A £10m shortfall in a pension scheme, an explosion and the loss of a main customer which accounted for 70 per cent of the order book led to the downfall of Thomas Bolton.

Despite a strong level of interest shown in the Froghall business as a going concern, no deal was forthcoming and the factory was closed.

The Thomas Bolton Copperworks at Froghall (and the closed works in the nearby village of Oakamoor) are famous for the world's first transatlantic telegraph cables, which were manufactured and rolled at the plants.

At the nearby Froghall Wharf, limestone was loaded onto canal narrow boats or burnt in lime kilns and then transported to the Potteries or further afield.

The canal basin at Froghall Wharf is now a pleasant spot for pleasure craft and walkers, with the huge dormant lime kilns dominating the area.

The basin at Froghall Wharf was originally the terminus of the Caldon Canal, and a separate branch then ran to Uttoxeter.