Stafford

Stafford means 'ford' by a 'staithe' (landing place). The original settlement was on dry sand and gravel peninsula that provided a strategic crossing point in the marshy valley of the River Sow, a tributary of the River Trent. There is still a large area of marshland northwest of the town, which has always been subject to flooding, such as in 1947, 2000 and 2007.

It is thought Stafford was founded about 700 AD[2] by a Mercian prince called Bertelin who, according to the legend, established a hermitage on the peninsula named Betheney.[3] Until recently it was thought that the remains of a wooden preaching cross from this time had been found under the remains of St Bertelin's chapel, next to the later collegiate Church of St Mary in the centre of the town. Recent re-examination of the evidence[4] shows this was a misinterpretation – it was a tree-trunk coffin placed centrally in the first, timber, chapel at around the time Æthelflæd founded the burh, in 913 AD. The tree-trunk coffin may have been placed there as an object of commemoration or veneration of St Bertelin.

Already a centre for the delivery of grain tribute during the Early Middle Ages, Stafford was commandeered in July 913 AD by Æthelflæd, Lady of Mercia, in order to construct a burh there. This new burh was fortified and provided with an industrial area for the centralised production of Roman-style pottery ("Stafford Ware")[5] which was supplied to the chain of West Midlands burhs.

Æthelflæd and her younger brother, King Edward the Elder of Wessex, were attempting to complete their father King Alfred the Great's programme of unifying England into a single kingdom. Æthelflæd was a formidable military leader and tactician, and she sought to protect and extend the northern and western frontiers of her overlordship of Mercia against the Danish Vikings, by fortifying burhs, including Tamworth and Stafford in 913, and Runcorn on the River Mersey in 915 among others, while King Edward the Elder concentrated on the east, wresting East Anglia and Essex from the Danes. Anglo-Saxon women could play powerful roles in society; Æthelflæd's death effectively ended the relative independence of Mercia. Edward the Elder of Wessex took over her fortress at Tamworth and accepted the submission of all who were living in Mercia, both Danish and English. In late 918 Aelfwynn, Æthelflæd's daughter, was deprived of her authority over Mercia and taken to Wessex. The project for the unification of England took another step forward.[6]

Stafford was one of Æthelflæd's military campaign bases and extensive archaeological investigations, and recent re-examination and interpretation of that evidence now shows her new burh was producing, in addition to the Stafford Ware pottery, food for her army (butchery, grain processing, baking), coinage and weaponry, but apparently no other crafts and there were few imports.[5][7]

The Lady of Mercia, Æthelflæd, ruled Mercia for five years after the death of her father and husband, dying in Tamworth in 918.

At around this time the county of Staffordshire was formed. Stafford lay within the Pirehill hundred.[8]

In 1069, a rebellion by Eadric the Wild against the Norman conquest culminated in the Battle of Stafford. Two years later another rebellion, this time led by Edwin, Earl of Mercia, culminated in Edwin's assassination. This meant his lands were distributed amongst the followers of William the Conqueror. Robert de Tonei was granted the manor of Bradley and one third of the king's rents in Stafford. The Norman conquest in Stafford was therefore particularly brutal, and resulted not only in the imposition of a castle, but in the destruction and suppression of every other activity except the intermittent minting of coins for about a hundred years.

Stafford Castle was built by the Normans on the nearby hilltop to the west about 1090. It was first made of wood, and later rebuilt of stone. It has been rebuilt twice since, and the ruins of the 19th century gothic revival castle on the earthworks incorporate much of the original stonework.[9]

Redevelopment began in the late 12th century, and while the church, the main north-to-south street (Greengate) and routes through the late Saxon industrial quarter to the east remained, in other ways the town plan changed. A motte was constructed on the western side of the peninsula, overlooking a ford, and facing the site of the main castle of Stafford, on the hill at Castle Church, west of the town. Tenements were laid out over the whole peninsula and trade and crafts flourished until the early 14th century, when there was another upset probably associated with the plague of Black Death, which was followed in the mid 16th century by another revival.[5]

In 1206 King John granted a Royal Charter which created the borough of Stafford. In the Middle Ages Stafford was a market town, mainly dealing in cloth and wool. In spite of being the shire town, Stafford required successive surges of external investment from the time of Æthelflæd to that of Queen Elizabeth I.[10]

King Richard II was paraded through the town's streets as a prisoner in 1399, by troops loyal to Henry Bolingbroke (the future Henry IV).

When James I visited Stafford, he was said to be so impressed by the town's Shire Hall and other buildings that he called it 'Little London'.[2]

Charles I visited Stafford shortly after the out-break of the English Civil War. He stayed for three days at the Ancient High House. The town was later captured by the Parliamentarians, while a small-scale battle was fought at nearby Hopton. Stafford later fell to the Parliamentarians, as did Stafford Castle, following a six-week siege. The town's most famous son is Izaak Walton, author of The Compleat Angler, who was a staunch Royalist.

In 1658 Stafford elected John Bradshaw, the man who judged the trial of King Charles I, to represent the town in Parliament. During the reign of Charles II, William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford became implicated in the Popish Plot, in which Titus Oates whipped up anti-Catholic feelings with his claims that there was a plot to have the king killed. Lord Stafford was among those accused; he was unfortunate to be the first to be tried, and was beheaded in 1680. The charge was false and over five years later, on 4 June 1685, the bill of attainder against him was reversed.[11][12]

The town was represented in Parliament by the famous playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan in the 18th century. During the same era, the town's mechanised shoe industry was founded, the most well-known factory owner being William Horton.[2] The industry gradually died out, with the last factory being redeveloped in 2008.

In 1837 the Grand Junction Railway built the first railway line (part of the line from Birmingham to Warrington) and railway station in the town; at Warrington this linked, via another line, with the Liverpool-to-Manchester railway. Birmingham provided the first connection to London. Other lines followed; Stafford became a significant junction and this helped attract a number of industries to the town.[13]

The Friars' Walk drill hall was completed in 1913, just in time for the First World War.[14]

On 31 March 2006 the Queen visited the town to join in the 800th anniversary civic celebrations.

In 2013 Stafford celebrated its 1,100th anniversary year with a number of history-based exhibitions, while local historian Nick Thomas and writer Roger Butters were set to produce the two-volume 'A Compleat History of Stafford' (sic).

The top-tier Staffordshire County Council, and Stafford Borough Council, are both based in the town. The office of Mayor of Stafford Borough has existed since the passing of the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. The mayor of Stafford for 2016–17 is Geoffrey Collier.[15]

Stafford has its own parliamentary constituency, represented since 2010 by Jeremy Lefroy, a Conservative.

The Elizabethan Ancient High House in the town centre is the largest timber-framed town house in England.[16] It is now a museum, with changing exhibitions.

Stafford Castle was built by the Normans on the nearby hilltop to the west in about 1090, replacing the post-Conquest fort in the town. It was first made of wood, and later rebuilt of stone. It has been rebuilt twice since, and the ruins of the 19th century gothic revival castle crowning the earthworks incorporate much of the original stonework.[9] The castle has a visitor centre, with audio visual displays and hands-on items. There is also a recreated medieval herb garden and Shakespeare productions take place in the castle grounds each summer. The castle forms a landmark for drivers, as it is highly visible from the M6 motorway.

The oldest building now in Stafford is St Chad's Church, dating back into the 12th century.[17] The main part of the church is richly decorated. Carvings in the church's archways and pillars may have been made by a group of stonemasons from the Middle East who came to England during the Crusades. A great deal of the stonework was covered up during the 17th and 18th centuries, and the church took on a neo-classical style. In the early 19th century restoration, work was carried out on the church and the Norman decoration was rediscovered. The church hosts "Timewalk", a computer generated display which relates the journey of history and mystery within the walls of the church.

St Mary's, the collegiate church formerly linked to St Bertelin's chapel, was completely rebuilt in the early 13th century in a cruciform layout with an aisled nave and chancel typical of the period. It has an impressive octagonal tower, once topped by a tall steeple, which can be picked out in Gough's plan shown above. The church was effectively two churches in one, divided by a screen, with the parish using the nave and the collegiate canons using the chancel. St Mary's was restored in 1842 by Giles Gilbert Scott.[18]

The Shire Hall Gallery was built in 1798 as a court house and office of the Mayor and Clerk of Stafford.[19] It houses the Art Gallery, which shows changing exhibitions. It also contains a café and previously the town's library until its recent move to Staffordshire Place. The Shire Hall used to be the town's court house, and is a Grade II listed building. It still retains two courtrooms. One of them is open to the general public and has a permanent exhibition showing the history of the building and details of some high-profile cases that were heard there. An old 'holding cell' is also open to public viewing. In recent times, the building was used as a library prior to the construction of a new facility contained within the new council buildings.

Green Hall on Lichfield Road is a Grade II listed former manor house (now apartments) that was originally built around 1810 as Forebridge Hall. In 1880 it changed its name to Green Hall in 1880. It was previously used as a girls’ school and as council offices. [20]

The Shugborough Hall country estate is 4 miles (6.4 km) outside town. It previously belonged to the Earls of Lichfield, and is now owned by the National Trust and maintained by the leaseholder, Staffordshire County Council. The 19th century Sandon Hall is 5 miles (8.0 km) northeast of Stafford. It is set in 400 acres (1.6 km²) of parkland, and is the seat of the Earl of Harrowby. Weston Hall stands 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Stafford, in the Trent valley, with a large park and it was once part of the Chartley estate. It is believed that the main part of the hall was built around 1550 as a small dower house, however the architectural evidence suggests that it is Jacobean. Weston Hall was extended in 1660 into a three-gable structure with high-pitched roofs.[21][22]

Stafford Gatehouse Theatre is the town's main entertainment and cultural venue. The Met Studio within the Gatehouse is a dedicated venue for stand-up comedy and alternative live music. There is an art gallery in the Shire Hall. Staffordshire County Showground, just outside the town, is the venue for many national and local events. There is an annual Shakespeare Festival at Stafford Castle that has attracted many notable people, including Frank Sidebottom and Ann Widdecombe.

Victoria Park, opened in 1908, is a 13 acre (53,000 m²) Edwardian riverside park with a play park, bowling green, bird cages and greenhouses; Victoria Park has recently undergone a major redevelopment in places, incorporating a new children's play area, new sand and water jet area which has replaced the previous open-air paddling pool and also a brand new bmx/skateboard area. Stafford is also home to a 9 hole golf course near the town centre.

Recent developments on Riverside allowed for an expansion of the town, most notably a brand new Odeon cinema to replace the aging cinema located at the end of the high street. Stafford Film Theatre is based at the Gatehouse Theatre, and shows independent and alternative films. There is also a tenpin bowling alley at Greyfriars Place. The new Stafford Leisure Centre opened in 2008 on Lammascote Road.

Nightlife in the town consists of smaller bar and club venues such as Casa, the Grapes, the Picture House, neighbouring nightclubs Couture and Poptastic or catch a rock gig at live music venue Redrum. Most of these are in walking distance of each other. There is a big student patronage, with coaches bringing students from Stoke-on-Trent, Cannock, and Wolverhampton.

A new shopping centre was completed in 2017, which houses Primark, Topshop, Marks & Spencer and a number of restaurants.

Stafford FM is Stafford's community radio station, broadcasting on 107.3fm since securing an Ofcom licence in 2015. The station's studios are based in the heart of Stafford on Crabbery Street.

As with the rest of the British Isles Stafford experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. The nearest Met Office weather station is at Penkridge, about 5 miles to the south.

Stafford has a long history of shoe making. It is recorded as far back as 1476,[28] when it was a cottage industry, but the manufacturing process was introduced in the 1700s.[28] William Horton founded his business in 1767, which progressed to become the largest shoe company in Stafford, selling worldwide. He had a number of contracts with the government, through his connections with the town's MP, the famous playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan. The shoe industry gradually died out in the town, with Lotus Shoes being the last manufacturers.[29] The large Lotus Shoe factory on Sandon Road was demolished in 2001 to be replaced by housing.

In 1875, A locomotive firm called W. G. Bagnall was set up. Bagnall's manufacted steam locomotives for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and the Great Western Railway. From 1875 to 1962 the Castle Engine Works, in Castle Town, produced 1,660 locomotives including steam, diesel and electric locomotives. In 1962 Bagnall's was taken over by English Electric who also bought Stafford based engine manufacturer W.H. Dorman who by that time was merged with Bagnall's.

Since 1903, a major activity in the town has been heavy electrical engineering, particularly producing power station transformers. The works have been successively owned by Siemens, English Electric, GEC and GEC Alsthom. Alstom T&D was sold in 2004 to Areva. At the end of 2009, Areva T&D was split between former owner Alstom and Schneider Electric. Each transformer weighs several hundred tons and so a road train is used for transport. In the 1968 Hixon rail crash, one such road train was struck by an express train when it was crossing the railway at a level crossing.

Perkins Engines has a factory making diesel engines in Littleworth. Adhesives manufacturer Bostik has a large factory in the town. Stafford is also a major dormitory town for workers commuting to Stoke-on-Trent and Birmingham.

The public sector provides a lot of local employment, with Staffordshire County Council, Stafford Borough Council and Staffordshire Police all headquartered in the town. Stafford Prison, County Hospital and Beacon Barracks are other sources of local public sector employment.

The town was home to the computer science and IT campus of Staffordshire University along with Beaconside campus which used to house the Faculty of Computing Engineering and Technology and part Business School. This has all closed down and all have been transferred to Stoke-on-Trent. The only block of Stafford University left in use is the Blackheath Lane campus houses the School of Health, which teaches nursing. The main campus in Stoke-on-Trent is located about 18 miles (30 km) north.

The town centre Guildhall Shopping Centre is the town's main shopping venue, housing more than 40 retail outlets such as Boots, Topman Topshop and River Island. There are 3 major superstores that surround the main town centre, an Asda superstore, a Tesco Extra and a Sainsbury's store. They are open 24 hours with the exception of Sainsbury's. As of 2018, the town also has a large Aldi and Lidl store.

Stafford is home to three association football clubs; Stafford Rangers F.C., Brocton F.C. and Stafford Town F.C., none of which play at a fully professional level.

The town also has two rugby union clubs[57] though again they do not play at a high level.

There is also a local hockey club[58] with eight adult teams.

Stafford Post Office Rifle and Pistol Club is a Home Office Approved Rifle Club founded in 1956[59] and has its own 25yd indoor range attached to the Stafford Post Office Social Club. In addition to short range indoor shooting, the club uses a number of outdoor ranges including Kingsbury, Sennybridge and Thorpe for larger calibre long range shooting.

Stafford Cricket and Hockey Club was founded in 1864, which almost certainly makes it the oldest sports club in Stafford. The club appears to have originally played at the Lammascotes before being offered a field at the Hough (Lichfield Road/GEC site) in 1899 which belonged to the grammar school (The new ground there was opened by the mayor, a Mr Mynors in May of that year). In 1984 the club negotiated a move to Riverway in 1984 as the Hough came under the ownership of GEC. They currently own 11 acres (4 ha) at Riverway and host numerous sports all year round - they have 2 cricket pitches in the summer and in the winter host football, mini football, rugby and hockey.

In 1999 they were awarded a £200K lottery grant towards a new pavilion completed in 2000. The pavilion has 6 changing rooms and a lounge/function room for members and guests.

The cricket section always welcome new players of all abilities[60] There are four senior sides that play on a Saturday. The 1st & 2nd XIs play in the North Staffordshire and South Cheshire League.[61] The 3rd and 4th XI's play in the Stone & District Cricket League.[62] They also have a senior team on a Sunday that plays in the Lichfield Sunday League. They have five junior sides in the following age groups; Under 9, Under 11, Under 13, Under 15 & Under 17s. They are an ECB Clubmark Accredited Club.

In December 2018, a parkrun (a free weekly timed 5k run/walk) was launched in Stafford for the first time, on the Isabel Trail, a public foot/cycle path which follows part of the course of the former Stafford-Uttoxeter railway. The run/walk takes place every Saturday morning at 9.00am, and starts at the southern end of the Isabel Trail, by Sainsbury's supermarket. [63]

Although a significant number of people living and working within Stafford speak with distinctly Black Country or Stoke-on-Trent accents, there exists a very distinctive Staffordian accent, spoken by most residents, that sounds like a weaker cousin of the East Midlands family of accents. The famous stand-up comedian, author, broadcaster and Stafford native Dave Gorman has a typically Staffordian accent.

The Stafford accent may be distinguished from that of the more southern parts of Staffordshire heading towards the West Midlands, where the accent is more Black Country-influenced. The accent of Stafford is more influenced by Stoke-on-Trent, to varying extents, but less broad and perhaps more "watered-down." Those who live in Stafford tend to believe they have a more "neutral" accent, or perhaps no accent at all, but the influence of Stoke-on-Trent and nearby Stone sets it apart and distinguishes itself from more southern Staffordshire.

The Stafford knot, sometimes incorrectly referred to as the Staffordshire knot, is a distinctive three-looped knot that is the traditional symbol of the English county of Staffordshire and of its county town, Stafford. It is used by many local organisations on buildings, logos, coats of arms, etc., and is the name of a pub.

Notable people from Stafford include the 17th century author of The Compleat Angler, Izaak Walton, whose cottage at nearby Shallowford is now an angling museum, and the 18th century playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan was once the local MP. Also, the 1853 Lord Mayor of London, Thomas Sidney, was born in the town.

In the early 1900s, the village of Great Haywood near Stafford was home to the wife of famous The Lord of the Rings author J. R. R. Tolkien. He stayed with his wife, Edith, in her cottage in the village during the winter of 1916, and the surrounding areas were said to be an inspiration for some of his early works. The science fantasy author Storm Constantine is a long-time resident.

British poet, playwright and freelance writer Carol Ann Duffy, although born in Glasgow, Scotland, grew up in Stafford and attended Stafford Girls' High School. She was awarded an OBE in 1995, and a CBE in 2002. Many of her poems describe experiences and places in Stafford. She was the Poet laureate from 2009 to 2019, and now lives in Manchester.

Baron Stafford is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of England. A full schedule of over 30 of the eponymous title holders is listed at Baron Stafford rather than here, where just three are included.

• Baswich

An estate towards Rugeley and Cannock from Stafford town centre

• Beaconside
• Burton Manor
• Castle House Gardens
• Castle House Drive
• Castlefields

An estate built on the wetlands off Newport Road in the early 1990s. The roads are named after famous athletes of the time (Gunnell Close, Christie Drive etc.)

• Castletown

An estate of terraced cottages, built in the 1830s and 1840s for the influx of railway workers into the town. The estate used to have a church, St Thomas's, but this was demolished in the 1970s and replaced by the new church in Doxey. The offices of Staffordshire Newsletter now occupy the site.

• The Crossings

An estate built on the former site of Stychfields, in the grounds of the Alstom factory. It also includes a retail park.

• Coppenhall
• Coton Fields
• Doxey
• Forebridge
• Highfields

A large council estate with Wolverhampton Road at one end and Newport Road at the other. The first houses in Highfields were built c. 1955, with substantial additions (Highfields Number Two estate, as it was then known) in 1963-64. West Way is the longest street in Highfields, carving its way through the entire estate. Many of the streets in the 60s expansion of Highfields were named after poets and playwrights (Shakespeare Road, Masefield Drive, Coleridge Drive, Keats Avenue, Tennyson Road, Binyon Court, etc.) Of the older roads, the longest is Bagot's Oak, so called because of a large oak tree that was in the road. Much of the original estate was built on Preston's Farm land, and one of the bus services was still called Highfields Farm. Two residential tower blocks once stood on Milton Grove, named Binyon Court and Brooke Court. Brooke Court was primarily used as student housing, and was subsequently demolished in 1998 to make way for a new housing development. Binyon Court underwent renovations and was renamed the Keep.

• Holmcroft
• Hyde Lea
• King Edward Court
• Kingston Hill
• Littleworth
• Manor Estate
• Meadowcroft Park
• Moss Pit

Moss Pit is in southern Stafford, approximately one mile from Junction 13 of the M6 motorway; areas include the Pippins, the Chestnuts and Scholar's Gate.

• Parkside

A housing estate at the extreme north of the town. It has two entrances from the A513 Beaconside Road, forming a U-shape. The estate has access to many green areas, including three parks, a green and access to Stafford Common. There is also a primary school (Parkside Primary School) on the estate and access to Sir Graham Balfour School which was totally rebuilt in 2001. Some of the school grounds were sold off when the old school was demolished to build the Oaks housing estate which is adjacent to Parkside. There is also a precinct of shops and the northern terminus of the number 10 bus route (Parkside - Trinity Fields - Stone Road - Stafford town centre). The Parkside estate was built in the 1970s and has a selection of different types of housing: detached, semi-detached, flats and modern terraced housing.

• Queensville
• Rising Brook
• Rickerscote

Rickerscote used to have a lane running from the Silkmore estate heading towards the area where the bridge to Argos is. This area is known to many as the village, and there is a shop that serves the people. Rickerscote is home to a large area of grassland know locally as the green.

Other locally well-known areas of here are the Conker Tree, Boulton's Farm, Devil's Triangle and the Metal Bridge.

• Rowley Park
• Silkmore

Silkmore is between Rickerscote and Meadowcroft, with the distant Rising Brook to its side. The local primary school is Silkmore and the area has a selection of shops, ranging from the local butchers to a Chinese. The area has seen a development programme to upgrade the exteriors of the blocks of flats and the development of houses on Exeter Street alongside flats on Sidney Avenue.

An area of Silkmore is renowned for flooding, namely the area where the Southend Club used to stand. This has now been replaced with new homes. Other areas of the estate that no longer exist are the Pioneer, the Garage and Finney's Farm. These have all now been replaced by homes or the Co-op.

• St. George's

A housing development close to the St George's Hospital. The main throughway is St. George's Parkway. The housing is a mixture of modern buildings of various types, including a modern interpretation of a Georgian crescent. Work has begun on restoring the old St. George's Hospital building (disused since 1995) into luxury flats.

• Tillington, Staffordshire
• Trinity Fields
• The Oaks

An estate off the A34 near Sir Graham Balfour School in the extreme north of Stafford.

• Walton on the Hill

Walton on the Hill is to the south of Stafford bordering Milford. Walton High School is specialist science school.

• Weeping Cross

Weeping Cross is an estate on the east side of Stafford, off Radford Bank, towards Rugeley and Cannock. It also holds Leasowes Primary School and St Anne's Catholic Primary School.

• Western Downs

An estate on the edge of Stafford that borders on Highfields and the M6 motorway. A large green area with two football pitches and a basketball court known as the 'Bottom Pitches' can be found in Western Downs along with Rainbow Park on Clarendon Drive, and Dome Park on Torridge Drive. Until the council built a play area they were the main footballing locations on the estate.

• Wildwood

A large estate with a ring road that joins onto the A34 road. The estate was built around the 1970s and housed a lot of the Stafford police force as the Staffordshire Police HQ was on the opposite side of the A34 road.

Stafford is twinned with:

• Stafford rail crash
• HMP Stafford
• Etymological list of counties of the United Kingdom
• Stafford (UK Parliament constituency)
• Listed buildings in Stafford (Central Area)
• Listed buildings in Stafford (Outer Area)

• Official website
• Stafford Gatehouse Theatre
• Stafford Cricket Club
• Stafford Post Office Rifle & Pistol Club
• St. Chad's Church
• Stafford Borough Council site with short history of the town