.”

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