64-624: The River Sow Navigation was a short river navigation in Staffordshire , England, which connected the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal to the centre of Stafford . There was a coal wharf in Stafford, and a single lock to connect it to the canal. It opened in 1816, and closed in the 1920s. There are proposals to restore the navigation as the Stafford Riverway Link. The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal provided
128-471: A county corporate , meaning it was administered separately from the rest of Staffordshire, remaining so until 1888. Handsworth and Perry Barr became part of the county borough of Birmingham , and thus Warwickshire , in 1911 and 1928 respectively. Burton, in the east of the county, became a county borough in 1901, and was followed by Smethwick , another town in the Black Country in 1907. In 1910
192-487: A detached part of Worcestershire, expanded and became associated with Staffordshire instead. This reorganisation led to the administrative county of Staffordshire having a thin protrusion passing between the county boroughs (to the east) and Shropshire, to the west, to form a short border with Worcestershire. Under the Local Government Act 1972 , on 1 April 1974, the county boroughs of the Black Country and
256-447: A channel which is 4 feet (1.2 m) deep is £4.7 million. In the longer term, the aim is for the terminus to be at Victoria Park, a little way upstream from the town centre, and this would increase the cost to £6 million. Significant progress was made in early 2021, when Stafford Borough Council granted planning permission for the first stage of the project. This involves the creation of a basin at Baswich with 12 berths, reinstatement of
320-590: A factory and the UK headquarters of Bostikon Common Road, in the north of the town. Numark Pharmacy is at Tamworth . Bristan based in Dordon and Baddesley Ensor on the Birch Coppice Business Park south-west of Tamworth, next to a new Ocado distribution centre, is the UK's largest supplier of kitchen and bathroom taps; Volkswagen Group (VAG UK) have their main UK distribution facility there,
384-612: A group which would spearhead the restoration and attempt to gain local authority support for it. The group became a community interest company in December 2009. Because of the flood relief work and the diversion of the River Penk, the Environment Agency are unlikely to approve the reinstatement of the aqueduct. A feasibility study for reconstruction, carried out by the engineers Halcrow Group , has therefore suggested
448-458: A little way downstream, although this was not advisable when the river was in flood. Immediately after the junction, the River Penk joined the Sow, and a footbridge carried the towpath over the confluence. The river follows a generally western course towards Stafford. At Fairway Bridge, the site of the first of the oxbox lakes formed by straightening the channel, the towpath crosses to the north bank of
512-584: A lock much closer to the junction with the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, to connect the canal to the River Penk. The new route would either follow the Penk downstream to its junction with the Sow, or a new cut would be made between the two. The initial proposal is to reach a temporary terminus just below Green Bridge, close to the Asda Supermarket . The estimated cost for a navigation with
576-664: A native of Stoke-on-Trent, at a public gathering in the village of Mow Cop . He originally followed the Wesleyan form of Methodism but in 1801 he reformed the Methodist service by conducting it outside. By 1811 with his brother he founded the first chapel in the Tunstall area of Stoke-on-Trent. The most popular synagogue in the county is on London Road in Newcastle-Under-Lyme , which opened in 2006 and replaced
640-633: A navigable link between the River Severn and Birmingham, and had been opened in May 1772. It served Stafford by the provision of a wharf at Radford Bank, but goods had to be transferred to carts for the final 1.5-mile (2.4 km) journey into the town. The first proposals for a navigable link to Stafford were made in 1798. The scheme involved aqueducts to cross the River Sow and the River Penk , but
704-467: A number of Iron Age tumuli and Roman camps, and was settled by the Angles in the sixth century; the oldest Stafford knot , the county's symbol, can be seen on an Anglian cross in the churchyard of Stoke Minster . The county was formed in the early tenth century, when Stafford became the capital of Mercia . The county was relatively settled in the following centuries, and rapidly industrialised during
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#1732783385783768-826: A unitary authority independent of Staffordshire once more. In July 2009, the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found in Britain was discovered in a field near Lichfield. The artefacts, known as The Staffordshire Hoard , have tentatively been dated to the 7th or 8th centuries, placing the origin of the items in the time of the Kingdom of Mercia . Staffordshire has a completely comprehensive system with eight independent schools. Most secondary schools are from 11 to 16 or 18, but two in Staffordshire Moorlands and South Staffordshire are from 13 to 18. Resources are shared where appropriate. There are two universities in
832-419: Is a NUTS 3 region (code UKG22). Staffordshire operates a cabinet-style council . There are 62 councillors for Staffordshire. The Full Council elects a cabinet of 10 councillors, including the council leader, from the majority party. Each cabinet member has their own portfolio about which they make the "day to day" decisions. Some settlements were formerly governed as part of the county, these are now under
896-506: Is covered by the archdeaconries of Stoke-upon-Trent and Lichfield . The current Bishop of Lichfield is Michael Ipgrave and the current Bishop of Stafford Geoff Annas . There are 298 Church of England churches in the county. Staffordshire is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham . The current archbishop is Bernard Longley . Primitive Methodism was founded in Staffordshire by Hugh Bourne ,
960-600: Is followed by Irish, making up 0.6%. Non-White citizens make up 2% of the population. The largest Non-White ethnic group are British Pakistanis . 94% of the population was born in England, and those born in Scotland and Wales together make up 1% of the total population. The brewing companies such as Coors Brewers are in Burton on Trent , as well as Marmite , Marston's Brewery , GNC UK ( health supplements ). Branston
1024-700: Is in Tamworth and the motorway heads southwest towards Birmingham. The M6 runs north–south through the county, which contains junctions 10A–16. The M6 Toll , the UK's first toll motorway , runs through the county with junctions in Weeford near Lichfield, Cannock and joins the M6 south of Stafford. The A5 and A34 run through the county. The former has been significantly widened to a dual carriageway at several sections, although much of it remains single carriageway. There are currently no airports with scheduled flights in
1088-706: Is now the metropolitan county of West Midlands . An administrative county of Staffordshire was set up in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888 covering the county, except for the county boroughs of Wolverhampton , Walsall , and West Bromwich in the south (the area known as the Black Country ), and Hanley in the north. The Act also saw the towns of Tamworth (partly in Warwickshire) and Burton upon Trent (partly in Derbyshire) united entirely in Staffordshire. In 1553, Queen Mary made Lichfield
1152-543: Is represented in Minor counties cricket by Staffordshire County Cricket Club who have played in the Minor Counties Championship since 1895, a competition which it has won outright eleven times, making it the most successful Minor counties team. Famous international cricketers produced by the county include Sydney Barnes , Bob Taylor and Dominic Cork , all of whom went on to represent England . In
1216-588: Is served by long-distance CrossCountry and Avanti West Coast trains to Manchester. This station is also the terminus of the North Staffordshire line to Derby via Uttoxeter, which narrowly avoided closure in the 1960s. Stone railway station reopened in 2008. The county has relatively good links to the national roads network. Several major roads intersect the county, making it a popular location for commuters working in Birmingham. The M42 junction 10
1280-589: Is situated at Festival Park in Etruria , and is Stoke-on-Trent's largest private sector employer. Dechra Pharmaceuticals makes veterinary pharmaceuticals at Talke . Churchill China is at Sandyford near Tunstall . Sumitomo Electrical Wiring Systems (Europe) , which supplies wiring for the automotive industry, is at Silverdale . At Kidsgrove , Converteam make variable speed drives (VSDs); AAH Pharmaceuticals has its Enterprise and Trident divisions in Talke , in
1344-825: Is the original home of Branston Pickle , where the original factory can still be seen on Burton Road. Spirit Pub Company is near the A5121/A38 junction, with Punch Taverns slightly further north. Newell Rubbermaid UK (owner of Parker Pen , Berol , Paper Mate and DYMO ), a large RDC of Tesco, and Zytek (motorsport) is at Fradley Park, on an old airfield . Norgren was an international pneumatic technology company on Eastern Avenue, Lichfield. Michelin Tyres are made at Sideway in Stoke-on-Trent. Royal Doulton and Wedgwood were/are based at Burslem and Barlaston respectively. Portmeirion Pottery , which owns
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#17327833857831408-602: The Aldridge-Brownhills Urban District of Staffordshire became, along with Birmingham, Solihull, and Coventry and other districts, a new metropolitan county of West Midlands. County boroughs were abolished, with Stoke becoming a non-metropolitan district in Staffordshire, and Burton forming an unparished area in the district of East Staffordshire . On 1 April 1997, under a recommendation of the Banham Commission , Stoke-on-Trent became
1472-768: The Britannia Building Society which is based in Leek . JCB is based in Rocester near Uttoxeter and Bet365 which is based in Stoke-on-Trent. The theme park Alton Towers is in the Staffordshire Moorlands and several of the world's largest pottery manufacturers are based in Stoke-on-Trent. The town of Burton upon Trent is known for its beer brewing industry with several major brands such as Carling , Cobra and Marston's brewed there. The ceremonial county of Staffordshire (including
1536-593: The Industrial Revolution , when the North Staffordshire coalfield was exploited and fuelled the iron and automobilie industries in the south of the county. Pottery is the county's most famous export; a limited amount is still produced in Stoke-on-Trent. Historically, Staffordshire was divided into five hundreds : Cuttlestone , Offlow , Pirehill , Seisdon , and Totmonslow . The historic boundaries of Staffordshire cover much of what
1600-550: The Local Government Commission for England , led to the creation of an area of contiguous county boroughs. The County Borough of Warley was formed by the merger of the county borough of Smethwick and municipal borough of Rowley Regis with the Worcestershire borough of Oldbury : the resulting county borough was associated with Worcestershire. Meanwhile, the county borough of Dudley , historically
1664-901: The Pennines is in the north, containing part of the Peak District National Park , while the Cannock Chase AONB and part of the National Forest are in the south. The River Trent and its tributaries drain most of the county. From its source, near Biddulph , the river flows through Staffordshire in a southwesterly direction, meeting the Sow just east of Stafford; it then meets the River Tame and turns north-east, exiting into Derbyshire immediately downstream of Burton upon Trent. Staffordshire contains
1728-618: The Royal Worcester brand, is in Stoke. Steelite International (pottery) is based at Middleport , in west Burslem, next to the Trent and Mersey Canal . Wade Ceramics is at Etruria to the east of Wolstanton, near the HQ of The Sentinel newspaper ( Harmsworth Printing ). Premier Foods make Mr Kipling slices and Cherry Bakewells at Trent Vale in the south of Stoke-on-Trent. Bet365
1792-563: The West Midlands , and were first drawn up from the 1950s. All the county's districts contain some portion of belt. According to the 2001 Census the population of the Non-metropolitan Staffordshire is 806,744 and the population of Stoke-on-Trent was 240,636 making a total population of 1,047,380. In non-metropolitan Staffordshire, White British is the largest ethnicity, making up 96% of the population. This
1856-588: The English league, they finally reclaimed their top flight status in 2008 by securing promotion to the Premier League . Stoke City reached their first FA Cup final in 2011 , but lost 1–0 to Manchester City . Port Vale, who like Stoke City play in Stoke-on-Trent, were formed in 1876 and became members of the Football League in 1892. After more than 70 years at various stadiums around the city,
1920-570: The Shropshire boundary. Ornua , best known for the Kerrygold brand, have a large cheese production site in Leek on Sunnyhills Road. This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of the non-metropolitan county of Staffordshire at current basic prices by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British pounds sterling. Some nationally and internationally known companies have their base in Staffordshire. They include
1984-559: The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal immediately opposite Baswich Salt Works. A roving bridge carried the canal towpath over the channel, which headed north. A small aqueduct carried it over a drainage ditch, and into the lock. At normal river levels, the fall of the lock was about 6.5 feet (2.0 m). The course turned to the north-west, to join the River Sow, with the towpath on the south bank. Most traffic turned left, to proceed upstream, but boats could also reach St Thomas flour mill
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2048-492: The West Midlands county: In the 2011 United Kingdom census , the population of Staffordshire reported their religion as follows: The only cathedral in the county is Lichfield Cathedral in the city of Lichfield. The Diocese of Lichfield covers the whole county with the exception of Stapenhill and Amington , the north of the nearby county of Shropshire and the Black Country area of the West Midlands . The county
2112-418: The aqueduct used to run, and now joins the Sow much closer to St Thomas Bridge. With the steady progress made in restoring and reopening canals during the 1970s, members of a local canal society first suggested that the navigation could be restored in 1975. It was seen as a way to ease congestion on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, and the group suggested that the appropriate authorities should review
2176-698: The area. At the 2001 census there were 7,658 Muslims in Stoke-on-Trent and 6,081 in the rest of Staffordshire, with a total of 13,739 making up 1.3% of the population. 62.9% (3823) of the Muslims in the rest of Staffordshire are from the town of Burton-upon-Trent. Staffordshire has an extensive network of canals including the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal , Caldon Canal , Coventry Canal , Shropshire Union Canal , Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal and Trent and Mersey Canal . Staffordshire has several railways that pass through and serve settlements within
2240-430: The branch was improved and the tolls were reduced. At Stafford, the navigation had its own channel, separated from the river by a narrow strip of land, which carried the towpath, and there was a coal wharf to the south of the channel. The area was bounded to the west by Green Bridge, originally constructed in the thirteenth century, but rebuilt in brick and stone in 1781/2 and widened in the 1860s. A wooden footbridge carried
2304-416: The canal was not built. In order to supply Stafford, a horse tramway was constructed from the town to Radford Wharf, which opened on 1 November 1805. The Stafford Railway Coal and Lime Company owned the tramway, on which horses hauled wagons capable of holding around 1.5 tons of coal or lime. The terminus was by Green Bridge in Stafford, but it appears that it was not a profitable concern, as John Hall, one of
2368-414: The city of Lichfield has a population of 33,816. For local government purposes Staffordshire comprises a non-metropolitan county , with nine districts, and the unitary authority area of Stoke-on-Trent. The county historically included the north-west of the West Midlands county, including Walsall , West Bromwich , and Wolverhampton . Staffordshire is hilly to the north and south. The southern end of
2432-434: The club has been less successful since the turn of the 21st century, and suffered relegation to League Two – the fourth tier of the English league – in 2008. The club has seen an upturn in its fortunes as the club was promoted to League One in the 2012–13 season. In the 2016–17 season Port Vale were relegated back to League Two. West Bromwich Albion , Wolverhampton Wanderers and Walsall are also notable clubs based in
2496-611: The club moved to its present home, Vale Park , in 1950. In early 1936, they had eliminated First Division champions Sunderland from the FA Cup. Another FA Cup success came in February 1988 when they eliminated seven-time winners Tottenham Hotspur from the competition . Promotion to the Second Division for the first time since the 1960s was secured in 1989, and Vale would spend nine of the next 11 years at this level. However,
2560-536: The county are once significant coalfields , including the South Staffordshire coalfield . In the southern part, there are also rich iron ore deposits. The largest river is the Trent . The soil is chiefly clay and agriculture was not highly developed until the mechanisation of farms. Staffordshire is home to the highest village in Britain, Flash . The village, in the Staffordshire Moorlands, stands at 1,519 ft (463 m) above sea level. This record
2624-465: The county, Keele University , west of Newcastle-under-Lyme , and the University of Staffordshire , which has campuses in Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford, London, Lichfield and Shrewsbury . The modern county of Staffordshire currently has three professional football clubs – Stoke City and Port Vale , both from Stoke-on-Trent, and Burton Albion , who play in Burton upon Trent . Stoke City, one of
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2688-504: The county, with the nearest ones being Birmingham , East Midlands and Manchester . Depending on the location, there is, however, Wolverhampton Airport in Bobbington and Tatenhill Airfield near Burton-upon-Trent, both of which are small airports catering for general aviation. Services within the county are chiefly provided by Arriva Midlands , D&G Bus and First Potteries . National Express coaches serve towns and cities on
2752-499: The county. The most important of these is the West Coast Main Line , which facilitates through services between London and Scotland. Few, if any, of these stop inside the county's borders. Stafford railway station is at a junction with the line to Birmingham New Street , a major hub, and is predominantly served by London Northwestern Railway . Stoke-on-Trent railway station is the busiest station in Staffordshire and
2816-498: The east, Warwickshire to the south-east, the West Midlands county and Worcestershire to the south, and Shropshire to the west. The largest settlement is the city of Stoke-on-Trent , and the county town is Stafford . The county has an area of 1,713 square kilometres (661 sq mi) and a population of 1,131,052. After Stoke-on-Trent (258,366), the largest settlements are Tamworth (78,646), Newcastle-under-Lyme (75,082), Burton upon Trent (72,299) and Stafford (71,673);
2880-530: The former Birch Terrace synagogue in Hanley. According to the 2001 census there were 407 Jews in the non-metropolitan county of Staffordshire, and 83 in Stoke-on-Trent. There are 15 mosques in Stoke-on-Trent, 5 in Burton-upon-Trent and 1 in both Stafford and Lichfield. As of 2019 a new mosque has finished construction in the Hanley area of Stoke-on-Trent and is the first purpose-built mosque in
2944-403: The four owners, sold his £810 share in the business for £254 in 1811, and the company was bankrupt by 1813. A navigation was again proposed in 1810 by Owen Hall, who wanted to make the Penk and the Sow navigable, and obtained permission from the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal to construct a lock at Radford. By 1812, the plans included an inclined plane to connect the Penk and the Sow to
3008-463: The historic county boundaries. The county's other professional football team is Burton Albion , based in Burton upon Trent , who currently play in League One . The county has a number of non-league football clubs, including Tamworth , Stafford Rangers , Hednesford Town and Leek Town . In cricket , Staffordshire is one of the nineteen Minor counties of English and Welsh cricket . It
3072-400: The junction into the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, and the construction of a bridge across the junction to carry users of the towpath and farm vehicles. Prior to receiving permission, the company had already excavated part of the basin, as they had been leasing the land on a peppercorn rent from Eunice Finney, in accordance with the wishes of her late husband Bill. The navigation left
3136-403: The main canal. By the time it was built, it had been simplified by connecting the Sow directly to the canal at Baswich . The lock was opened on 19 February 1816, and so the canal cannot have been used before that, although the railway had been sold in 1814. Although it used the river, much of the channel was a new cut, designed to eliminate a series of sharp bends which remained as oxbow lakes to
3200-504: The north and in the south, the county is hilly, with the southern foothills and uplands of the Pennines in the north, with parts of it in the Peak District National Park. Most of the northern upland terrain is in the Staffordshire Moorlands district. Cannock Chase , an area of natural beauty, and part of the National Forest are in the south. In the middle regions, the landscape is low and undulating. In parts of
3264-679: The oldest professional football clubs in existence, were founded in 1863 and played at the Victoria Ground for 119 years from 1878 until their relocation to the Britannia Stadium (now named the Bet365 Stadium ) in 1997. They were among the 12 founder members of the Football League in 1888. By the late 1930s, they were established First Division members and boasted arguably the finest footballer in England at
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#17327833857833328-533: The possibilities. The next significant event was the publishing of a letter in Waterways World in August 2002, in which a resident of Stafford called Keith Taylor stated that he had found the remains of the lock. The towpath had by then become a recognised walking route, and his suggestion that the navigation should be explored led to research by a number of others, and the formation of Stafford Riverway Link,
3392-450: The public, and boating for pleasure was popular at that time. Download coordinates as: [REDACTED] Media related to River Sow, Staffordshire at Wikimedia Commons Staffordshire Staffordshire ( / ˈ s t æ f ər d ʃ ɪər , - ʃ ər / ; postal abbreviation Staffs .) is a landlocked ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to
3456-484: The river just to the west of the bridge site, and ended just before Green Bridge, which carries Bridge Street. On the north bank of the river to the east of Green Bridge there were public Brine Baths, which were called the Royal Brine Baths after a visit by Princess Mary, later the wife of King George V , in 1895. There was a boatyard beside the baths in 1907, where canoes and rowing boats could be hired by
3520-513: The river. The next bridge carried Riverway over the navigation. Its single span is made of reinforced concrete, and it was designed by William Plant, who was the Stafford Town surveyor and engineer at the time. It was formally opened on 15 December 1914. The next bridge is much more recent. It was built in the late 1970s and carries the A34 road , here called Queensway. The coal wharf channel left
3584-667: The site of Birch Coppice Colliery before 1987. Ansell UK ( medical gloves , from Australia) is on Tamworth Enterprise Park. Whittington Barracks (DMS Whittington) near to the west is the home of the Defence Medical Services , Defence Dental Service , and the Defence Medical Services Training Centre . Premier Foods make Bird's Custard , Angel Delight and Marvel powdered milk in Knighton , west of Eccleshall near
3648-420: The six towns of the Staffordshire Potteries, including Hanley, became the single county borough of Stoke-on-Trent . A significant boundary change occurred in 1926 when the east of Sedgley was transferred to Worcestershire to allow the construction of the new Priory Estate on land purchased by Dudley County Borough council. A major reorganisation in the Black Country in 1966, under the recommendation of
3712-467: The south of the new route and were still clearly visible on maps in 1938. The canal was privately built, as all the land through which it ran was owned by Sir George William Jerningham, later Lord Stafford . A lease for its use was initially held by Messrs Fereday and Company who owned Gornal colliery. This was later transferred to the Moat Colliery Company, and in 1838, they sold it to the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal company for £50. Subsequently,
3776-419: The time in right-winger Stanley Matthews , who had two spells with the club between 1930 and his retirement in 1965 at the age of 50. In 1972, the club finally won a major trophy when they lifted the Football League Cup , but after relegation from the First Division in 1985 they would not experience top flight football for 23 years. After spending some two decades bouncing between the second and third tiers of
3840-402: The towpath from the north bank of the river to the north bank of the coal wharf channel. The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal leased the navigation from Lord Stafford throughout its life, but did not renew the lease in 1927. Adam Boulton leased the coal wharf at Stafford until 1927, but there is no record of its use after that date. The coal wharf channel was filled in during the 1930s, and
3904-409: The unitary authority of Stoke-on-Trent) is represented by twelve Members of Parliament (MPs) in the House of Commons . Eleven of the MPs represent the Conservative Party and one sits as an independent . The results of the 2019 general election in the county are as follows: Staffordshire County Council is the top-tier local council for the non-metropolitan county. For Eurostat purposes, it
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#17327833857833968-410: The west of Kidsgrove. Andritz UK is at Wolstanton, in the north of Newcastle. Mann+Hummel UK, at Featherstone , make air and oil filters . Armitage Shanks (owned by Ideal Standard International) is to the east of Rugeley in Armitage with Handsacre ; JCB Cab Systems was next to the A51 on the Riverside Industrial Estate. The UK headquarters of GE Grid Solutions is based at Stafford as well as
4032-400: The writer Tom Rolt wrote that the entrance from the canal was blocked in 1944. Although Stafford Borough Council were hopeful for its future when they surveyed it in 1948, it continued to decline. Most of the infrastructure near the lock was removed in the 1970s, as part of a scheme to improve flood relief on the Penk and the Sow. The Penk itself was diverted into the Deepmoor Drain, over which
4096-421: Was confirmed in 2007 by the Ordnance Survey after Wanlockhead in Scotland also claimed the record. The BBC 's The One Show investigated the case in a bid to settle the argument and Flash was confirmed as the higher of the two. The highest point in Staffordshire is Cheeks Hill . Staffordshire contains sectors of three green belt areas, two of which surround the large conurbations of Stoke-on-Trent and
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