Stourbridge: What You Need to Know
THE TOWN
Stourbridge is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands, situated on the River Stour and located approximately 11 miles (18 kilometers) west of Birmingham, placing it at the southwestern edge of the Black Country conurbation.
The town encompasses the villages and suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Stambermill, Stourton, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley.
TRAVEL LINKS
There are three main roads that meet in Stourbridge: the A451, the A458 and the A491 – which forms the one way Stourbridge Ring Road. The town has two railway stations, Stourbridge Junction, which serves as the main station and Stourbridge Town Branch Line, which is known as the shortest railway line in Britain.
HISTORY AND GLASS INDUSTRY
Likely an Anglo-Saxon settlement, the area was originally known as Bedcote. In 1086, it was described as being in the manor of Swynford (also known as Suineford) in the Doomsday Book.
In the 1255 Worcestershire assize roll, Stourbridge was listed as ‘Sturbrug’ or ‘Sturesbridge’, which referred to an ancient bridge that stood across the River Stour. During the medieval period, the area developed as a market town and by the early 1600s the beginnings of the town’s famous glass industry emerged.
With rich natural resources of coal and fireclay, the area was well equipped for glass production. Glass making peaked in the 19th century, with the Jeavons family noted as a prominent glass-making family.
The 1861 census lists 1,032 residents of Stourbridge as being involved in the glass trade, with many coming to the area from Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire.
GOVERNMENT AND POPULATION
Stourbridge is a constituency in the West Midlands represented in the House of Commons by Cat Eccles MP of the Labour Party since 2024. The area is governed by Dudley Council.
In the 2011 UK census, Stourbridge was recorded as having a population of 63,298.
Although there are no recent records for Stourbridge, the Office for National Statistic’s records a population of 323,500 in Dudley in the 2021 Census – this figure incorporates the Stourbridge area. Today’s estimated population of the Dudley borough is 326,700.
LANDMARKS AND PLACES OF INTEREST
Standing as a monument to the glass making history in Stourbridge, the Red House Cone is a Grade II listed building located in Wordsley and was used by the Stuart Crystal firm until 1936. It is one of only four complete cones remaining in the United Kingdom and is maintained as a museum by Dudley Council.
The site was granted £1.5m from the council in April 2022 to carry out restoration works and opened to the public in August 2024. Today it houses ten businesses and showcases glass blowing demonstrations.
Mary Stevens Park opened in 1931 and has long been an important part of the town for locals. It has a lake, a bandstand, a café and beautiful open spaces. The park, along with two others locally, was gifted to the people of Stourbridge by local industrialist and philanthropist, Ernest Stevens in honour of his wife, Mary.
Kinver Edge and the Rock Houses provide stunning views and a fascinating insight into the lives of residents of the famous Holy Austin Rock Houses, which were carved out of soft red sandstone and inhabited until the 1960s.
EDUCATION
There are two long-established academic establishments in Stourbridge, King Edward IV College and Old Swinford Hospital school. The former was founded in 1552 and the latter was established in 1667 by Stourbridge-born politician, Thomas Foley.
Elmfield Rudolph Steiner School is located within the town and follows the international Steiner Waldorf Education.
FAMOUS FACES
Stourbridge has its fair share of famous faces, including: Robert Plant, Jude Bellingham, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Kenton Allen and Dan O’Hagan.
