The Five Towns
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Towns in the Potteries in which Arnold Bennett (1867-1931) laid the scene of many of his novels and stories. They are Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley, Stoke-upon- Trent, Longton.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “The Five Towns” mean?
Towns in the Potteries in which Arnold Bennett (1867-1931) laid the scene of many of his novels and stories. They are Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley, Stoke-upon- Trent, Longton.
Is “The Five Towns” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.