Vice President - Ray Johnson

Along side the Gold Angel of Burslem prior to it being repositioned back on the top of The Old Town Hall, Burslem.
A Collection of figurines showing characters from the novels of Arnold Bennett and a replica of the Gold Angel.
Arnold Bennett's niece, Ruth Bennett and his daughter, Virginia Eldin,  spring cleaning the black basalt plaque outside the Old Town Hall.  This plaque is now situated inside the new Ceramica Attraction (The Old Town Hall), Burslem.
Kurt Koenigsberger (Case Western Reserve University, Ohio).  Kurt's lecture at the Arnold Bennett Conference in 2005 was entitled "Arnold Bennett in the world - Transatlanticism, modernist authorship, and  feminism.

DELEGATES ENJOYING A COFFEE BREAK

                              

Ray and friends entertain us.

          

UNVEILING OF THE PLAQUE AT THE BIRTHPLACE OF ARNOLD BENNETT

Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, 3 pm 5 April 2008

Arnold Bennett was born at 90 Hope Street on 27 May 1867.  On 10 May 1932, just over a year after his death, a bronze plaque was set on the wall of his Hanley birthplace.  The plaque was a gift to the City of Stoke-on-Trent of Sir Francis Joseph CBE, the Sheriff of Staffordshire.  It was designed by the Principal of Burslem School of Art, Gordon M Forsyth, and modelled by William Ruscoe, a former student and teacher at the School of Art.  It was unveiled by Colonel Josiah Wedgwood, MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme.  There followed a lunch at the North Stafford Hotel, Stoke, hosted by Sir Francis and Lady Joseph.  In the speeches Bennett's name was linked to those of Chesterton, Galsworthy, Hardy, Shaw, Trevelyan and Wells.

Bennett's birthplace was demolished in 1961 and replaced by the Five Towns Cafe. The Cafe has now also been demolished, and the site is now occupied by the Brighter Futures, Hostel.  The plaque is now in place in Hope Street and was unveiled by the Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent, Councillor Bagh Ali, in the presence of a good crowd of Bennett supporters, some of whom were in period costume.  Monsieur Denis Eldin, the grandson of Arnold Bennett, and our new President, travelled from France to lay red roses at the birthplace of his famous grandfather.  The event was filmed, and copies of the DVD made by Professor Ray Johnson (Vice President of the Society) are in the Society's archive.