Stourbridge
Coordinates: 52 ° 27 ′ N , 2 ° 9 ′ W
Stourbridge is a city in central England . It is located in the west of the West Midlands , the metropolitan area around Birmingham , more precisely: in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley between Dudley and Kidderminster . Stourbridge has 54,661 inhabitants (1991 census).
location
Stourbridge is a typical suburban and commuter community. Although it belongs to the Black Country , it also has many natural areas due to its urban peripheral location. From here, for example, it is closer to Shropshire than to Birmingham, which is 10 km away. The residents of Stourbridge can enjoy recreational opportunities in the Clent Hills or the wooded area of Kinver Edge to the west of the city.
Stourbridge used to be part of the parish of Oldswinford in Worcestershire . The place is named after the bridge over the River Stour , which flows through the place and traditionally marked the border between Worcestershire and Staffordshire and which flows west to Smestow Brook. The upswing of the old rural community of Stourbridge took place as part of the industrialization of England, which had one of its centers in the West Midlands. In 1966 , the settlement of Amblecote, which was part of Staffordshire, just north of Stourbridge, was incorporated into Stourbridge, which also made Worcestershire a little bigger. As part of the administrative reform of 1974 then Stourbridge was spun off from Worcestershire and assigned to the newly created Metropolitan County West Midlands. Since then, however, there have been repeated efforts to return the city to Worcestershire (which was temporarily called Hereford and Worcester ).
Glass industry
Stourbridge is known nationwide for its traditional glass production, which has been here since the beginning of the 17th century. is operated. Strictly speaking, however, the production centers are mainly in the neighboring communities of Wordsley, Amblecote and Oldswinford. Above all, the natural occurrence of coal and refractory clay predestined the area to a location for glassmakers. The sand required for production was mainly imported from Ireland and shipped to Stourbridge via so-called narrowboat canals . The products of the Stourbridge glassmakers were always of very high quality and valued as gifts for nobles and high-ranking guests. Today only one of the old glass blowing factories remains, the Red House Glass Cone, which is on the Stourbridge Canal in Wordsley. Traditional glassblowing techniques are also demonstrated there for visitors.
traffic
Stourbridge is on the River Stour and the Stourbridge Canal, which connects the city with the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal . The city has a train station, Stourbridge Junction, on the Oxford - Worcester - Wolverhampton line which crosses the River Stour and the A491 on the Stambermill Viaduct not far from the city. The railway line to Dudley was closed to passenger traffic in 1962 and is now only used for freight traffic. The Stourbridge Town Branch Line, which is just 1.2 km long , has been running from Stourbridge Junction to the city center with Stourbridge Town station since 1879 . The Stourbridge Lion locomotive was manufactured in Stourbridge in 1828. It was transported to the USA and there was the first American locomotive to travel on a freight railroad. The locomotive was too heavy for the tracks and was therefore parked after a few test drives.
education
Stourbridge is home to two colleges: King Edward VI College, which was founded in 1552, and the Stourbridge College of Further Education. There are also a number of elementary and high schools, e.g. B. Redhill, Old Swinford Hospital, Ridgewood and the Elmfield Rudolf Steiner School.
Press
In Stourbridge are Stourbridge News , the Express & Star and the Stourbridge Chronicle published.
Sports
Stourbridge is home to Stourbridge Football Club and Stourbridge Cricket Club, both of which play their home games at the War Memorial Athletic Ground. There is also the Stourbridge Rugby Club, which plays in Stourton Park in neighboring Stourton.
Personalities
- Clement Lindley Wragge (1852-1922), meteorologist
- Tony Marsh (1931–2009), racing car driver
- Johnny Briggs (* 1935), actor, lives in Stourbridge
- David James Oakley (born 1955), Roman Catholic clergyman, Bishop of Northampton
- Frank Foley (1884–1958), the relatively unknown “British Schindler ” lived in Stourbridge until his death in 1958
- Steve "SJ" Watson (born 1971), author
- Dean Smith (* 1988), British racing driver
- Jude Bellingham (born 2003), football player
The music groups Witchfinder General , Ned's Atomic Dustbin , Diamond Head , Pop Will Eat Itself and The Wonder Stuff come from Stourbridge.
See also
- Fred W. Baker's Stourbridge Motor and Carriage Works , British manufacturer of automobiles and bodywork
