The Industry & Railways of the South West Black Country

Alight here for STOURBRIDGE A small town in central England, historically located at the edge of rural Worcestershire, but also an industrial center within the Black Country, and since 1974 amalgamated into the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. In the 19th century Stourbridge achieved a world wide reputation in certain industries. Predominant among these were engineering, and glass making. From the middle of that century the growth of all local industries were stimulated by the improved transportation brought about by the railways, and eventually they became, in their turn, a major industry and employer within the town. The downturn in the fortunes of the railways, after World War II, eventually led to the closure of many local lines, and the contraction of its infrastructure at Stourbridge. The rump of this railway system has survived to see better times in the 1990s, and, amazingly, the town still retains two railway stations, at either end of Great Britain's shortest branch line! With proposals now being made to extend the new Midlands Metro (Light Railway) to Stourbridge, via the nearby Merry Hill Shopping Centre, the future of railways in Stourbridge lookes bright indeed. This page is created as a focus for the researcher into the history of Stourbridge, its railways, industry, and things that intrigue me! The site contains extracts from Newspapers, Booklets, Catalogues and Manuscripts. The range of material in my collection is extensive, and it is hoped to expand the scope of the site slowly but surely. This information is loosley grouped as follows:- Canals A brief history Railways Company Documents, Acts of Parliament, Newspaper articles Industry Local companies from various sources Newspaper Cuttings Mainly about railways and industry, but containing much social information. Manuscripts Publications by others Miscelleneous For those odds and sods that don't fit above, but caught my eye and interest! Note all of these are cross referenced where necessary. Acknowledgements, Forward, Information, & References Questions, comments and contributions to-: tom.cockeram@clara.co.uk Site established November 1998 Updated March 2000 © Tom Cockeram 2000