Stourbridge

Stourbridge
Stourbridge  Stourbridge shown within the West Midlands
Population	55,480 (2001)
OS grid reference	SO899844
Metropolitan borough	Dudley
Metropolitan county	West Midlands
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	STOURBRIDGE
Postcode district	DY7, DY8, DY9
Dialling code	01384, 01562
Police	West Midlands
Fire	West Midlands
Ambulance	West Midlands
EU Parliament	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Stourbridge
List of places: UK • England • West Midlands

Stourbridge  /ˈstaʊərbrɪdʒ/ is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley (DY8)

The population, as recorded in the United Kingdom Census 2001, was 55,480. Much of the population is now made up of commuters to Birmingham and the Black Country. Stourbridge is included in the Stourbridge parliamentary constituency, currently held by Margot James of the Conservative Party.

Geography and administration

Stourbridge is a part of the West Midlands metropolitan county and conurbation, in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. Stourbridge is located about 13 miles west of Birmingham, at the edge of the industrial Midlands, located between Kidderminster and Dudley.

Much of the town consists of suburban streets, interspersed with green spaces. Stourbridge borders on green belt land, and is close to unspoiled countryside with rural Shropshire close by to the west. The Clent Hills, Kinver Edge and large areas of farmland lie to the south and west.

The town and surrounding area is at the south western extremity of the Black Country and the majority of the working-class population retain the region's accent and dialect.

Civic history

See also: Evolution of Worcestershire county boundaries

For centuries, Stourbridge was in the ancient parish of Oldswinford, Worcestershire and was known as Bedcote. Since 1974, it has been part of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley.

Stourbridge takes its name from the River Stour, which flows through the town and for centuries formed the border between Worcestershire and Staffordshire. But the border was moved a couple of miles north in 1966, when Amblecote Urban District (previously in Staffordshire) was incorporated into the Borough of Stourbridge. This arrangement lasted eight years until the ascent of the Local Government Act 1972 in 1974, when Stourbridge was amalgamated into the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley and became part of the wider West Midlands county.

There have been numerous^{[citation needed]} campaigns to re-instate Stourbridge into the ceremonial county of Worcestershire since 1974.^{[citation needed]}

Stourbridge Glass

The town gives its name to local glass production, which has been manufactured since the early 1600s. The local glass proved particularly suitable for the industry, taken up predominantly after the immigration of French coal miners in the Huguenot diaspora. 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.

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 nearby Dudley in the 1850s. The vast majority of those involved in the glass trade came from Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire. 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 of Lye and Wollescote lived. However, only a few glassworkers owned their own houses.

Stourbridge glass is recognised as amongst the finest in the world has been used countless times as gifts for royalty and visiting dignitaries^{[citation needed]}. However, in recent years, the industry has been destroyed by the effects of globalisation, with the glassmaking companies moving abroad^{[citation needed]}.

The Red 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 blowing glass in the traditional way, and a collection of Stourbridge glass can be seen at Broadfield House Glass Museum in Kingswinford.

Transport

Stourbridge has a railway station called Stourbridge Junction on the Birmingham to Kidderminster line, with a frequent and efficient train service and the town is also served by the shortest railway branch line in Europe^{[citation needed]}, the Stourbridge Town Branch Line, with a shuttle service from Stourbridge Junction on the Birmingham - Kidderminster line to Stourbridge Town railway station in the town centre.

There is also a complex network of bus routes, both interurban and local.

Stourbridge lies on the River Stour and is linked to the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal and the Dudley No. 1 Canal by the Stourbridge Canal. This places the town on the Stourport Ring, a popular route with holidaymakers and is navigable by narrowboat.

The town is served by National Route 54 of the National Cycle Network.

Transport history

Stourbridge Junction is on the former Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton Line. Just to the north of the station is Stambermill Viaduct over the River Stour and the A491 road. The railway towards Dudley closed to passengers in 1962 and is now used solely as a freight line.

The railway formerly continued to an interchange basin with the Stourbridge Canal. The old Stourbridge Town station, when demolished, was recovered and materials used for buildings at Tyseley Locomotive Works. Until recently, on Sundays, as part of a pilot scheme, a gas-powered Parry People Mover operated on the line. This ceased but it was thought it may restart when the UK rail franchise for the local train operating company Central Trains expired and was rebid. There was a coach service in operation between Stourbridge Junction and the town, in place of the train service but the train service has now resumed.

The famous Stourbridge Lion locomotive, was built in Stourbridge at the foundry of Foster, Rastrick and Co. in 1828. The shell of the building still stands and is easily accessible, though potentially hazardous as with any derelict building. It arrived in New York on 13 May 1829, becoming the first steam locomotive to run on a commercial line in the United States. The locomotive is quite famous in the USA, although few people in Stourbridge have heard of it. It is currently on display at the B&O Railroad Museum Baltimore, Maryland, on loan from the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.. A clock has recently been unveiled in the town to celebrate the engine.

Midland Metro

The Midland Metro is a tram that is planned to run to Stourbridge from Walsall via Wednesbury and Dudley on the South Staffordshire Line, the business plan of which was submitted to Network Rail for approval in March 2011. Trams would share the line with freight trains. A decision is due from Network Rail in the Summer of 2011, however it is unclear where in Stourbridge the Midland Metro would terminate.

Education

Stourbridge is home to two colleges - the prestigious King Edward VI College founded in 1552 (becoming a sixth form college in 1976) and Stourbridge College of Further Education. Both of these colleges attract students from a wide area.

In addition, there is a sixth form for both genders at Old Swinford Hospital school, founded in 1667 by Thomas Foley.

Stourbridge has several secondary schools including Redhill School, Old Swinford Hospital, Pedmore Technology College (previously known as The Grange School) and Ridgewood High School as well as Elmfield Rudolf Steiner School (includes: kindergarten, plus classes 1 to 11).

GCSE results achieved by pupils in Stourbridge are consistently among the best in the Dudley borough. Old Swinford Hospital school is currently the highest performing school in the area.

Stourbridge, barring Kingswinford, is the only town in the Dudley borough to have stuck with the traditional 5-7 infant, 7-11 junior and 11-16/18 secondary schools. Dudley, Sedgley, Coseley and Brierley Hill operated 5-8 first, 8-12 middle and 12-16/18 secondary schools from 1972 to 1990. Stourbridge councillors were considering adopting a similar system, but decided against it. Halesowen, meanwhile, followed the model of schools in neighbouring Worcestershire communities such as Redditch and Wyre Forest by adopting 5-9 first, 9-13 middle and 13-16/18 secondary schools in 1972, only to revert to the traditional age ranges in 1982. [4]

Shopping

Stourbridge's shopping centre lies on or near the High Street. Here can be found branches of many banks and building societies as well as big retailers such as Wilkinson, The Co-operative, Ethel Austin and Specsavers. Recently featured in the Clothes Show Live is Polka Dot Paradise who supply clothes to the celebrities and the TV and Film industry. There are also two Wetherspoons pubs and a number of food outlets and cafes. Off the High Street is the Ryemarket shopping centre which houses a number of shops including a Waitrose and WH Smith.

Culture

Sport

Stourbridge Football Club and Stourbridge Cricket Club both share the War Memorial Athletic Ground in Amblecote, and Stourbridge Rugby Club play at Stourton Park in nearby Stourton and Redhill Volleyball Club play at Redhill School.

Music

During the 1980s and the early 1990s, four Stourbridge bands - Diamond Head, The Wonder Stuff, Pop Will Eat Itself and Ned's Atomic Dustbin - all enjoyed chart success. Other notable musicians include Clint Mansell and the 80s Doom Metal band Witchfinder General.

Media

From the 1860s until the late 1960s, the area was covered by the County Express newspaper. Archives are now on microfilm in Stourbridge Library. Today, Stourbridge is covered by the Stourbridge News, the Express & Star and the Stourbridge Chronicle.

The Stourbridge area is served by commercial and BBC Radio stations broadcasting from Wolverhampton, Birmingham as well as from within Worcestershire, Staffordshire and Shropshire.

Stourbridge used to be served by four cinemas. The "Danilo" at the end of the Hagley Road is now the site of the Picture House nightclub. The oldest and smallest (The Scala, later known as the Savoy) was to be found at the top of Lower High Street. A third on the High Street (The Odeon) was incorporated into the Owen Owen store. This was discovered when demolition began to create the new Wilkinsons store. The Odeon possessed a large pipe organ. A mosaic from the cinema floor was rescued and moved to the crown centre nearby. The fourth and largest cinema was the "Kings" halfway down New Road, nearly opposite the Methodist church. Originally the old "King's Hall" it was rebuilt and much enlarged as the "Kings" around 1938. Stourbridge FM was established in March 2001 to campaign for a commercial radio station broadcasting to and from the Stourbridge area. Stourbridge FM Radio Ltd carried out three experimental 'trial' broadcasts in November 2001, May 2002 and January 2003 from studios in the centre of the town and was sponsored by Stourbridge College. The station received a great deal of support from listeners and business people alike within the community, including numerous letters of support and a petition. By February 2004, Stourbridge FM had disbanded due to official information that there were no immediate plans for a small-scale commercial radio licence in the Stourbridge area, nor would the up-and-coming commercial radio licence in Kidderminster receive an area extension. The volunteer force of Stourbridge-FM established a new steering group known as the Stourbridge Radio Group to apply for a non-profit making community radio licence for the area.

The group won a community radio licence in September 2005, called The 'Bridge. Test transmissions began on 102.5 FM on 4 December 2007, and the full programming launched on 1 January 2008 at 10.25am.

Religion

Places of worship include:

• St Thomas' Church, Market Street. The apse and north chancel screen at St Thomas' Church were added by W. H. William Bidlake.
• St Mary's Church, Oldswinford
• Amblecote Holy Trinity Church, Vicarage Road
• St Peter's, Pedmore
• Presbyterian-Unitarian Chapel, Lower High Street. Built 1788.
• Quaker Meeting House, founded 1689.
• Hanbury Hill Baptist Church
• St John's United Reformed Church

and Built in 1860, the architect was G. E. Street and the building is listed Grade 2 by English Heritage. After a period as a local ecumenical partnership, the church is now home to a small United Reformed Church congregation, seeking to build bridges into the community.

Places of interest

• Clent Hills
• Bonded Warehouse
• Broadfield House Glass Museum
• Crystal Leisure Centre
• Hagley Hall
• Foster & Rastrick Foundry building
• Mary Stevens Park
• Red House Cone
• River Stour
• Ryemarket Fountain
• Stambermill Viaduct
• Stourbridge Canal
• Stourbridge Junction Clock & Car Park Footbridge
• Stourbridge Town Hall
• Town Centre Clock
• Town Centre brickwork
• Wychbury Hill
• Wilkinsons

Development

One such scheme is the proposed £50m rebuilding of the Crown Centre shopping mall, which originally opened in 1985. This will include the creation of a new 60,000 sq ft (5,600 m²) Tesco anchor store, a two-level underground car, six retail stores and a central food court. The developers hope that the project will be completed by the end of 2012. Work on demolishing the existing Crown Centre and Bell Street multi-storey car park is set to commence in early 2012.

Famous residents

• Johnny Briggs, actor
• Jonn Penney, Musician - Neds' Atomic Dustbin
• William Henry Bury, murderer and Jack the Ripper suspect
• Fiona Butler, the 'tennis girl' captured scratching her bare behind in the iconic 1976 Athena poster was born in Pedmore. It was created by her then boyfriend, local photographer Martin Elliott.
• Phil Cope, lead guitarist for iconic Doom Metal band Witchfinder General.
• Kay Davies, Human Geneticist
• Stephen Laughton, Playwright
• Frank Foley, the relatively little-known "British Schindler" retired and eventually died in Stourbridge. A memorial is in Mary Stevens Park.
• Samuel Johnson lived and worked in Stourbridge for a time
• Don Kenyon, cricketer, captain of Worcestershire
• Screech Louder, drummer in indie band The Long Blondes
• The Wonder Stuff formed in Stourbridge in 1986
• Matt Neal, Motor racing driver
• Dan O'Hagan, BBC Match of the Day football commentator
• Ian Pearson MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Economics and Business and also Economic Secretary to the Treasury
• Jan Pearson, Actress was born here. Jan plays Karen Hollins on the BBC's daytime soap Doctors.
• Robert Plant, singer with Led Zeppelin. Attended King Edward VI School, Stourbridge.
• Hadleigh Jeavons, fully fledged geezer
• Danielle Saxon Reeves, classical banjo and guitarist; director of the Midlands Fretted Orchestra
• Nigel Reo-Coker, Aston Villa player
• Debra Shipley MP
• David Trotman, Pure mathematician. Attended King Edward VI School, Stourbridge.
• Lynda Waltho MP
• Thomas Webb, founder of Thomas Webb & Sons
• Brett Westwood, radio presenter and author
• Dave Cartwright, singer-songwriter, broadcaster and author
• Walter Braithwaite, teacher, composer and pianist.
• Clement Lindley Wragge, meteorologist
• Ashley Young, Manchester United player
• Kenton Allen, Multi-award winning programme maker with programmes such as the BAFTA award winning The Royle Family (2000) and the Oscar award winning film Six Shooter (2006). Attended King Edward VI School, Stourbridge.
• Clint Mansell, English musician, composer, and former lead singer and guitarist of the band Pop Will Eat Itself.Attended King Edward VI School, Stourbridge.
• S.J. Watson. Author of Before I Go to Sleep, was born and lived here before moving to London.
• Witchfinder General - Doom metal/NWOBHM band that formed in the late 1970's
• Diamond Head, heavy metal band who influenced other bands such as Metallica & Megadeth.

In popular culture

Stourbridge appears in two great works of poetry from the 20th century: Finnegans Wake by James Joyce and The Cantos of Ezra Pound.

“

Of course our low hero was a self valeter by choice of need so up he got up whatever is meant by a stourbridge clay kitchenette and lithargogalenu fowlhouse for the sake of akes (the umpple does not fall very far from the dumpertree)

”

- James Joyce Finnegans Wake, part 1, Episode 6. Page 184.

“

and I went in a post chaise Woburn Farm, Stowe, Stratford, Stourbridge, Woodstock, High Wycombe and back to Grosvenor Sq

”

- Ezra Pound, Canto LXVI, line 30, Page 380.

Stourbridge found its way into Pound's Cantos via John Adams the second President of the United States, whose diary entry from 1786 Pound translated into his own epic poem.

Stourbridge Golf Course is also mentioned by P. G. Wodehouse.

“

"Or take Golf", said Mr. Carmody, side-stepping and attacking from another angle. "The only good golf-course in Worcestershire at present is at Stourbridge."

”

- P. G. Wodehouse, Money for Nothing, Chapter 5.

External links

• River Stour
• Internet Guide To Stourbridge
• Stourbridge News Local Stourbridge weekly newspaper
• St Thomas's Church
• Stourbridge bus and rail information
• Ridgewood High School
• Chevron's myspace page
• Old Swinford Hospital School
• King Edward VI College
• Stourbridge College
• Redhill School
• Information about the Stourbridge Lion
• Stourbridge Cricket Club
• Stourbridge Ladies Circle
• The 'Bridge 102.5FM
• Stourbridge Bicycle User Group (Stourbug)
• The Wordsley School, Stourbridge
• 871 Troop, 67 (QOWWY) Signal Squadron (V)