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Stourbridge is a
market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...
in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England, situated on the River Stour.
Historically History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
in
Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...
, it was the centre of British glass making during the
Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
. The
2011 UK census A census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011. It was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Internet. The Office for National ...
recorded the town's population as 63,298.


Geography

Stourbridge is about west of
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
. Sitting within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley at the southwestern edge of the
Black Country The Black Country is an area of the West Midlands county, England covering most of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall. Dudley and Tipton are generally considered to be the centre. It became industrialised during its ...
and West Midlands conurbation, Stourbridge includes the suburbs of
Amblecote Amblecote is an urban village and one of the most affluent areas in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England. It lies immediately north of the historic town of Stourbridge, extending about one and a half miles from it, a ...
, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore,Stambermill, Stourton, Wollaston,
Wollescote Wollescote is a residential area of Stourbridge, West Midlands, England. It is administered by the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. It falls within the ward of Cradley & Wollescote and the parliamentary constituency of Stourbridge. It is situate ...
and
Wordsley Wordsley is a suburban area of Stourbridge in the West Midlands, England. It is part of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley and falls into the Stourbridge (DY8) postcode and address area, being just north of the River Stour. Wordsley is part of t ...
. 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 a mixture of open spaces and woodland. Bordered by
green belt A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges, which h ...
land, Stourbridge is close to countryside with the Clent Hills to the south and southwest
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands C ...
and Kinver Edge to the west.


Closest cities, towns and villages


History

Stourbridge was listed in the 1255
Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...
assize roll as Sturbrug or Sturesbridge. The medieval township was named for a bridge which crossed the River Stour. It lay within the manor of Swynford or Suineford (now Old Swinford), which appears in
William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...
's
Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
of 1086. In 1966, the Stourbridge border between Worcestershire and
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands C ...
, which for centuries had been marked by the River Stour, was moved a couple of miles north when
Amblecote Amblecote is an urban village and one of the most affluent areas in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England. It lies immediately north of the historic town of Stourbridge, extending about one and a half miles from it, a ...
was incorporated into the Borough of Stourbridge. Following the
Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...
, Stourbridge was amalgamated into the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley and became part of the wider West Midlands county in 1974.


Glass Making in Stourbridge

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 the
Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
diaspora. However, most of the glass industry was actually located in surrounding areas including
Wordsley Wordsley is a suburban area of Stourbridge in the West Midlands, England. It is part of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley and falls into the Stourbridge (DY8) postcode and address area, being just north of the River Stour. Wordsley is part of t ...
,
Amblecote Amblecote is an urban village and one of the most affluent areas in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England. It lies immediately north of the historic town of Stourbridge, extending about one and a half miles from it, a ...
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 Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...
in the 1850s. The vast majority of those involved in the glass trade came from
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands C ...
,
Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avo ...
,
Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...
and
Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...
. 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 Wollescote is a residential area of Stourbridge, West Midlands, England. It is administered by the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. It falls within the ward of Cradley & Wollescote and the parliamentary constituency of Stourbridge. It is situate ...
lived. However, only a few glassworkers owned their own houses. The
Red House Cone The Red House Cone is a glass cone located in Wordsley in the West Midlands, adjacent to the Stourbridge Canal bridge on the A491 High Street. It is a high conical brick structure with a diameter of , used for the production of glass. It w ...
, 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

Today, Stourbridge is the most affluent town in the Dudley Metropolitan Borough although it continues to suffer deprivation in some parts. Some people retain the traditional
Black Country The Black Country is an area of the West Midlands county, England covering most of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall. Dudley and Tipton are generally considered to be the centre. It became industrialised during its ...
accent and dialect. Stourbridge High Street is home to a mix of chain and independent shops, pubs, coffee shops, restaurants, gyms and a yoga studio. Quaint Victoria Passage dates back to the Victorian era. Off the High Street is the Ryemarket Shopping Centre with retailers including
Waitrose Waitrose & Partners (formally Waitrose Limited) is a brand of British supermarkets, founded in 1904 as Waite, Rose & Taylor, later shortened to Waitrose. It was acquired in 1937 by employee-owned retailer John Lewis Partnership, which still se ...
and WHSmith. Nearby Lye is known for its many Balti restaurants. The town centre has seen major regeneration in recent years. In 2014, Lion Health medical centre opened in the renovated former foundry of Foster, Rastrick and Company – where the Stourbridge Lion locomotive was manufactured. The next phase of regeneration on the foundry site will create parkland next to
Stourbridge Canal The Stourbridge Canal is a canal in the West Midlands of England. It links the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal (at Stourton Junction, affording access to traffic from the River Severn) with the Dudley Canal, and hence, via the Birmingh ...
with 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 Street
multi-storey car park A multistorey car park ( British and Singapore English) or parking garage (American English), also called a multistory, parking building, parking structure, parkade (mainly Canadian), parking ramp, parking deck or indoor parking, is a bui ...
, which were demolished between 2012 and 2013. Costing £50m, the new mall is home to a
Tesco Tesco plc () is a British Multinational corporation, multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues an ...
anchor store, a two-level underground car park, six retail stores and a central food court. The Tesco store occupies much of the footprint of the former
Safeway Safeway is an American supermarket chain founded by Marion Barton Skaggs in April 1915 in American Falls, Idaho. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and features a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, del ...
supermarket which had closed in 2004. Stourbridge Bus Station underwent substantial redevelopment and re-opened as
Stourbridge Interchange Stourbridge Interchange is a bus station in Stourbridge, England, on the site of an earlier bus station. The bus station site partly occupies the location of the original Stourbridge railway station which was demolished in 1979. Until 1967 the r ...
in April 2012. In 2010, Stourbridge was awarded Fairtrade Town status
Stourbridge Farmers' and Craft Market
takes place on the first and third Saturday of every month in the Clock Square. Throughout the summer, Mary Stevens Park hosts outdoor live music. In the 2011 Census, the average age of people in Stourbridge was 42. Conservative MP Margot James held the Stourbridge parliamentary constituency 2010–2019. She was succeeded in
2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
by
Suzanne Webb Suzanne may refer to: People * Suzanne (given name), a feminine given name (including a list of people with the name) * S. U. Zanne, pen name of August Vandekerkhove (1838–1923), Belgian writer and inventor * Suzanne, pen name of Renée Ménde ...
of the same party.


Transport

Three main roads meet in Stourbridge, these being the A451, the A458 and the
A491 The A491 is an A road in Zone 4 of the Great Britain numbering scheme. History The road north of Oldswinford forms part of an ancient road, probably of Anglo-Saxon origin, joining the burhs of Worcester and Stafford. The crossing of the Rive ...
, the last forming the one way Stourbridge Ring Road. Stourbridge has two railway stations, the main one being
Stourbridge Junction Stourbridge Junction is one of two railway stations serving the town of Stourbridge, in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It lies on the Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster Line and i ...
. 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 over , the Stourbridge Town Branch Line is believed to be the shortest railway branch line in Europe. The former main line to
Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...
via
Dudley Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...
, and branches to Wombourne and
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is th ...
closed in the 1960s. However the line towards Dudley remains open for freight as far as the Round Oak Steel Terminal north of Brierley 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 Interchange Stourbridge Interchange is a bus station in Stourbridge, England, on the site of an earlier bus station. The bus station site partly occupies the location of the original Stourbridge railway station which was demolished in 1979. Until 1967 the r ...
is 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. Most services are operated by National Express West Midlands and Diamond Bus. By bike
National Route 54
of the National Cycle Network links Stourbridge with Dudley via the canal towpaths. The
Stourbridge Canal The Stourbridge Canal is a canal in the West Midlands of England. It links the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal (at Stourton Junction, affording access to traffic from the River Severn) with the Dudley Canal, and hence, via the Birmingh ...
links the town to the
Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal is a navigable narrow canal in Staffordshire and Worcestershire in the English Midlands. It is long, linking the River Severn at Stourport in Worcestershire with the Trent and Mersey Canal at Haywood ...
and the Dudley No. 1 Canal. This places Stourbridge on the
Stourport Ring The Stourport Ring is a connected series of canals forming a circuit, or canal ring, around Worcestershire, The Black Country and Birmingham in The Midlands, England. The ring is formed from the River Severn, the Staffordshire and Worcesters ...
, navigable by
narrowboat A narrowboat is a particular type of canal boat, built to fit the narrow locks of the United Kingdom. The UK's canal system provided a nationwide transport network during the Industrial Revolution, but with the advent of the railways, commer ...
and popular with holidaymakers.


Former routes


Education

There is one college in Stourbridge. King Edward VI College was founded in 1552, becoming a sixth form college in 1976.
Stourbridge College Birmingham Metropolitan College is a further and higher education college with 10 campuses distributed within Birmingham, England. The college was created in 2009 as an amalgamation of Matthew Boulton College and Sutton Coldfield College. Th ...
, south of the city centre, was formed in 1958 and specialised in art and design, but was closed in 2019. There is also a
sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for ...
at Old Swinford Hospital school, which was founded in 1667 by the Stourbridge-born politician Thomas Foley. The boarding school was named the best secondary school in Dudley, closely followed by Redhill School, an academy also in Stourbridge.
Elmfield Rudolf Steiner School Elmfield Rudolf Steiner School Limited is an independent school situated in Stourbridge, West Midlands, England. It educates around 260 children aged from 3 to 17 who follow the international Steiner Waldorf Education curriculum."Elmfield Rudolf Steiner School"
Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted is responsible for inspecting a range of educational institutions, incl ...
, 4 October 2006


Culture


Festival of Glass

Th
International Festival of Glass
is held at Ruskin Mill in Stourbridge every two years. Launched in 2004, it showcases the skill and innovation of glass artists, designers and craftspeople. The British Glass Biennale is the festival's flagship exhibition, featuring contemporary work by glass makers in the UK. The exhibition attracts collectors, galleries and museums from around the world.


Music

In the late-1980s and early 1990s, three Stourbridge indie bands – The Wonder Stuff, Pop Will Eat Itself and Ned's Atomic Dustbin – all had chart success, selling millions of albums between them and gracing the covers of NME and Melody Maker. Pop Will Eat Itself's former frontman
Clint Mansell Clinton Darryl Mansell (; born 7 January 1963) is an English musician, singer, and composer, born in Coventry. He served as the lead singer and multi-instrumentalist of alt-rock band Pop Will Eat Itself before embarking on a career as a fi ...
has since composed musical scores for films including
Black Swan The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon ...
and Requiem for a Dream. The 80s metal bands Diamond Head, Witchfinder General and 80s pop band Kayran Dache also came from Stourbridge and
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ...
's
Robert Plant Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the English rock band Led Zeppelin for all of its existence from 1968 until 1980, when the band broke up following th ...
once attended King Edward VI College (then King Edward VI Grammar School for Boys).


Media

Stourbridge is covered by three newspapers: the '' Express & Star'' (daily), the ''
Stourbridge News The ''Stourbridge News'' is a local free newspaper which serves the Stourbridge area of the West Midlands, England, ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulations)br>Regional Publications Circulation Cerftificate July to December 2011/ref> circulating in ...
'' (weekly), and the ''Stourbridge Chronicle'' (weekly). Two news websites – ''BBC Birmingham & Black Country'' and ''Black Country Live'', launched in 2019 – also cover the area. In addition, Stourbridge is served by commercial radio stations broadcasting from
Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...
, Brierley Hill and
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
as well as three BBC Local Radio stations: BBC Hereford and Worcester,
BBC Radio Shropshire BBC Radio Shropshire is the BBC's local radio station serving Shropshire. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios on Boscobel Drive in Shrewsbury. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 61,0 ...
and
BBC WM BBC Radio WM is the BBC's local radio station serving the West Midlands. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at The Mailbox in Birmingham. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 236,000 lis ...
. From the 1860s until the early 1980s, Stourbridge was covered by the ''County Express'' newspaper. The archives are now on microfilm in Stourbridge Library.


Sport

Stourbridge Football Club, founded in 1876 and nicknamed "The Glassboys", shares the War Memorial Athletic Ground in Amblecote with
Stourbridge Cricket Club Stourbridge Cricket Club is an English cricket club based in Stourbridge, West Midlands. The club play at the War Memorial Athletic Ground in Stourbridge, and compete in the Birmingham District Cricket League. Stourbridge was a leading side in ...
. Stourbridge Rugby Club play at Stourton Park in nearby Stourton.
Dudley and Stourbridge Harriers Dudley & Stourbridge Harriers is an athletics club founded in 1924. Originally established as Dudley Harriers, it took on its current name through the amalgamation with Stourbridge, Wordsley and District Harriers. The Dell Stadium has been the hom ...
have trained at the Dell Stadium since 1964. Other teams include Redhill Volleyball Club, which plays at Redhill School.br>Stourbridge Running Club
also train at the War Memorial in Amblecote.


Places of Interest

* Black Country Living Museum * The Bonded Warehouse * Clent Hills * Crystal Leisure Centre * Hagley Hall * Kinver Edge Rock Houses * Mary Stevens Park *
Red House Cone The Red House Cone is a glass cone located in Wordsley in the West Midlands, adjacent to the Stourbridge Canal bridge on the A491 High Street. It is a high conical brick structure with a diameter of , used for the production of glass. It w ...
* Ruskin Glass Centre *
Stambermill Viaduct Stambermill ( Stourbridge ) Viaduct is a viaduct situated in Stourbridge, West Midlands, England. It was constructed in 1850 to carry the Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway across the River Stour, and it carried passenger trains until ...
*
Stourbridge Canal The Stourbridge Canal is a canal in the West Midlands of England. It links the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal (at Stourton Junction, affording access to traffic from the River Severn) with the Dudley Canal, and hence, via the Birmingh ...
*
Stourbridge Town Hall Stourbridge Town Hall is a municipal building in Market Street, Stourbridge, West Midlands, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Stourbridge Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building. History The first town hall in Stour ...
*
Wychbury Hill Wychbury Hill is a hill situated off the A456 Birmingham Road, at Hagley, Stourbridge, on the border of West Midlands and Worcestershire. It is divided between the parish of Hagley and former parish of Pedmore. It is one of the Clent Hills. ...
The River Stour ( Stambermill Woods )


Places of Worship

According to the 2011 Census, the majority of people living in Stourbridge identify as
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...
(65%). Almost a quarter of people said they had no religion. Less than 1% of people identified as
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
,
Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...
,
Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
, or
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
. 43 people identified as a Jedi Knight. *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


Notable residents

;Business * James Foster, ironmaster, mine operator and banker. He was instrumental in bringing the first commercial steam locomotive into the Midlands * Thomas Webb, founder of
Thomas Webb & Sons Thomas Webb & Sons was an English glass company, founded in 1837 by Thomas Webb (1804-1869) near Stourbridge, England. The name T. Webb & Co. was adopted in 1842, and later became Thomas Webb & Sons. Webb operated the Platts glasshouse from 1837 t ...
;Entertainment *
Kenton Allen Kenton Allen is a British television producer and executive. He became Chief Executive of Big Talk Productions in September 2008. He is a multi-award–winning programme-maker with credits including the BAFTA Award-winning sitcoms ''The Royle Fa ...
, television producer and executive ( The Royle Family, ''Six Shooter''), attended King Edward VI College ;Performing arts * Walter Braithwaite, composer, pianist, teacher and co-founder of the Elmfield Rudolf Steiner School, Stourbridge * Johnny Briggs, actor, ''
Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Orig ...
'' *
Dave Cartwright Dave Cartwright (30 April 1943 – 8 August 2015) was a British singer, songwriter, guitarist and author. Born in Haslemere, Surrey, he grew up in Amblecote, West Midlands where, on lead guitar and vocal, he formed his first rock and roll group, ...
, singer-songwriter, broadcaster and author * Phil Cope, lead guitarist for
Doom Metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...
band Witchfinder General *
Clint Mansell Clinton Darryl Mansell (; born 7 January 1963) is an English musician, singer, and composer, born in Coventry. He served as the lead singer and multi-instrumentalist of alt-rock band Pop Will Eat Itself before embarking on a career as a fi ...
, English musician, composer, and former lead singer and guitarist of the band Pop Will Eat Itself, attended King Edward VI College * Jan Pearson, actress, ''
Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' Casualty'', and ...
'', '' Doctors'', born in Wollaston *
Jonn Penney Ned's Atomic Dustbin are an English rock band formed in Stourbridge, West Midlands, in November 1987. The band took their name from an episode of radio comedy programme ''The Goon Show''. The band is unusual for using two bass-players in their ...
, musician - Ned's Atomic Dustbin *
Robert Plant Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the English rock band Led Zeppelin for all of its existence from 1968 until 1980, when the band broke up following th ...
, singer with
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ...
, attended King Edward VI College *
Esther Smith Esther Smith is an English actress best known for her work in the television series ''Uncle'', ''Cuckoo'' and '' Trying''. She is also known for originating the role of Delphi Diggory in the play ''Harry Potter and the Cursed Child''. Early lif ...
, actress known for her work in the television series '' Uncle'' and ''
Cuckoo Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separ ...
'' * Luke Dalton, actor/musician known for his work in the television series ''War Above the Trenches'' ;Science and academia * Kathleen Booth, inventor of the first computer
assembly language In computer programming, assembly language (or assembler language, or symbolic machine code), often referred to simply as Assembly and commonly abbreviated as ASM or asm, is any low-level programming language with a very strong correspondence b ...
* Kay Davies, geneticist * David Trotman, pure mathematician, attended King Edward VI College *
Clement Lindley Wragge Clement Lindley Wragge (18 September 185210 December 1922) was a meteorologist born in Stourbridge, Worcestershire, England, but moved to Oakamoor, Staffordshire as a child. He set up the Wragge Museum in Stafford following a trip around the wo ...
, meteorologist ;Sports and games *
Don Kenyon Donald Kenyon (15 May 1924 – 12 November 1996) was an English first-class cricketer, who played in eight Tests for England from 1951 to 1955. He captained Worcestershire between 1959 and 1967. Cricket writer, Colin Bateman, noted, "A polis ...
, cricketer, captain of Worcestershire * Matt Neal, motor racing driver * Dan O'Hagan, BBC '' Match of the Day'' football commentator * Ronnie O'Sullivan, snooker player, born in Wordsley Hospital in 1975 *
Jude Bellingham Jude Victor William Bellingham (born 29 June 2003) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the England national team. Bellingham joined Birmingham City as an under-8, became t ...
, professional footballer, born in Stourbridge * Alf Bishop, born in Stourbridge, professional footballer Wolverhampton Wanderers *
Matthew Round-Garrido Matthew Round-Garrido (born 20 April 2000) is a Spanish-British racing driver. He currently competes in the Indy Pro 2000 Championship with Exclusive Autosport. Round-Garrido previously competed in the U.S. F2000 National Championship with Excl ...
, motor racing driver ;Writers * Jerome K. Jerome, author ''
Three Men in a Boat ''Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)'',The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: ''Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog!'' published in 1889, is a humorous account by English writer Jerome K. Jerome of a two ...
'', lived at Stourbridge in childhood before his family moved to London *
Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709  – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...
lived and worked in Stourbridge for a time * David Massey, author of ''Torn'' and ''Taken'' published worldwide by The Chicken House *
S. J. Watson Steve "S. J." Watson (born 1971)
, author of ''Before I Go to Sleep'' *
Brett Westwood Brett Westwood is a radio presenter and author, specialising in natural history. He regularly presents episodes of BBC Radio 4's series '' The Living World'' and ''Nature'', as well as his own short series, several of which are available from th ...
, radio presenter and author ;Others *
William Henry Bury William Henry Bury (25 May 1859 – 24 April 1889) was suspected of being the notorious serial killer "Jack the Ripper". He was hanged for the murder of his wife Ellen in 1889, and was the last person executed in Dundee, Scotland. Bury was ...
, murderer and Jack the Ripper suspect *
Frank Foley Major Francis "Frank" Edward Foley CMG (24 November 1884  – 8 May 1958) was a British Secret Intelligence Service officer. As a passport control officer for the British embassy in Berlin, Foley " bent the rules" and helped thousands ...
, the relatively little-known "British Schindler" retired to Stourbridge. There is a memorial to him in Mary Stevens Park *
Rachel Trevor-Morgan Rachel Trevor-Morgan is a British milliner best known for the hats she creates for the Queen. In 2014, she was granted a Royal Warrant. Early life and career The hat designer Rachel Trevor-Morgan was born in Stourbridge, West Midlands. Her ...
, milliner to the
Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...


In popular culture

*The fictional
Middle-earth Middle-earth is the fictional setting of much of the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy. The term is equivalent to the '' Miðgarðr'' of Norse mythology and ''Middangeard'' in Old English works, including ''Beowulf''. Middle-earth is ...
world of
Mordor In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth, Mordor (pronounced ; from Sindarin ''Black Land'' and Quenya ''Land of Shadow'') is the realm and base of the evil Sauron. It lay to the east of Gondor and the great river Anduin, an ...
in ''
The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's bo ...
'' trilogy is believed to have been inspired by the
Black Country The Black Country is an area of the West Midlands county, England covering most of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall. Dudley and Tipton are generally considered to be the centre. It became industrialised during its ...
of the Victorian era. Author J. R. R. Tolkien grew up in the area. *Scenes from the TV series ''
Peaky Blinders The Peaky Blinders were a street gang based in Birmingham, England, which operated from the 1880s until the 1910s. The group consisted largely of young criminals from lower- to middle-class backgrounds. They engaged in robbery, violence, racke ...
'' have been shot at the Black Country Living Museum in nearby Dudley. *In other literature, Stourbridge appears in '' Finnegans Wake'' by
James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the Modernism, modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important ...
, published in 1939 (part 1, episode 6, page 184). *The town also gets a mention in '' The Cantos'' of
Ezra Pound Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an expatriate American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a Fascism, fascist collaborator in Italy during World War II. His works ...
, a long, incomplete poem mostly written between 1915 and 1962 (Canto LXVI, line 30, page 380). Pound's epic poem is inspired by a diary entry from 1786 written by
John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...
, the second President of the United States, which mentions Stourbridge. *Stourbridge Golf Course is also mentioned by P. G. Wodehouse in '' Money for Nothing'', published in 1928 (chapter 5).


References


External links


Internet Guide To Stourbridge
{{authority control Towns in the West Midlands (county) Areas of Dudley Unparished areas in the West Midlands (county)