The demolition of a shop famous for preparing and selling a Staffordshire delicacy will begin within weeks according to Stoke-on-Trent City Council. The Hole in the Wall, which was forced to close ten months ago as part of the city’s regeneration programme, has served oatcakes through a hatch since the 1920s.
When it was announced that the shop was among a mixture of commercial and residential properties subject to compulsory purchase, campaigners in the Potteries tried to get the building listed due to its cultural significance. When this failed, owner Glenn Fowler finally closed the business which has been boarded up forever since.
Oatcakes are as synonymous with the Potteries as bottle ovens
For those unfamiliar with the regional dish, Staffordshire oatcakes are quite unlike the Scottish snack of the same name. They are made from oatmeal and flour and are best described as resembling a pancake. Less flatteringly they have been described as looking like a dirty rag and smelling like an old sock. Oatcakes are usually served with a variety of savoury fillings, the most popular of which is bacon and cheese.
The history of the oatcake stretches back hundreds of years and its making was, for a long time, an inherited tradition passed down within families and the precise recipe was a closely guarded secret. Its popularity grew along with the expansion of the pottery industry in North Staffordshire leading to the growth of specialised properties churning out fresh oatcakes from coal-fired baking stones.
Along with another regional dish, a stew known as lobby, the oatcake became as synonymous with the Potteries as the iconic bottle oven. Reflecting this, the fanzine of Premier League club Stoke City bears the same name. Their popularity remains and shops producing oatcakes on the premises can still be found throughout the area while larger manufactures provide packaged oatcakes to local supermarkets.
What made the Hole in the Wall so unique was that it was the last of its kind and its demolition will mark the end of an era. Like many former manufacturing areas Stoke-on-Trent is currently undergoing an extensive regeneration programme. Commercial developments including a new business district and a 650,000 sq ft shopping centre, City Sentral, will transform the area, while a new bus station opens later this year.
A large part of the project was, until recently, administered by Renew North Staffordshire. However since the government axed the funding for the body – and in the absence of private sector investment – the council has been left to pick up the pieces. The renewal has involved the demolition of entire neighbourhoods and, in the opinion of many, created a worse situation than existed before.
The Hole in the Wall is in one of the terraced streets earmarked for redevelopment and now the bulldozers are ready to move in. This has upset many residents who are asking why the shop was forced to close and what the council plans are.
A resident told The Sentinel: “What happened with the oatcake shop was completely unfair. My nan and granddad used it all the time and were sad to see it go.
“Ideally I would like to see it re-opened as some sort of business again because we have nothing around here anymore.”
Another said that he has seen workmen entering the property and believes there are plans to refurbish it.
“I won’t believe the building will be demolished until I see it with my own eyes,” he said.
However, the councillor with cabinet responsibility for regeneration has insisted that the demolition will go ahead as planned.
Ruth Rosenau said; “The council has appointed a demolition contractor to clear the remaining vacant properties, including the shop, and work will start in January.”
“It makes me sad and angry,” a pensioner complained. “We’re losing so much of our heritage and what are we getting in return? A shopping centre with a silly name. There are parts of this city I don’t recognise anymore.”
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