Cobridge is an area of Stoke-on-Trent, in the City of Stoke-on-Trent district, in the county of Staffordshire, England. Cobridge was marked on the 1775 Yates map as 'Cow Bridge'[1] and was recorded in Ward records (1843) as Cobridge Gate.[2]

Cobridge
Christ Church
Cobridge is located in Staffordshire
Cobridge
Cobridge
Location within Staffordshire
OS grid referenceSJ875490
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSTOKE-ON-TRENT
Postcode districtST1
Dialling code01782
PoliceStaffordshire
FireStaffordshire
AmbulanceWest Midlands
List of places
UK
England
Staffordshire
53°02′09″N 2°11′12″W / 53.0357°N 2.1868°W / 53.0357; -2.1868

Cobridge has a community centre, on Bursley Road.[3]

Cobridge once had a railway station on the Potteries Loop Line.[4]

Cobridge was the location of the Athletic Ground, now the site of a sheltered housing and nursing home complex. Circa 1870, it had a population of 3,378 as recorded in the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales.[5]

The Headquarters of the Air Training Corps 388 (City of Stoke-on-Trent) Squadron are at the RFCA Centre, Martin Leake House, Waterloo Road.

Churches

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Christ Church

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Christ Church, a Grade II listed building, was built in 1840. It was originally a chapel of ease to St John's Church in Burslem, until 1844 when a parish consisting of Cobridge, Sneyd Green and Abbey Hulton was created out of St John's parish. It was enlarged in 1845, and the chancel was extended in 1900. It is built of yellow brick; there is a nave of five bays, each with a lencet window, and a west tower. The west entrance has a moulded arch.[6][7] It was extensively renovated in 2001.[8]

St Peter's Church

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Cobridge Hall, formerly the church hall of St Peter's, on Waterloo Road

The Roman Catholic church of St Peter, with an adjoining presbytery, was built in Cobridge in 1937, on the site of a small chapel built in 1781 near the Rushton Grange estate. The Grange was the first Roman Catholic centre in the area after the Reformation; it had belonged to the Cistercians of the abbey at Hulton until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1528, and was bought two years later by the Biddulphs, a Catholic family. [9]

St Peter's Church closed in 2012, since the congregation was reduced to 40.[10]

Schools

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St Peter's Catholic Academy, on Waterloo Road, dates back to 1821. It serves the parishes of St Joseph's Church, Burslem and Sacred Heart Church, Hanley. It caters for children up to age 11.[11]

An inscribed monument at the junction of Sneyd Street and Leek New Road marks the site of Cobridge Free School, built in 1766 for 120 children, and in use until about 1850. It was demolished in 1897.[12][13]

A Victorian school once stood adjacent to Christ Church on the corner of Emery and Mawdesley Streets. The old Granville school was replaced by the new Forest Park school.

Other features

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Cobridge Park

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Cobridge Community Health Centre

Cobridge Park, on Elder Road, was opened in 1911. Its area is 9 acres (3.6 ha).[14] It has play facilities for children and teenagers.[15]

Community Health Centre

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The Cobridge Community Health Centre is on Church Terrace. There are two buildings: one is a health centre consisting of two GP practices and other commissioned health service; the other building contains specialised services.[16]

Home of Arnold Bennett

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205 Waterloo Road was the home of the writer Arnold Bennett (1867–1931) from 1880 to 1888. It was built by his father Enoch Bennett at a cost of £900; it is a red brick house with two bays and terracotta decorations. In 1960 it was opened as a museum by Bennett's nephew Richard Bennett, but it is now a private residence. It is a listed building, Grade II. [17][18]

References

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  1. Yates, William (1775). A map of the county of Stafford.
  2. "Cobridge - Stoke-on-Trent Districts". Thepotteries.org. 28 January 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  3. "Map - Directions | Cobridge Community Centre | Community Centres, Stoke-On-Trent". Yell.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  4. "Potteries Loop Line" thepotteries.org. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  5. "History of Cobridge, in Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  6. 'Burslem: Churches', in A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 8, ed. J G Jenkins (London, 1963) British History Online. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  7. Historic England. "Christ Church (1291092)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  8. "Cobridge Churches" thepotteries.org. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  9. 'The city of Stoke-on-Trent: Roman Catholicism ', in A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 8, ed. J G Jenkins (London, 1963) British History Online. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  10. "Church sold to mosque after religious conversion" The Times, 22 October 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  11. "History of St Peter's School" St Peter's Catholic Academy. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  12. 'The city of Stoke-on-Trent: Schools', in A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 8, ed. J G Jenkins (London, 1963) British History Online. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  13. File:Memorial at end of Sneyd Street, Cobridge - geograph.org.uk - 3561675.jpg
  14. 'Burslem: Buildings, manors and estates', in A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 8, ed. J G Jenkins (London, 1963) British History Online. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  15. "Cobridge Park" City of Stoke-on-Trent. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  16. "Cobridge Community Health Centre" NHS Open Space. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  17. Historic England. "No. 205, Waterloo Road (1297919)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  18. "Arnold Bennett's Home, Cobridge" thepotteries.org. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
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