Staffordshire
Staffordshire | |
---|---|
17th of 48 | |
Density | 417/km2 (1,080/sq mi) |
Ethnicity | 97.0% White 1.7% S.Asian 1.3% Other |
Non-metropolitan county | |
County council | Staffordshire County Council |
Executive | Conservative |
Admin HQ | Stafford |
Area | 2,620 km2 (1,010 sq mi) |
• Ranked | 11th of 21 |
Population | 877,856 |
• Ranked | 9th of 21 |
Density | 335/km2 (870/sq mi) |
ISO 3166-2 | GB-STS |
ONS code | 41 |
GSS code | E10000028 |
ITL | UKG24 |
Website | www |
Districts | |
Districts of Staffordshire Unitary County council area | |
Districts |
Staffordshire (/ˈstæfərdʃɪər, -ʃər/;[2] 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 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) and Burton upon Trent (72,299); 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 the
Staffordshire contains 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 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.
History
This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2022) |
Historically, Staffordshire was divided into five
.The historic boundaries of Staffordshire cover much of what is now the
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 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
A major reorganisation in the Black Country in 1966, under the recommendation of the
Under the Local Government Act 1972, on 1 April 1974, the county boroughs of the Black Country and 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 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
Economy
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of the non-metropolitan county of Staffordshire at current basic prices published Archived 22 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British pounds sterling.
Year | Regional gross value added[4] | Agriculture[5] | Industry[6] | Services[7] |
---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | 6,447 | 209 | 2,349 | 3,889 |
2000 | 8,621 | 150 | 2,986 | 5,485 |
2003 | 10,169 | 169 | 3,164 | 6,835 |
Some nationally and internationally known companies have their base in Staffordshire. They include the
Education
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 the county, Keele University west of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire University, which has campuses in Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford, London, Lichfield and Shrewsbury.[8]
Sport
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 the oldest professional football clubs in existence, were founded in 1863 and played at the
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, the club moved to its present home,
West Bromwich Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Walsall are also notable clubs based in 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,[16] Stafford Rangers,[17] Hednesford Town[18] and Leek Town.[19]
In
Geography
In the north and in the south, the county is hilly, with the southern foothills and uplands of the
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 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.[21]
Green belt
Staffordshire contains sectors of three
Demographics
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 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.[22] 94% of the population was born in England, and those born in Scotland and Wales together make up 1% of the total population.[23]
Economy
The brewing companies such as
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 a factory and the UK headquarters of Bostikon Common Road, in the north of the town.
Government
Westminster parliamentary
The ceremonial county of Staffordshire (including 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.[24] The results of the 2019 general election in the county are as follows:
Party | Conservative | Labour | Liberal Democrats | Green | Others |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | 336,621 |
154,301 |
30,431 |
16,826 |
8,121 |
Seats won | 12 3 |
0 3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
County council
Staffordshire operates a
Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | 51 | 53.8% | |||||||
Labour | 10 | 28% | |||||||
UKIP | 0 | 6% | |||||||
Independent
|
1 | 2.7% |
Boundary changes
Areas
Administrative borough | Centre of administration |
Other towns, villages and settlements | |
---|---|---|---|
Cannock Chase District |
Cannock | Heath Hayes, Cannock Wood, Bridgtown
| |
East Staffordshire |
Burton upon Trent | ||
Lichfield District | Lichfield | Burntwood, Fazeley, Alrewas, Shenstone, Hammerwich, Chasetown, Muckley Corner | |
South Staffordshire | Codsall | Coven Heath, Featherstone
| |
Newcastle Borough | Newcastle-under-Lyme | Silverdale, Madeley, Keele, Audley, Halmerend, Kidsgrove Chesterton | |
Stafford | Stafford | Haughton, Stone, Norton Bridge, Eccleshall, Gnosall, Baschurch | |
Staffordshire Moorlands District | Leek | ||
City of Stoke-on-Trent (unitary authority) | Stoke on Trent
|
||
Tamworth District (previously in Warwickshire) | Tamworth | Belgrave, Dosthill
|
Historic
Some settlements were formerly governed as part of the county, these are now under the West Midlands county:
West Midlands | Aldridge, Bilston, Bloxwich, Brierley Hill, Brownhills, Coseley, Darlaston, Harborne, Kingswinford, Pelsall, Rowley Regis, Sedgley, Smethwick, Tipton, Walsall, Wednesbury, Wednesfield, West Bromwich, Willenhall, Wolverhampton |
---|
Religion
In the 2011 United Kingdom census, the population of Staffordshire reported their religion as follows:
Staffordshire county (excludes Stoke-on-Trent)[27] |
Stoke-on-Trent[28] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Count | %age | Count | %age | |
Population | 848,489 | 100 | 249,008 | 100 |
Has religion | 600,127 | 70.7 | 170,329 | 68.4 |
Christianity | 578,352 | 68.2 | 151,624 | 60.9 |
Sikhism | 3,086 | 0.4 | 579 | 0.2 |
Hinduism | 2,773 | 0.3 | 1,384 | 0.6 |
Buddhism | 299 | 0.0 | 66 | 0.0 |
Islam | 10,817 | 1.3 | 14,993 | 6.0 |
Judaism | 2,017 | 0.2 | 760 | 0.3 |
Other religion | 2,783 | 0.3 | 923 | 0.4 |
No religion | 193,662 | 22.8 | 62,737 | 25.2 |
Religion not stated | 54,700 | 6.4 | 15,942 | 6.4 |
Church of England
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 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.
Roman Catholic Church
Staffordshire is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham. The current archbishop is Bernard Longley.
Methodism
Judaism
The most popular synagogue in the county is on London Road in
Islam
There are 15
Transport
Canals
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.
Railways
Staffordshire has several railways that pass through and serve settlements within 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 [42] and 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 opened in 2008.
Roads
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 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
Air
There are currently no airports with scheduled flights in 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.
Bus
Services within the county are chiefly provided by Arriva Midlands, D&G Bus and First Potteries. National Express coaches serve towns and cities on a daily basis.
Media
Newspapers
Daily Newspapers in Staffordshire are The Sentinel, covering Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Staffordshire Moorlands, Burton Mail which covers the town of Burton-upon-Trent and the Express & Star which has several editions covering Tamworth, Lichfield, Cannock Chase and Stafford.
Radio
The local BBC radio stations covering Staffordshire are
United Christian Broadcasters, which has facilities in Burslem and Hanchurch, has been involved in radio broadcasting since 1987. Today it is broadcast nationally in the UK through DAB digital radio.
- Community radio
Staffordshire is served by a number of
In
In the Cannock Chase District, there is Cannock Chase Radio, which broadcasts on 89.6, 89.8 and 94.0 FM, and in Tamworth, there is Radio Tamworth, which broadcasts on 106.8 FM.
Television
Staffordshire is served by the ITV Central and BBC West Midlands television regions, both of which have their studios in Birmingham. The far north of the county, around Biddulph, is served by ITV Granada and BBC North West from MediaCityUK in Salford.
Notable people
- Thomas Sutton (1767–1835), physician
Places of interest
Key | |
Abbey/Priory/Cathedral | |
Accessible open space | |
Amusement/Theme Park | |
Castle | |
Country Park | |
English Heritage | |
Forestry Commission | |
Heritage railway | |
Historic House
| |
Places of Worship | |
Museum (free/not free) | |
National Trust
| |
Theatre | |
Zoo |
- Alton Towers
- Ancient High House
- Apedale Community Country Park
- Biddulph Grange
- Blithfield Hall
- Blithfield Reservoir
- Brindley Water Mill
- Broad Eye Windmill
- Cannock Chase
- Chasewater Railway
- Cheddleton Flint Mill
- Churnet Valley Railway
- Croxden Abbey
- Dovedale
- Downs Banks
- Eccleshall Castle
- Erasmus Darwin House
- Ford Green Hall
- Gladstone Pottery Museum
- Hanley Park
- Heart of England Way
- Moseley Railway Trust (Apedale)
- Ilam Park
- Izaak Walton's Cottage
- Manifold Way following the route of the former Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway
- National Brewery Centre
- Lichfield Cathedral
- Madeley Old Hall
- Moseley Old Hall
- Mow Cop Castle
- Middleport Pottery
- National Memorial Arboretum
- Potteries Museum & Art Gallery
- Pennine Way
- Rudyard Lake Steam Railway
- Sandon Hall
- Shugborough Estate
- Stafford Parish Church
- Stafford Castle
- Staffordshire Regiment Museum
- Staffordshire Way
- Stoke Minster
- The Roaches
- Tamworth Castle
- Tutbury Castle
- Victoria Park, Stafford
- Wall Roman Site
- Weston Park
- Whitmore Hall
Gallery
-
Boscobel House
-
Tamworth Castle
-
Lichfield Cathedral
-
Weston Park
-
Wightwick Manor
-
The Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal
-
Map of Staffordshire and its hundreds, by Wenceslas Hollar, c. 1627–1677
See also
- Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire
- High Sheriff of Staffordshire
- List of MPs for Staffordshire
- Samuel Hieronymus Grimm
- The Stafford knot
- Tamworth Pig
- Healthcare in Staffordshire
- Staffordshire Police
- Staffordshire Police and Crime Commissioner
- Flag of Staffordshire
- Staffordshire Bull Terrier
References
- ^ "No. 62943". The London Gazette. 13 March 2020. p. 5161.
- ^ "Staffordshire". Collins Dictionary. n.d. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- ^ "A History of Dudley". Localhistories.org. Archived from the original on 10 December 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- ^ Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
- ^ includes hunting and forestry
- ^ includes energy and construction
- ^ includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
- ^ Staffordshire University Website Archived 9 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Staffs.ac.uk. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ Stoke City | History | 1863–1888 in the Beginning Archived 14 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Stokecityfc.com. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ Stoke City | History | 1930–1939 Stan's The Man Archived 6 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Stokecityfc.com. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ Stoke City | History | 1970–1979 Waddo Believe It (Part Two) Archived 7 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Stokecityfc.com. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ Stoke City | History | 1980–1989 Five Managers, Five Chairmen Archived 14 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Stokecityfc.com. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ Stoke City | History | 2000–2009 The Decade of Success Archived 14 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Stokecityfc.com. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ Archive Archived 4 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine. TheFA.com. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ Club | History | A Brief Club History Archived 9 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Port Vale. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ Tamworth F.C Archived 15 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Tamworth FC. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
- ^ Stafford Rangers FC Archived 5 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Stafford Rangers FC. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ Hednesford Town FC – Hednesford Town Football Club Latest News Archived 28 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Hednesfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ Wilson, Ed. (21 August 2011) Leek Town – a Charter Standard club Archived 28 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Pitchero.com. Retrieved 25 August 2011
- ^ [1] Archived 19 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine Enjoy Staffordshire. Accessed 7 December 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-9927505-0-3.
- ^ "Ethnicity in Staffordshire". ONS. Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
- ^ "Country of Birth Staffordshire". ONS. Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
- ^ Tamworth MP Chris Pincher was initially elected as a Conservative.
- ^ "Role of County Council". Staffordshire County Council. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
- ^ "Role of the Cabinet". Staffordshire County Council. Archived from the original on 10 December 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
- Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ Sailsman, Zoe (2002). "Bringing in the sheep – Hugh Bourne, the religious reformer from Stoke". BBC Stoke & Staffordshire. British Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2007.
- ^ "BBC News-Birch Terrace synagogue deconsecration ceremony". BBC. Archived from the original on 26 February 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- ^ Neighbourhood Statistics. "Religion in Staffordshire". Neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- ^ Neighbourhood Statistics. "Religion in Stoke-on-Trent". Neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- ^ "Mosques in the United Kingdom". Mosques.muslimsinbritain.org. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- ^ Neighbourhood Statistics. "Horninglow Religion". Neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- ^ Neighbourhood Statistics. "Eton Park Religion". Neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- ^ Neighbourhood Statistics. "Burton Religion". Neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- ^ Neighbourhood Statistics. "Winshill Religion". Neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- ^ Neighbourhood Statistics. "Brizlincote Religion". Neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- ^ Neighbourhood Statistics. "Stapenhill Religion". Neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- ^ Neighbourhood Statistics. "Anglesey Religion". Neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- ^ Neighbourhood Statistics. "Shobnall Religion". Neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- ^ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". Dataportal.orr.gov.uk. 25 November 2021. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
External links
- Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). 1911. .
- Staffordshire at Curlie
- East Staffordshire Community Website
- BBC Staffordshire website
- Staffordshire County Council
- Staffordshire Past Track – Historical archive about the county
- Staffordshire Tourism website
- The Staffordshire Encyclopaedia
- Images of Staffordshire Archived 23 December 2012 at English Heritage Archive
- The History of Parliament: the House of Commons - Staffordshire, County, 1386 to 1841