Meir, Staffordshire facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Meir |
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 The A520 leading north, across the roundabout at Meir |
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 Meir
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| OS grid reference | SJ927427 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Stoke-on-Trent |
| Postcode district | ST3 |
| Dialling code | 01782 |
| Police | Staffordshire |
| Fire | Staffordshire |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| EU Parliament | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament |
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Meir is a lively suburb located in Stoke-on-Trent, a city in Staffordshire, England. It sits right between the areas of Lightwood and Longton. A part of Meir, called Meir Park, is a modern housing estate that stretches uphill towards Meir Heath.
From Airfield to Homes
Meir used to have its very own airport for small planes, called Meir Aerodrome. This airfield closed down in the early 1970s. Today, the land where planes once took off and landed is now the Meir Park housing estate. If you look closely at the street names in the older parts of Meir Park, you might notice they are often related to aviation, like "Aerodrome Road" or "Spitfire Way"!
The very last official flight from Meir Aerodrome happened on August 16, 1973. A pilot named Fred Holdcroft flew a Piper Tri-Pacer plane. He even had a journalist from The Sentinel newspaper on board, flying them to Manchester. There was also an unofficial last flight a couple of years later. Eric Clutton flew a cool homemade folding plane he called FRED, which stood for "Flying Runabout Experimental Design." After landing, he simply towed his plane home behind his car!
You can still see a reminder of the airfield today. Light planes used to park on the grass right next to the A50 road, across from a place called the Airport Garage. That garage is still there. There was also a factory belonging to Staffordshire Potteries near the aerodrome, but it has since been taken down.
Local Schools
Meir is home to several schools that help young people learn and grow. These include:
- Abbey Hill Academy
- Crescent Primary School
- Meir Heath Primary School
- Ormiston Meridian Academy
- St Augustine's R.C. Primary School
- Sandon Primary Academy
Getting Around Meir
Meir is located along a major road called the A50. Right in the middle of Meir, the A50 crosses another important road, the A520. This junction used to be a very busy spot, causing lots of traffic jams.
To solve this problem, a special tunnel was built in 1997. This tunnel allows the A50 to go underneath the junction, making traffic flow much smoother. The tunnel has two separate sections, one for each direction of traffic. The walls inside the tunnels were decorated with ceramic panels. However, after a few years, some of these panels started to come loose because their metal attachments were rusting.
Meir also used to have its own railway station. It operated from 1894 until 1966, helping people travel by train.
Nearby Places
Meir is close to several other interesting towns and villages. These include:
- Barlaston
- Blythe Bridge
- Lightwood
- Longton
- Trentham
