here a spacious and elegant house, for their offices and the residence of their manager (of which we hope, through their liberality, to be enabled to give an engraving). It is seated in the most prominent position in the MarketPlace, is built in the gabled or Tudor style of architecture, of pale bricks, with ornamental door and window-fronts and other members of stone. Its elevation rises above all the neighbouring houses, and makes it conspicuous at a considerable distance. We take the liberty, however, of questioning the good taste of the architect, who fixed on a style of building of three centuries' date for a mansion like this, in the centre of a modern town, which presents nothing at all similar, to keep it in countenance.

Several Banking concerns have, at various times within the last fifty years, been set on foot here, which were attended with no favourable results, as far as our observation has gone.

Of the private Dwelling-houses in Hanley and Shelton, of the first class, we shall say something in more nostro, and therewith conclude the present Chapter.

Commencing at NORTHWOOD, (which, in defiance of its modern name, has an Easterly bearing, and possesses nothing of a woodland character,) we must award to the proprietor of it (Mr. W. Ridgway) the just meed of taste, the spirit of improvement, and the palm of philanthropy ; he has converted his residence from a plain, unpretending house, into an elegant suburban villa; has cleared the neighbourhood of a number of unsightly cottages and objects which formerly surrounded it; has erected or improved some good neighbouring houses, built several neat Alms-houses for decayed widows, and a School for educating the neighbouring poor children. The road which goes by Northwood, and leads to Bucknall, was heretofore called Keeling's-Lane, from the name of a respectable family settled here in time past; and the spot is still better known by its ancient than its modern appellation.

A modern house, erected by Mr. George Paddock, a

ALBION HOUSE, SHELTON. THE RESIDENCE OF W.PARKER, ESQ.

FIRST-RATE DWELLING-HOUSES.

383

successful builder, near the Upper Green, Hanley, commands a very extensive prospect, and claims the next notice.

In the middle of Hanley, nearly opposite the church, is the residence of Mr. Joseph Mayer, a gentleman who has retired in affluence from the business of a potter, which he formerly carried on in conjunction with his father, under the firm of Elijah Mayer and Son. The house stands backward from the street, and is a handsome plain brick edifice of three stories.

A respectable old house, nearly opposite, newly coated with stucco, was formerly the property and residence of Robert Wilson, (a cotemporary of, and competitor with, Josiah Wedgwood,) afterwards of his brother, David Wilson; and is now occupied by Mr. Morley, one of the partners of the firm of Ridgway, Morley, Wear, & Co.

BANK-HOUSE, situate at the top of Shelton, lately belonging to Mr. Job Meigh, of the firm of Hicks, Meigh, and Johnson, and now to Mr. Edward Ridgway, is a large and commodious brick house, which its late proprietor vacated on removing to The Ash, a mansion he has built. in the neighbourhood, and which we shall have occasion to notice, in the discursive range we presently propose to take through the foreign hamlets of Stoke parish. Mr. Meigh, who is now retired from trade, obtained, in 1823, the gold medal of the Society of Arts, for the introduction of a glaze for earthenware wholly free from the deleterious qualities of the common lead glaze.

ALBION-HOUSE, nearly opposite to Bank-House, is a handsome modern structure, coated with Roman cement, belonging to Mr. W. Parker, a gentleman extensively engaged in the import trade of cobalt and zaffres, who has a country residence at Rownall-Hall, four miles distant.

The Dwelling-house of Mr. HICKS, a retired manufacturer, in the High-Street of Shelton, is a specimen of a first-rate house of the last century; it was erected by Mr. John Baddeley, an eminent potter, who died in 1772.

That of Mr. WILLIAM YATES, a manufacturer, lower down, and where his ancestry have been long seated, is a respectable house of about the same era (but modernized); and that of Mr. S. WRIGHT, cobalt merchant, opposite St. Mark's Church, is a good example of earlier date, formerly belonging to the respectable family of Hollins.

Mr. CHARLES MEIGH'S house, called Grove-House, adjacent to Mr. Wright's, has undergone, and is undergoing, improvement and enlargement; and, as connected with it, we must notice the splendid gallery of pictures, and the extensive and valuable library of its liberal owner. Our limits and design forbid copious details, but we cannot avoid expressing the admiration we have felt in viewing Mr. Meigh's picture-gallery, containing a large collection of ancient and modern art, some particulars of which we should think it unpardonable to omit.

It is said to be the opinion of eminent Connoisseurs that so choice and valuable a selection of paintings, for its size, is scarcely to be met with in the hands of any private individual; and we are happy in being enabled to direct the admirers of the fine arts to so rare an object of attraction, in a situation where it would be by no means expected.

The following are some of the choicest articles :

A small fresco (the Madonna) by Raffiello; the only fresco painting of the Divine Artist in this country.

A large picture by Paris Bardoné, a pupil of Titian, (the subject, Christ baptized by John,) was insured by its late owner, W. Earle, Esq., for 1000 guineas. It was from the Palazzo Ambrosia Doria.

A small picture (the Usurer) by Gerard Douw is a perfect gem, and has been valued at £700. One of Carlo Dolci is equally exquisite"Sun-Rise," by Karle du Jardyn-"The Apotheosis of St. Nicholas," by Vandyke-A Landscape, by Ruysdael-A beautiful production of Cuyp--Two of Teniers--" Circe," by Domenichino--" The Holy Family," by N. Poussin-A small Claude-Two beautiful subjects by Gaspard Netscher-A charming one of Dietricy (the subject, "Diana and her Nymphs"); and a large and splendid painting by Augustine Aglio, painted at Rome in 1827 (the subject, Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem). These conclude our notices of the foreign productions.