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Stourbridge
The large town of Stourbridge can be found in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in West Midlands. With a populace of 55,480, Stourbridge contains the suburbs of Lye, Amblecote, Hagley and Wollescote.
Stourbridge takes its name from the River Stour which flows through the town. The river acted as the border between Worcestershire and Staffordshire for centuries. In 1966, the border was moved around two miles north in 1966, when Amblecote Urban District was incorporated into the Borough of Stourbridge.
Glass has been manufactured in the town since the early 1600s. In the 1861 census, 1,032 residents of Stourbridge were involved in the glass industry in some way. Stourbridge glass is recognised as amongst the finest in the world and is often used as gifts for visiting dignitaries and royalty. In recent years, the trade has almost collapsed in Stourbridge as glassmaking companies move abroad.
To carry on the tradition of Stourbridge glass, there is a Festival of Glass held every two years which exhibits the work created by UK contemporary glass artists. In 2004, the British Glass Biennale was set up to be a part of the Festival. Before this, there had been no major review of the British glass scene since 1993, so this was welcomed and is a popular part of the show.