The Sentinel (Staffordshire) - History

History

1854 The Staffordshire Sentinel and Commercial and General Advertiser was first published as a Liberal weekly newspaper from offices in Cheapside, Hanley, on 7 January. The publisher was Hugh Roberts, the Editor Thomas Phillips, a former Northampton bookseller and printer. One of the objects of the publishers was to campaign for the incorporation of Hanley, but news of the whole pottery district was contained in its columns. The initial price was 3d.

1872 The circulation of the Sentinel had increased to 5,000 copies weekly with 90 agents covering the whole of North Staffordshire and part of Cheshire.

1873 The Staffordshire Daily Sentinel was introduced at a halfpenny on Tuesday 15 April, publishing daily editions from Monday to Friday, with the Weekly Sentinel, at two pence, continuing to appear on Saturday. The Sentinel was the first daily paper to be published in the Potteries.

1874 A new site in Foundry Street, Hanley, having been acquired for the Daily Sentinel the issue of 24 July, was the first to be published from the new office. The town of Stoke-upon-Trent received its charter of incorporation as a borough.

1878 The Weekly Sentinel was enlarged and many new features introduced. Extra supplements were published. The eight pages were 25 inches in depth and there were seven columns to each page. The price remained at 2d.

1884 The first Saturday edition of the Daily Sentinel was introduced on 5 January, and on subsequent Saturdays considerable space was devoted to sport, particularly football.

1888 The circulation of all papers produced at the Foundry Street office was given as six million copies yearly and it was estimated that the Daily Sentinel found its way into the hands of 100,000 persons each day.

1892 The Staffordshire Daily Post was founded by Unionist interests in opposition to the Sentinel. Mr T. W. Twyford head of the famous firm of sanitary potters, and a Liberal who joined up with the Unionists in opposition to home rule, was its leading promoter.

1896 After the Post had sustained heavy losses Mr Twyford approached the Sentinel proprietors and suggested a merger on the basis that the Sentinel should shed its political partisanship and become a paper for all the people.

1897 The merger having been completed, a new company was set up with Mr T. W. Twyford as Chairman, Mr. William Moody as Managing Director, Mr T. Bullock, Mr Arthur Heath and Mr James Heath. The Sentinel was now styled an independent newspaper. New offices had been built on the existing site and new machinery installed.

1898 The new company was registered as the Staffordshire Sentinel Ltd.

1900 The Sentinel Cup football competition was inaugurated for the youth of the district. (Later the Sentinel Shield was added for younger footballers and a junior cricket competition was inaugurated in 1906)

1917 Because of rising costs the price of the Daily Sentinel was raised to a penny in March and the Weekly Sentinel to 1 |d.

1918 After the Minnie Pit Disaster, in which 160 lives were lost in January, the Sentinel launched an appeal with a donation of its own.

1926 The general strike. The Sentinel ceased publication for several days, but later produced single sheet emergency editions.

1928 In July the acquisition of the Sentinel by Associated Newspapers Ltd. was announced. Mr John Cowley became Chairman of the company. (Later Chairmen were successively Mr A. McWhirter. Mr John Thomson and Mr J. S. Wallwork. The merger did not affect local control over policy).

1929 The title of the company was changed to Staffordshire Sentinel Newspapers Ltd. On 4 February news appeared on the front page for the first time. A big office reconstruction scheme was launched.

1937 Virtual completion of the reconstruction of the Sentinel offices on the existing site. This was the third building to be erected there.

1939-1945 Second World War. The outbreak of war was published in a special Sunday edition of the Evening Sentinel on 3 September. The "buff" edition containing early morning racing news which had been published since early in the century was discontinued. During the war newspaper sales had to be pegged to the pre-war circulation figure which was in excess of 78,000 copies a night. Newsprint restrictions reduced the size of the paper by degrees to four pages a night, and these restrictions continued for some time after the end of hostilities. Many members of the Sentinel staff served with the Forces both at home and overseas.

1986 Having moved from Cheapside to Foundry Street in 1939, the presses and staff were all on the move again in 1986 - to the purpose built current site at Etruria - the original site of Josiah Wedgwood’s Etruria factory.

1988 The format of the newspaper changed to tabloid as late as 15 October 1988. While many local people still refer to the paper as "The Evening Sentinel", the word "Evening" was dropped from the title during the mid-1990s.

1998 The Sentinel’s website: www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk was launched.

2005 In December Mike Sassi, who had been Editor of the Lincolnshire Echo for six years, succeeded Sean Dooley as Editor-in-Chief of Staffordshire Sentinel Newspapers.

2007 The broadsheet Sentinel Sunday ceased production in 2007.

2007 The name Staffordshire Sentinel News & Media replaced Staffordshire Sentinel Newspapers to reflect the group’s focus on all forms of media – specifically the growing demand for its online services.

2012 Local World acquired owner Northcliffe Media from Daily Mail and General Trust.