The Red Lion, a historic public house once located opposite the North Staffordshire Tramways Works Depot on Church Street in Stoke-on-Trent, has been carefully dismantled and reconstructed at the Crich Tramway Museum in Derbyshire. Known for its distinctive stone lion perched atop a flat roof with a balustraded parapet, the pub was reputedly a site where tramway workers collected their wages during the early 20th century.

The building is also linked to a tragic event from 1882, when a young boy named Arthur Chesworth fell beneath the wheels of a tram en route from Stoke to Longton. Reports indicate that Chesworth died almost immediately after the accident, and the inquest into his death was held at the Red Lion.

Efforts to preserve the pub began in the 1980s, led by architect Jim Soper, who between 1986 and 1990 transported the dismantled bricks approximately 100 miles to his home in West Yorkshire for restoration work. The reconstruction was nearly complete by 2001, with the interior awaiting final detailing. In 2002, the restored building was officially reopened at Crich by Derek North, the last landlord of the pub before its relocation. The iconic red lion that once sat atop the roof was replaced with a fiberglass replica.

The Red Lion was among thirteen pubs in Stoke-on-Trent demolished in the 1970s to make way for the development of Queensway, a major arterial road designed to modernize transport through the city. Opened in 1979, Queensway was intended to replace what locals considered an outdated road system and to address long-standing concerns over traffic congestion.

Despite these improvements, local sentiment towards Queensway remains mixed. The road has become known for frequent traffic delays, often humorously attributed to minor incidents such as delivery van jackknifes at key junctions like Basford roundabout. The slow movement of traffic during peak times contrasts sharply with the original goal of speeding commuter journeys.

These reflections on change in Stoke-on-Trent’s infrastructure and pace of life will be explored in a forthcoming historical talk titled "Stoke-on-Trent in the 1970s," presented by local historian Mervyn. The event is scheduled for Monday at 11 a.m. at the Victoria Lounge Bar in Hanley, with a £5 admission charged at the door.