The
Stour is a river flowing through the counties of
WorcestershireWorcestershire or ; abbreviated Worcs) is a historic and administrative county located in the West Midlands region of central England. In 1974 it was merged with the county of Herefordshire to form the single administrative county of Hereford and Worcester; which was divided in 1998,...
, the
West MidlandsThe West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a population of 2,591,300. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire...
and
StaffordshireStaffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
in the West Midlands region of England. The Stour is a major tributary of the
River SevernThe River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at . It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales. It then flows through Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, with the county towns of Shrewsbury, Worcester, and Gloucester...
, and it is about in length. It has played a considerable part in the economic history of the region.
Etymology and Usage
The
river-nameA hydronym is a proper name of a body of water. Hydronymy is the study of hydronyms and of how bodies of water receive their names and how they are transmitted through history...
Stour, very common in England, does not occur at all in Wales; Crawford noted two tributaries of the
Po RiverThe Po is a river that flows either or – considering the length of the Maira, a right bank tributary – eastward across northern Italy, from a spring seeping from a stony hillside at Pian del Re, a flat place at the head of the Val Po under the northwest...
near Turin, spelled
Sture. The
Stour is pronounced differently in different cases. The Kentish and East Anglian Stours rhyme with
tour; the Oxfordshire Stour is sometimes rhymes with
mower, sometimes with
hour. The Worcestershire Stour always rhymes with
hour.
The name is of ambiguous and disputed origin. However,
stour is a
Middle EnglishMiddle English is the name given by historical linguists to the diverse forms of the English language in use between the late 11th century and about 1470, when the Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the introduction of the printing...
word with two distinct meanings and derivations, still current enough to appear in most substantial dictionaries. As an adjective, with Germanic roots, it signifies "large, powerful". As a noun, from medieval French roots, it signifies "tumult, commotion; confusion" or a "armed battle or conflict". Wiktionary also adds "blowing or deposit of dust", the primary definition in the Concise Oxford Dictionary, which adds that this is a northern English and Scottish usage of uncertain derivation. Recently it has been suggested that an
Old European*as used in archaeology, Neolithic Europe, Old European culture *as used in linguistics, Old European hydronymy...
river-name was taken for an Old English adjective and that
stour came to represent one pole of a structural opposition, with
blyth at the opposite pole, allowing Anglo-Saxons to classify rivers on a continuum of fierceness.
However,
Margaret GellingMargaret Gelling, OBE was an English toponymist, Fellow of St Hilda's College, Oxford, and member of the Society of Antiquaries of London and the British Academy....
, a specialist in Midland toponyms, has strongly emphasised the importance of situating place-names in the landscape. It is hard to see the actual river in dramatic terms. Undoubtedly it has a history of local flooding and can rise quickly after rain, but it is unlikely that anyone familiar with the Severn, into which it flows, could see the Stour as embodying raw power or turbulence. The Victorian etymologist
Isaac TaylorIsaac Taylor , son of Isaac Taylor, was a philologist, toponymist, and Anglican canon of York .- Life :Though he wrote several inflammatory theological pamphlets, such as The Liturgy and the Dissenters and Leaves from an Egyptian Notebook , he is chiefly remembered today for his archaeological and...
, now long discredited on many counts, proposed a very simple solution: that
Stour derives from
dŵr, the Welsh word for water. Certainly Celtic origins are quite likely in the West Midlands and Worcestershire. It is quite possible that the various Stours do not share a common origin and that they need to be considered in their own terms rather than as a single problem. Certainly there is currently no universally-accepted explanation.
Course
The river rises in the north of Worcestershire in the
Clent HillsThe Clent Hills lie 15 km southwest of Birmingham city centre in Worcestershire, England. The closest towns are Stourbridge and Halesowen, both in the West Midlands conurbation. The Clent Hills range consists of, in order from highest to lowest: Walton Hill, Clent Hill, Wychbury Hill, and...
, near
St Kenelm'sSaint Kenelm was an Anglo-Saxon saint, venerated throughout medieval England, and mentioned in the Canterbury Tales . William of Malmesbury, writing in the XII century, recounted that "there was no place in England to which more pilgrims travelled than to Winchcombe on Kenelm's feast day".In...
Church in
RomsleyRomsley is a village and civil parish in the Bromsgrove District of Worcestershire, England, on the east side of the Clent Hills about 4 miles south of Halesowen. It has a population of 1,601....
. It collects water from many small tributary streams from the Clent Hills as it descends, following a generally north-easterly course, before veering north into the
West MidlandsThe West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a population of 2,591,300. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire...
at
HalesowenHalesowen is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands, England.The population, as measured by the United Kingdom Census 2001, was 55,273...
.
The river continues to gather strength from Clent streams as it flows through Halesowen, before turning westwards through the southern part of the
Black CountryThe Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham.By the late 19th century, this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
, staying within the
Metropolitan Borough of DudleyThe Metropolitan borough of Dudley is a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It was created in 1974, and is made up of the towns of Dudley , Stourbridge , Halesowen, Brierley Hill, Amblecote, Sedgley and Coseley.The present borough was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local...
. It flows through Cradley and
LyeLye is a suburban area of the Black Country in England, between Halesowen and Stourbridge in Dudley Metropolitan Borough, West Midlands. It was formerly a village in the parish of Oldswinford, Worcestershire...
and then between
StourbridgeStourbridge 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 and Wollescote.The population,...
, to which it gives its name, and
AmblecoteAmblecote is an urban village 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. As such, it is on the southwestern edge of the West Midlands urban area...
, historically an important centre of the glass industry. Here it passes half-concealed through industrial estates that have replaced traditional heavy industry, shadowed for a few kilometres by the
Stourbridge CanalThe Stourbridge Canal is a canal in the West Midlands of England. It links the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal with the Dudley Canal, and hence, via the Birmingham Canal Navigations, to Birmingham and the Black Country.-Background:The Stourbridge and Dudley canals were originally proposed...
. It leaves the conurbation via the suburb of
WollastonWollaston is a village and suburb of Stourbridge, in West Midlands, England. It is within Dudley Metropolitan Borough. It is situated on the border between Dudley Metropolitan Borough and Staffordshire County , and until 1974 was in Worcestershire. Wollaston is one mile from Stourbridge town...
, descending fairly rapidly from the West Midlands plateau to
PrestwoodPrestwood is a village in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, about a mile west of Great Missenden, four miles north of High Wycombe.-History:The village name is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means 'Priest-wood'....
.
The Stour enters Staffordshire at Prestwood and veers southwards, henceforward shadowed by the
Staffordshire and Worcestershire CanalThe Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal is a narrow navigable canal in the English Midlands, passing through the counties of Staffordshire and Worcestershire....
, which crosses over it on a sandstone aqueduct just before its confluence with the
Smestow BrookThe Smestow Brook, sometimes called the River Smestow, is a small river that plays an important part in the drainage of Wolverhampton, South Staffordshire, and parts of Dudley in the United Kingdom, and has contributed to the industrial development of the Black Country...
, an important tributary that drains the area north to
WolverhamptonWolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough of the West Midlands, England. In 2004, the local government district had an estimated population of 239,100; the wider Urban Area had a population of 251,462, which makes it the 13th most populous city in England.Historically a part of...
. The Stour flows south to
StourtonStourton is a hamlet in Staffordshire, England a few miles to the northwest of Stourbridge. The nearest sizeable villages are Wollaston and Kinver, the nearest hamlets are Prestwood and Dunsley. It lies on the River Stour...
and then loops along the eastern edge of the large village of
KinverKinver is a large village in South Staffordshire district, Staffordshire, England. It is in the far south-west of the county, at the end of the narrow finger of land surrounded by the counties of Shropshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands. The nearest towns are Stourbridge in the West...
, whence it flows back into Worcestershire.
Passing through the villages of
CaunsallCaunsall is a hamlet in Worcestershire, England a few miles to the north of Kidderminster and close to the villages of Kinver, Cookley and Wolverley. It lies on the River Stour, and the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal.-External links:* * *...
,
CookleyCookley is a village in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England, a few miles to the north of Kidderminster, and close to the villages of Kinver and Wolverley. It lies on the River Stour, and the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal in the civil parish of Wolverley and Cookley...
and
WolverleyWolverley is a village, and with Cookley together, a civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England. It is located a few miles to the north west of Kidderminster, near the town of Bewdley, and the villages of Kinver and Cookley...
, it is joined by the Horse Brook, which drains an area extending northward into
ShropshireShropshire , alternatively known as Salop or abbreviated, in print only, Shrops, is a county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Wales to the west. Shropshire is one of England's most rural and sparsely populated counties with a population density of 91/km²...
, and the Honey Brook. Further south, the Wannerton Brook brings in water from the Blakedown area, on the western fringe of the Clent Hills. The Stour then bisects
KidderminsterKidderminster is a town in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town...
from north to south. Here it is hidden from sight for a short distance as it passes beneath the canal, to emerge on its eastern side. At the southern esge of Kidderminster the Stour is joined by the Barnett Brook, a major tributary which begins in the Clent Hills, and which, together with the Hoo Brook, creates a large complex of pools to the east. Passing through the formerly navigable section around Wilden, it joins the
River SevernThe River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at . It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales. It then flows through Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, with the county towns of Shrewsbury, Worcester, and Gloucester...
at
StourportStourport-on-Severn, often shortened to Stourport, is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of north Worcestershire, England, a few miles to the south of Kidderminster. Stourport lies on the River Severn, and at the time of the 2001 census had a population of 19,713...
, in a small, old industrial area to the east of the canal port.
Geology
The Stour rises on the north-eastern edge of the
Clent HillsThe Clent Hills lie 15 km southwest of Birmingham city centre in Worcestershire, England. The closest towns are Stourbridge and Halesowen, both in the West Midlands conurbation. The Clent Hills range consists of, in order from highest to lowest: Walton Hill, Clent Hill, Wychbury Hill, and...
, an outcrop of
New red sandstoneThe New Red Sandstone is a chiefly British geological term for the beds of red sandstone and associated rocks laid down throughout the Permian to the beginning of the Triassic that underlie the Jurassic Lias; the term distinguishes it from the Devonian Old Red Sandstone...
that traps it on the West Midland
plateauIn geology and earth science, a plateau, also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain...
. Its course is mainly over similar sandstone, together with some gravels, as it finds its way off the plateau by a fairly circuitous route, to the Severn valley. In this it is similar to the
River Tame, West MidlandsTame may refer to:*Taming, the act of domesticating wild animals*River Tame, Greater Manchester*River Tame, West Midlands and the Tame Valley*Tame, Arauca, a Colombian town and municipality...
and its own tributary, the
SmestowThe Smestow Brook, sometimes called the River Smestow, is a small river that plays an important part in the drainage of Wolverhampton, South Staffordshire, and parts of Dudley in the United Kingdom, and has contributed to the industrial development of the Black Country...
: all are forced to wander far along generally shallow gradients as they find their way from the plateau, which is essentially a shallow dish in shape - a low tableland with raised edges. It carries mainly sandy sediments, as can be seen after rainfall.
Wildlife
The Stour was once a
troutTrout are a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the Salmonidae family. Salmon belong to some of the same genera as trout but, unlike most trout, most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
stream, but became severely polluted with chemicals that were released into it by industries along its banks, particularly acid from the holloware industry of Lye. In the final decades of the 20th century, this pollution ceased, and the river was cleaned up. Nowadays, wildlife is making a comeback in the Stour with
KingfisherKingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
s and
Grey HeronThe Grey Heron , is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in the milder south and west, but many birds retreat in winter from the ice in colder regions...
present, as well as recent reports of
salmonAtlantic salmon, known scientifically as Salmo salar, is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and the north Pacific....
and
troutThe brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
beginning to recolonise as far as
StourbridgeStourbridge 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 and Wollescote.The population,...
.
History
For a short section west of Stourbridge, the Stour marks the boundary, between the
historic countiesThe historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires. They were used for various functions for several hundred years and continue to form, albeit with considerably...
of Staffordshire and Worcestershire. It also historically formed part of the boundary of an exclave of Shropshire, which contained
HalesowenHalesowen is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands, England.The population, as measured by the United Kingdom Census 2001, was 55,273...
.
Mills were a crucial part of the medieval economy and the Stour was well able to power them. At Cradley, at the confluence of the upper Stour and the Lutley Gutter (also known as the Pudding Brook), in what was to become the Black Country, the earliest mentions of mills date back to the 12th century. . A corn mill is mentioned at Kinver in 1439.
From the Middle Ages, the lower Stour was a centre of iron production. This industry was powered by charcoal from Kinver forest and also extended up the valley of the
Smestow BrookSmestow may refer to:*Smestow School, a school in Wolverhampton, England.*Smestow Valley Leisure Ride.*Smestow Brook, a tributary of the River Stour....
, the Stour's most important tributary. The banks of both streams were host to many
bloomeriesA bloomery is a type of furnace once widely used for smelting iron from its oxides. The bloomery was the earliest form of smelter capable of smelting iron. A bloomery's product is a porous mass of iron and slag called a bloom. This mix of slag and iron in the bloom is termed sponge iron, which...
and
forgesForges or Les Forges are the names or parts of the name of the following communes:-In France:*Forges, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department*Forges, Maine-et-Loire, in the Maine-et-Loire department...
. Mills were important in this early industrial development of the area. They included fulling mills for cloth industries of Kinver,
WorcesterWorcester is a city and county town of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some 30 miles southwest of Birmingham, 29 miles north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people...
and Kidderminster, and from the 17th century iron forges and slitting mills, which cut bars of iron into rods for the production of nails, or sharpened blades. One of the ealiest slitting mills was at the Hyde, Kinver, established in the 1620's. Many of the buildings and hamlets along the lower Stour were originally forges or nail mills. At Whittington, near Kinver, for example, most of the riverside houses were once part of the early iron industry, with both an old forge and a nail mill. Mills could be converted back and forth between grain milling and forging, sharpening slitting or fulling, as supply and demand fluctuated, sometimes seasonally.
In the 1660s and 1670s,
Andrew YarrantonAndrew Yarranton was an important English engineer in the 17th century who was responsible for making several rivers into navigable waterways.-Biography:...
attempted to make the river Stour itself navigable along much of its course. But these efforts were finally abandoned around 1680, when funds were exhausted. It is doubtful whether it would have been a profitable enterprise, had it succeeded. At Wilden a short section of the Stour, of about a mile, was successfully made navigable but because of all the bends it is recorded that it was not easy to navigate. There was a lock at Pratt's Wharf (mis-named Platt's Wharf by the
Ordnance SurveyOrdnance Survey is an executive agency of the United Kingdom government. It is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, and one of the world's largest producers of maps...
) connecting the
Staffordshire and Worcestershire CanalThe Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal is a narrow navigable canal in the English Midlands, passing through the counties of Staffordshire and Worcestershire....
with the river. This enabled canal barges to use the River Stour to deliver timber to a steam saw-mill in Wilden. Later it was used to transport coal and iron to the
Wilden WorksThe village of Wilden is in the English county of Worcestershire. It was for many years the location of an ironworks.-Wilden Mill:Wilden was part of the demesne of the Bishop of Worcester's manor of Hartlebury. A mill was built on the River Stour in 1511 by William Baylly, a fuller...
. The wharf was built by Isaac Pratt from Henwick,
WorcesterWorcester is a city and county town of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some 30 miles southwest of Birmingham, 29 miles north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people...
in 1835. He is described as a businessman and a merchant. There were two houses at Pratt's Wharf, one occupied by a lock keeper and the other by a clerk. The link was closed c1950.
The Staffordshire and Wocestershire Canal, planned by
James BrindleyJames Brindley was an English engineer. He was born in Tunstead, Derbyshire, and lived much of his life in Leek, Staffordshire, becoming one of the most notable engineers of the 18th century.-Early life:...
, was built between 1770 and 1772. It shadows the Smestow, and then the Stour from Prestwood southward, cutting across its many bends and meanders. From
StourtonStourton is a hamlet in Staffordshire, England a few miles to the northwest of Stourbridge. The nearest sizeable villages are Wollaston and Kinver, the nearest hamlets are Prestwood and Dunsley. It lies on the River Stour...
Junction (near Prestwood), the
Stourbridge CanalThe Stourbridge Canal is a canal in the West Midlands of England. It links the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal with the Dudley Canal, and hence, via the Birmingham Canal Navigations, to Birmingham and the Black Country.-Background:The Stourbridge and Dudley canals were originally proposed...
led to Stourbridge, thus shadowing the upper Stour, while branches led towards collieries near
Brierley HillBrierley Hill is a town and electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands, England. It is one of the larger Black Country towns with a population of 9,631 and is heavily industrialised, best known for glass and steel manufacturing, although the industry has declined...
and linked to the Dudley Canal. These were all built in the late 18th century, effectively creating a canal network parallel to the river network.
With the
Industrial revolutionThe Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and transport had a profound effect on the socioeconomic and cultural conditions in the United Kingdom. The changes subsequently spread throughout Europe, North...
and the building of the canals, it became possible to transport the raw materials for iron making in greater bulk, and the result was a division in the industry. The making of iron became much more centralised and large-scale, while the forging remained decentralised and water-powered even as it grew in scale. Large iron works were developed at the Hyde and at Wilden, using both water power from the river and coal, transported by canal. At the Hyde, the river was divided and diverted into a separate branch to serve the ironworks.
Kidderminster, long a centre of cloth manufacture, increasingly specialised in carpet-making from about 1785. The Stour took on a fresh importance as this industry grew, driving the fulling and weaving processes, as well as carrying away the effluent - particularly when dyed cloth was washed in the river. The flow of the Stour became so crucial to the manufacturers of the town that they persistently fought attempts to extract water for industrial and domestic use from the Smestow - potentially of great value to Wolverhampton and the Black Country.
The magnificent
Stambermill ViaductStambermill Viaduct is a viaduct situated in Stourbridge, West Midlands, England. It was constructed in 1850 to carry the new railway between Stourbridge and Walsall across the River Stour, and was open to passenger trains until 1964. It is still in use for goods trains, as the railway is still is...
carries the what was the former
Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton RailwayThe Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton railway was a company authorised on 4 August 1845 to construct a railway line from the Oxford and Rugby Railway at Wolvercot Junction to Worcester, Stourbridge, Dudley, and Wolverhampton, with a branch to the Grand Junction Railway at Bushbury...
line over the Stour between Stourbridge and Lye. It now is only used by goods trains.
Tributaries
The main tributaries of the Stour are, travelling upstream from its confluence with the
River SevernThe River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at . It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales. It then flows through Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, with the county towns of Shrewsbury, Worcester, and Gloucester...
:
- The Barnett Brook, which enters from the left, bringing water from a number of tributary streams, including the Hoo Brook, which supply a complex of lakes and pools towards Stone
Stone is a village and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England. At the 2001 census it had a population of 782....
, to the south-east of Kidderminster. The Barnett Brook itself originates on the Clent HillsThe Clent Hills lie 15 km southwest of Birmingham city centre in Worcestershire, England. The closest towns are Stourbridge and Halesowen, both in the West Midlands conurbation. The Clent Hills range consists of, in order from highest to lowest: Walton Hill, Clent Hill, Wychbury Hill, and...
to the north-west of BelbroughtonBelbroughton is a village and civil parish in the Bromsgrove District of Worcestershire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,380. It is about six miles north of Bromsgrove, six miles east of Kidderminster and four miles south of Stourbridge, in...
.
- The Wannerton Brook, which also enters from the left and originates near Clent, passing down through St Kenelm's Pass and Blakedown
Blakedown is a village in the Wyre Forest District in the north of the county of Worcestershire, England. Due to its road and rail links it serves mainly as a dormitory village for Kidderminster, and the cities of Birmingham and Worcester...
to join the Stour at Broadwaters to the north of Kidderminster. On its course it supplies a number of lakes and pools, both around Blakedown and Broadwaters.
- The Honey Brook, which enters from the right, opposite Wolverley Court, close to the Kidderminster suburb of Franche.
- The Horse Brook or Horsebrook, which also joins from the right, bringing water from the Shatterford and Kingsford
Kingsford is a hamlet in Worcestershire, England.- Location :Kingsford is located one mile north of the village of Wolverley, Worcestershire, in the northern part of the county, to the north of Kidderminster.- History & Amenities :...
areas, and from parts of South StaffordshireSouth Staffordshire is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. The district lies to the north and west of Wolverhampton and the West Midlands, bordering Shropshire to the west and Worcestershire to the south...
and ShropshireShropshire , alternatively known as Salop or abbreviated, in print only, Shrops, is a county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Wales to the west. Shropshire is one of England's most rural and sparsely populated counties with a population density of 91/km²...
.
- The Mill Brook, which enters from the right at the Hyde, opposite Dunsley, near Kinver
Kinver is a large village in South Staffordshire district, Staffordshire, England. It is in the far south-west of the county, at the end of the narrow finger of land surrounded by the counties of Shropshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands. The nearest towns are Stourbridge in the West...
, and drains an area within South Staffordshire to the north of Kinver.
- The River Smestow, also known as the Smestow Brook
The Smestow Brook, sometimes called the River Smestow, is a small river that plays an important part in the drainage of Wolverhampton, South Staffordshire, and parts of Dudley in the United Kingdom, and has contributed to the industrial development of the Black Country...
, the Stour's largest tributary, which enters from the right. The Smestow drains an area well to the north, originating in the northern suburbs of WolverhamptonWolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough of the West Midlands, England. In 2004, the local government district had an estimated population of 239,100; the wider Urban Area had a population of 251,462, which makes it the 13th most populous city in England.Historically a part of...
, and looping around the city to flow past WombourneWombourne is a very large village and civil parish located in the district of South Staffordshire, in the county of Staffordshire, 6 km south-west of Wolverhampton. Local affairs are run by a parish council. At the 2001 census it had a population of 13,691...
and join the Stour at PrestwoodPrestwood is a village in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, about a mile west of Great Missenden, four miles north of High Wycombe.-History:The village name is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means 'Priest-wood'....
.
- The Lutley Gutter, also known locally as the Pudding Brook, which enters from the left at Cradley and, together with the Stour itself, has played a major role in the industrial history of the town.
Settlements
The main settlement on the Stour are, travelling upstream from its confluence with the
River SevernThe River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at . It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales. It then flows through Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, with the county towns of Shrewsbury, Worcester, and Gloucester...
:
In WorcestershireWorcestershire or ; abbreviated Worcs) is a historic and administrative county located in the West Midlands region of central England. In 1974 it was merged with the county of Herefordshire to form the single administrative county of Hereford and Worcester; which was divided in 1998,...
- Stourport-on-Severn
Stourport-on-Severn, often shortened to Stourport, is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of north Worcestershire, England, a few miles to the south of Kidderminster. Stourport lies on the River Severn, and at the time of the 2001 census had a population of 19,713...
, traditionally a canal port and resort town, where the Stour joins the Severn.
- Kidderminster
Kidderminster is a town in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town...
, an industrial and commercial centre.
- Wolverley
Wolverley is a village, and with Cookley together, a civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England. It is located a few miles to the north west of Kidderminster, near the town of Bewdley, and the villages of Kinver and Cookley...
, which is in the same parish as the neighbouring villages of CookleyCookley is a village in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England, a few miles to the north of Kidderminster, and close to the villages of Kinver and Wolverley. It lies on the River Stour, and the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal in the civil parish of Wolverley and Cookley...
and CaunsallCaunsall is a hamlet in Worcestershire, England a few miles to the north of Kidderminster and close to the villages of Kinver, Cookley and Wolverley. It lies on the River Stour, and the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal.-External links:* * *...
.
In StaffordshireStaffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
- Kinver
Kinver is a large village in South Staffordshire district, Staffordshire, England. It is in the far south-west of the county, at the end of the narrow finger of land surrounded by the counties of Shropshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands. The nearest towns are Stourbridge in the West...
, once an important industrial village, but now mainly a residential and tourist centre.
- Stourton
Stourton is a hamlet in Staffordshire, England a few miles to the northwest of Stourbridge. The nearest sizeable villages are Wollaston and Kinver, the nearest hamlets are Prestwood and Dunsley. It lies on the River Stour...
and PrestwoodPrestwood is a village in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, about a mile west of Great Missenden, four miles north of High Wycombe.-History:The village name is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means 'Priest-wood'....
In Dudley Metropolitan Borough in the West MidlandsThe West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a population of 2,591,300. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire...
- Stourbridge
Stourbridge 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 and Wollescote.The population,...
, with its suburbs of WollastonWollaston is a village and suburb of Stourbridge, in West Midlands, England. It is within Dudley Metropolitan Borough. It is situated on the border between Dudley Metropolitan Borough and Staffordshire County , and until 1974 was in Worcestershire. Wollaston is one mile from Stourbridge town...
(Before 1974, part of WorcestershireWorcestershire or ; abbreviated Worcs) is a historic and administrative county located in the West Midlands region of central England. In 1974 it was merged with the county of Herefordshire to form the single administrative county of Hereford and Worcester; which was divided in 1998,...
) and AmblecoteAmblecote is an urban village 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. As such, it is on the southwestern edge of the West Midlands urban area...
(historically part of Staffordshire), traditionally a centre of the glass industry.
- Lye
Lye is a suburban area of the Black Country in England, between Halesowen and Stourbridge in Dudley Metropolitan Borough, West Midlands. It was formerly a village in the parish of Oldswinford, Worcestershire...
, formerly a centre of heavy industry, now best known for its strip of Indian restaurants specialising in balti mealsA balti is a type of curry served in an iron vessel. It is served in many restaurants in the United Kingdom.-Origin:Restaurants in Birmingham, UK offered Balti dishes from the 1980s or earlier. The style of cuisine became known throughout the UK during the 1990s.-History:Immigrants from Pakistan,...
. Before 1974, part of Worcestershire.
- Cradley, once famous for its forges specialising in chain
In most meanings chain is a sequence of connected links of some kind.Chain may refer to:* A physical, literal chain* Chain , unit of length* Gunter's chain, a unit of measurement...
making. Before 1974, part of Worcestershire.
- Halesowen
Halesowen is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands, England.The population, as measured by the United Kingdom Census 2001, was 55,273...
, also once a centre for forges, specialising in nailNail may refer to:* Nail , toughened keratin at the end of an animal digit* Nail , the pin-shaped fastener used in engineering, woodworking and construction* Nail , used in the crucifixion of Christ...
making, but now largely a residential and commercial area. Tradionally an exclave of ShropshireShropshire , alternatively known as Salop or abbreviated, in print only, Shrops, is a county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Wales to the west. Shropshire is one of England's most rural and sparsely populated counties with a population density of 91/km²...
. 1844-1974: part of Worcestershire.
In Worcestershire
- Romsley
Romsley is a village and civil parish in the Bromsgrove District of Worcestershire, England, on the east side of the Clent Hills about 4 miles south of Halesowen. It has a population of 1,601....
, where the Stour originates in a spring outside the main village but within the parish. Before 1844, part of Shropshire, together with Halesowen. 1974-1998: part of the County of Hereford and WorcesterHereford and Worcester was an English county created on 1 April 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972 from the area of the former administrative county of Herefordshire, most of Worcestershire and the county borough of Worcester.It bordered Shropshire, Staffordshire and the West Midlands to the...
External links
See also
- Rivers of the United Kingdom