It was a smoky old place, evident from the still-blackened sandstone buildings that stood proud in its centre. Black because of the filth and grime that once filled the air, courtesy of our staple industry – ceramics. I must admit, I don’t recall the air being smoky, or indeed filthy at the time I was born. There again I can’t remember much at all of that chilly September morning in 1952, in fact until I started to research this, I didn’t even know it was chilly!