Wikipedia

Stourbridge

Stourbridge(/ˈstaʊərbrɪdʒ/) is amarket townin theMetropolitan Borough of Dudleyin theWest Midlands,England. Situated on theRiver Stour,the town lies around 10 miles (16 kilometres) west ofBirmingham.HistoricallyinWorcestershire,it was the centre of Britishglass makingduring theIndustrial Revolution.The2011 UK censusrecorded the town's population as 63,298.[1]

Stourbridge
Market town
Foster Street, Stourbridge; leading towards therailway station
Stourbridge is located in West Midlands county
Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Location within theWest Midlands
Population63,298
OS grid referenceSO899844
•London125.8 miles/202 km
Metropolitan borough
Shire county
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSTOURBRIDGEBrierley Hill
Postcode districtDY5-9
Post townBRIERLEY HILL
Postcode districtDY5
Dialling code01384
01562
PoliceWest Midlands
FireWest Midlands
AmbulanceWest Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
West Midlands
52°27′27″N2°08′52″W/ 52.4575°N 2.1479°W/52.4575; -2.1479

Geography

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Stourbridge is about 10 miles (16 kilometres) west ofBirmingham.It is part of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley at the southwestern edge of theBlack Countryand theWest Midlands conurbation,Stourbridge includes the villages and suburbs ofAmblecote,Lye,Norton,Oldswinford,Pedmore,Stambermill,Stourton,Wollaston,WollescoteandWordsley.

Much of Stourbridge consists of residential streets interspersed with green spaces.Mary Stevens Park,opened in 1931, has a lake, a bandstand, a cafe, and open spaces.There are two other large Parks gifted to Stourbridge people by The Stevens family, one in Lye/Wollescote and in Quarry Bank, both with cafes.

Bordered bygreen beltland, Stourbridge is close to countryside with theClent Hillsto the south and southwestStaffordshireandKinver Edgeto the west.

Closest cities, towns and villages

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History

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See also:History of WorcestershireandEvolution of Worcestershire county boundaries
St. Thomas' Church

Stourbridge was listed in the 1255Worcestershireassize roll as Sturbrug or Sturesbridge.[2]The medieval township was named for a bridge which crossed theRiver Stour.The settlement was originally known as Bedcote and was likelyAnglo-Saxonin origin.[3]It lay within the manor of Swynford or Suineford (nowOldswinford), which appears inWilliam the Conqueror'sDomesday Bookof 1086.[4]

Pigot and Co.'s National Commercial Directory for 1828-9describes Stourbridge as a "populous, wealthy, and flourishing market town" and gives its population in 1821 as 5,090.[5]

In 1966, the Stourbridge border between Worcestershire andStaffordshire,which for centuries had been marked by theRiver Stour,was moved a couple of miles north whenAmblecotewas incorporated into the Borough of Stourbridge. Following theLocal Government Act 1972,Stourbridge was amalgamated into theMetropolitan Borough of Dudleyand became part of the wider West Midlands county in 1974.

Glass Making in Stourbridge

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The town gives its name to local glass production, which has been manufactured since the early 1600s. The local clay proved particularly suitable for the industry, taken up predominantly after the immigration of French coal miners in theHuguenotdiaspora.[6][7]However, most of the glass industry was actually located in surrounding areas including Wordsley, Amblecote and Oldswinford. The rich natural resources of coal and fireclay for lining furnaces made it the perfect location for the industry. Glass making peaked in the 19th century, encouraged by the famous glass-making family, the Jeavons.[8]

The 1861 census identified that 1,032 residents of Stourbridge were involved in the glass trade in some way. Of these, 541 were glass workers - an increase from 409 in 1851, believed to be partly caused by the collapse of the glass industry in nearbyDudleyin the 1850s.[9]The vast majority of those involved in the glass trade came fromStaffordshire,Warwickshire,WorcestershireandShropshire.9% came from other parts of England and 0.2% had come from abroad. Of particular note are glass cutters, as 8.1% had come from Ireland, believed to be as a result of the decline of the Irish glasscutting industry in the first half of the 1800s. The houses inhabited by glassworkers were of a much better quality in comparison to the slums in which the nailmakers ofLyeandWollescotelived. However, only a few glassworkers owned their own houses.[8]

TheRed House Cone,thought to be the only complete remaining glass cone of its kind, stands on the Stourbridge Canal at Wordsley. It is the site of the Red House Glass Museum and there are regular demonstrations of traditional glass blowing.

Present

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The town centre has seen major regeneration in recent years. In 2014, Lion Health medical centre opened in the renovated former foundry ofFoster, Rastrick and Company– where theStourbridge Lionlocomotive was manufactured. The next phase of regeneration on the foundry site will create parkland next toStourbridge Canalwith a "heritage and community hub" named Riverside House.

Crown Centre Shopping Mall at the bottom of Stourbridge High Street opened in 2013 at the site of the old Crown Centre and Bell Streetmulti-storey car park,which were demolished between 2012 and 2013. Costing £50m, the new mall is home to a 60,000 sq ft (5,600 m2)Tescoanchor store, a two-level underground car park, six retail stores and a central food court.[10]Stourbridge Bus Station underwent substantial redevelopment and re-opened asStourbridge Interchangein April 2012.

In 2010, Stourbridge was awardedFairtrade Townstatus.Stourbridge Farmers' and Craft Markettakes place on the first and third Saturday of every month in the Clock Square. Throughout the summer,Mary Stevens Parkhosts outdoor live music.

In the2011 Census,the average age of people in Stourbridge was 42.[11]

Conservative MPMargot Jamesheld theStourbridge parliamentary constituency2010–2019.[12]She was succeeded in2019bySuzanne Webbof the same party.

Transport

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Three main roads meet in Stourbridge, these being theA451,theA458and theA491,the last forming the one way Stourbridge Ring Road.

Stourbridge has two railway stations, the main one beingStourbridge Junction.From here, it is around 30 minutes to Birmingham, 30 minutes to Worcester and between two and 2.5 hours to London. The other station,Stourbridge Town,is served only by a shuttle to and from Stourbridge Junction. At just over1⁄2mi (800 m), theStourbridge Town Branch Lineis believed to be the shortest railwaybranch linein Europe.[13]The former main line toWolverhamptonviaDudley,and branches toWombourneandWalsallclosed in the 1960s. However the line towards Dudley remains open for freight as far as the Round Oak Steel Terminal north ofBrierley Hill.In January 2021, proposals were made to reopen the line to Brierley Hill to passengers using a light rail vehicle similar to that used on the Stourbridge Branch Line.

Stourbridge Interchangeis the main bus station, located in the town centre next to Stourbridge Town railway station. The Interchange opened in 2012 at a cost of £7 million.[14]Most services are operated byNational Express West MidlandsandDiamond Buswhich offer links to local areas such asWollastonand Pedmore, and further destinations likeBirmingham,WolverhamptonandKidderminster.Diamond Busoperate the tendered service 242 toKinverwhich was previously operated by The Green Bus Company but more recently Select Bus Services and added additional journeys.[citation needed]

By bike, National Route 54 of theNational Cycle Networklinks Stourbridge with Dudley via the canal towpaths.[15]

TheStourbridge Canallinks the town to theStaffordshire and Worcestershire Canaland the Dudley No. 1 Canal. This places Stourbridge on theStourport Ring,navigable bynarrowboatand popular with holidaymakers.

Education

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The former Free Library & Technical College

There is one college in Stourbridge.King Edward VI Collegewas founded in 1552, becoming a sixth form college in 1976.[16]Stourbridge College,south of the town centre, was formed in 1958 and specialised in art and design, but was closed in 2019.[17]

There is also asixth formatOld Swinford Hospitalschool, which was founded in 1667 by the Stourbridge-born politicianThomas Foley.[18]The boarding school was named the best secondary school in Dudley, closely followed byRedhill School,an academy also in Stourbridge.[19]

Elmfield Rudolf Steiner Schoolis an independent school which follows the international Steiner Waldorf Education curriculum.[20]

Culture

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Festival of Glass

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The International Festival of Glass is held at Ruskin Mill in Stourbridge every two years. The British Glass Biennale is the festival's flagship exhibition, featuring contemporary work by glass makers in the UK.[21]

Music

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In the late-1980s and early 1990s, three Stourbridge indie bands –The Wonder Stuff,Pop Will Eat ItselfandNed's Atomic Dustbin– all had chart success, selling millions of albums between them and gracing the covers of NME and Melody Maker.[22]Pop Will Eat Itself's former frontmanClint Mansellhas since composed musical scores for films includingBlack SwanandRequiem for a Dream.

The 80s metal bandsDiamond Head,Witchfinder Generaland 80s pop bandKayran Dachealso came from Stourbridge andLed Zeppelin'sRobert Plantonce attendedKing Edward VI College(then King Edward VI Grammar School for Boys).

Media

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Stourbridge is covered by these newspapers: theStourbridge News(weekly), and theStourbridge Chronicle(weekly).

From the 1860s until the early 1980s, Stourbridge was covered by theCounty Expressnewspaper. The archives are now on microfilm in Stourbridge Library.

Sport

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Stourbridge Football Club,founded in 1876 and nicknamed "The Glassboys", shares theWar Memorial Athletic Groundin Amblecote withStourbridge Cricket Club.Stourbridge Rugby Clubplay at Stourton Park in nearbyStourton.Dudley and Stourbridge Harriershave trained at the Dell Stadium since 1964. Other teams include Redhill Volleyball Club, which plays atRedhill School.Stourbridge Running Clubalso train at theWar Memorialin Amblecote.

Places of Interest

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Stourbridge Town Hall

Places of Worship

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According to the2011 Census,the majority of people living in Stourbridge identify asChristian(65%). Almost a quarter of people said they hadno religion.Less than 1% of people identified asMuslim,Sikh,Buddhist,orHindu.43 people identified as aJedi Knight.[11]

  • Chawn Hill Church, Stourbridge
  • Ghausia Jamia Mosque, Lye
  • Holy Trinity Church, Amblecote
  • Hope Baptist Church, Stourbridge
  • Our Lady and All Saints Catholic Church, Stourbridge
  • Presbyterian Unitarian Chapel, Stourbridge.
  • Quaker Meeting House, Stourbridge
  • St James' Church, Wollaston
  • St Mary's, Oldswinford
  • St Thomas' Church,Stourbridge
  • St Peter's, Pedmore
  • Church of Latter Day Saints, Stourbridge

Notable residents

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Business
Entertainment
Performing arts
Science and academia
Sports and games
Writers
Others
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References

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  1. ^"All UK Towns & Cities in Population Order (2011 Census)".LoveMyTown.co.uk.Retrieved18 December2015.
  2. ^Haden, H. Jack (1980)."Stourbridge in Times Past".Countryside Publications.
  3. ^"Stourbridge historical society Members Project 2024".Retrieved13 July2024.
  4. ^"The Domesday Book Online".Retrieved26 February2019.
  5. ^Pigot and Co.'s National Commercial Directory for 1828-9.London & Manchester: J. Pigot & Co. 1828. pp. 873, 874.
  6. ^Boucher, B.The Huguenot Role in Industrial EnglandArchived16 May 2011 at theWayback Machine
  7. ^Lloyd, David (1993),A History of Worcestershire,Chichester: Phillimore,ISBN9780850336580,LCCN94109314,OCLC30027275,OL1140253M
  8. ^abMatsumura, Takao (1984)."Flint glass makers in the local community".The Labour Aristocracy Revisited: The Victorian Flint Glass Makers, 1850-80.Manchester University Press. pp.149–161.ISBN0-7190-0931-6.
  9. ^Philips, David (1977).Crime and Authority in Victorian England: The Black Country 1835-1860.Taylor & Francis. p. 29.ISBN0-87471-866-X.
  10. ^"£50m Stourbridge Tesco opens after year of work".Express & Star. 31 October 2013.Retrieved31 October2014.
  11. ^ab"Wollaston and Stourbridge Town Demographics".localtownstats.co.uk.Retrieved25 February2019.
  12. ^"Margot James MP".GOV.UK.Retrieved26 February2019.
  13. ^"Train operators chuffed at Stourbridge Shuttle success at industry 'Oscars'".Stourbridge News. 7 October 2016.Retrieved25 February2019.
  14. ^"New £7m Stourbridge Interchange opens to passengers".BBC Birmingham & Black Country. 22 April 2012.Retrieved25 February2019.
  15. ^[https:// sustrans.org.uk/ncn/map/route/route-54
  16. ^"More about King Edward's".King Edward VI College Stourbridge. Archived fromthe originalon 20 March 2012.Retrieved4 March2012.
  17. ^"Birmingham Met to demerge Stourbridge College".tes.Retrieved2 September2019.
  18. ^"School History".Old Swinford Hospital School. Archived fromthe originalon 22 July 2012.Retrieved4 March2012.
  19. ^"These are the best secondary schools in Dudley".Birmingham Live. 30 June 2018.Retrieved25 February2019.
  20. ^"Elmfield Rudolf Steiner School"[permanent dead link‍],Ofsted,4 October 2006
  21. ^"About the Biennale".Ruskin Mill Land Trust.Retrieved25 February2019.
  22. ^"Wise up suckers! How grebo rivalled Britpop as the sound of 90s indie".The Guardian.29 March 2018.Retrieved25 February2019.
  23. ^"Anthony Bate: Actor who made his name with a cold, stern persona and an aura of menace".The Independent.Retrieved29 January2024.
  24. ^"Lord of the Rings link to Black Country past".Express & Star. 26 August 2014.Retrieved25 February2019.
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide forStourbridge.
Wikimedia Commons has media related toStourbridge.
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