Uttoxeter - Notable People

Notable People

The writer and director Shane Meadows was born and brought up in Uttoxeter. Parts of his film, A Room for Romeo Brass were filmed at Oldfield's Hall Middle School in 1997. He is also known for the films Twenty Four Seven, Once Upon a Time in the Midlands and This Is England. His mother was the lollipop lady at the High School, Thomas Alleyne's.

Other notables include:

• Admiral Lord Gardner - commanded a younger Nelson) was born at the Manor house in the town in 1742, and died at Bath in 1810.
• Jen Fiesty Robinson, dancer, performed with Hot Gossip.
• Bartley Gorman bare knuckle boxer, lived for many years in the town.
• Francis Redfern - Historian, the first writer to publish a history of the town in 1865.
• Henry Yevele - Medieval architect.
• Jack Holland, writer and co-founder of the Rough Guides travel series, attended Alleyne's Grammar School.
• Joy Dunicliff, local historian and author
• Paul Fraser, script writer behind films including A Room for Romeo Brass and director of My Brothers.
• Peter Vaughan - actor who lived in the town for part of his young life.
• Robert Bakewell - Artist and Metal worker.
• Sir Simon Degge, an antiquary, well known for his manuscript notes on Plot's Natural History of Staffordshire.
• Rockin' Johnny Austin MBE, a local charity fundraiser.

Paul Beech, the six times world toe wrestling champion, is from Uttoxeter. He now resides in nearby Burton on Trent and is the current landlord of the New Talbot Hotel in Anglesey Road in Burton.

Thomas Fradgley was Uttoxeter's own architect. He designed the Town Hall (1854); the Johnson Memorial (1854); St. Michael's Church, Stramshall; St.Lawrence Church, Bramshall (1835), St. Mary's Church, Uttoxeter; Marchington Church. He was involved with Pugin and other architects in designs for the 16th Earl of Shrewsbury at Alton Towers including the figures of the Talbot Hounds at the entrance tower, 1830; the Angel Corbels in the Lady chapel, 1833; Alton Towers Chapel with Joseph Potter and completed in 1833; Swiss Cottage or Harper's Cottage, Farley. He was the architect in the improvement of several local schools, including Uttoxeter National School, Hanbury Free School, enlarged in 1848; Oakamoor N.S., Cauldon Low N.S., Alton N.S., and Draycott in Hanbury School. It is believed he designed Moorlands, Byrds Lane, Uttoxeter for one of the Bamfords. He married Clara Warner from Bramshall. Their only child Thomas died aged 6. Thomas Fradgley died in 1883 aged 83.

Alfred McCann (1865–1953) was Uttoxeter's most famous photographer with a shop at 25&27 High Street. He photographed hundreds of local scenes which were sold as postcards and sent all over the world. McCann postcards today sell for a lot more than their original value. Staffordshire County Museum at Shugborough has a large collection of McCann postcards. The following excerpt from Staffordshire Past-Track gives a brief synopsis of the McCann family and some McCann photos can be seen on the site. Edward McCann was born in Hereford in the 1820s and his family originally came from Ireland. He served in the Army and on his return to England settled in Uttoxeter in about 1860. He was a Sergeant Major in the local Yeomanry Cavalry and became Assistant Overseer, responsible for collecting poor rates in the town. In 1870 he began taking photographic portraits and by 1880 had opened a tobacconists shop. The photography business was taken over by his son, Alfred in 1884, who in turn was succeeded in 1943 by his son Gerald (1897–1970). The business finally closed in 1966.