Staffordshire

I

Introduction

Staffordshire (abbreviation, Staffs), county, west Midlands of England, bounded by Cheshire to the north, Derbyshire and Warwickshire to the east, Worcestershire and the unitary authorities of West Midlands metropolitan county to the south, and Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin to the west. Staffordshire today is geographically a largely rural county, except for a concentration of industry around Stoke-on-Trent. In the local government reorganization of 1974 the county lost Wolverhampton, Walsall, and West Bromwich, and their surrounds, to the new metropolitan county of West Midlands. In a new round of local government reforms, implemented on April 1, 1997, Stoke-on-Trent was administratively separated from Staffordshire (see Stoke-on-Trent (borough)). However, Stoke-on-Trent remains part of Staffordshire geographically, and for ceremonial and related purposes. Staffordshire has a geographical area of 2,716 sq km (1,049 sq mi); the area administered by the county council (that is, excluding Stoke-on-Trent) is 2,623 sq km (1,013 sq mi).

II

Land and Resources

In the north of the county are bleak moorlands that form the southern tip of the Pennines, and which are part of the Peak District National Park. These uplands, rising to a height of 550 m (1,800 ft), are formed of grit and limestone. Evidence of the faults and folds that formed the hills in this area can be made out distinctly on Apes Tor, a rock face in the gorge of the River Manifold. A short distance further south is the coalfield surrounding Stoke-on-Trent, consisting of sandstones, clays, and shales, interspersed with seams of coal. The central agricultural area is undulating, with underlying sandstone and marl. Cannock Chase, in the south of the county, is a forest with some heathland areas. It is based on pebble strata, with hills rising to a height of 180 to 210 m (600 to 700 ft).

The main Staffordshire river is the Trent, the third-longest river in England, which rises on Biddulph Moor in the north of the county near the Cheshire border, and flows south-east until it reaches Burton upon Trent, where it becomes navigable. Its tributaries include the Dove, the Blythe, and the Sow, on which Stafford stands. The Stafford and Worcester Canal and the Trent and Mersey Canal (Grand Junction Canal) cross the county.

Kinver Edge, in the far south of the county, is a sandstone ridge covered in wood and heath, from where there are spectacular views across Shropshire and the west Midlands. There are caves in the sandstone that may have been used by prehistoric peoples. The Countryside Agency has designated Cannock Chase as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Staffordshire Way, a path for walkers, stretches from Kinver Edge on the Hereford-Worcester boundary northward to Mow Cop, and under various names reaches the northern county border with Derbyshire and Cheshire.

Staffordshire has a moderate, temperate climate. Average annual rainfall over the county is about 760 to 1,000 mm (30 to 40 in).

III

Wildlife

Red, roe, and muntjac deer, and Britain’s largest herd of fallow deer, are to be found on Cannock Chase, an area of ancient forest and heathland that is now a nature reserve. Stafford Doxey Marshes, a site of Special Scientific Interest, near Stafford, is a mixture of meadows, marshes, and pools, where much birdlife can be observed. In the north another nature reserve is to be found at Hawksmoor, and at Moorlands Farm Park, west of Stoke-on-Trent, rare breeds of cattle, pigs, and other farm animals can be seen.

IV

Population and Administration

The population of the geographical county is about 1,047,400 (2000 estimate), of whom 806,737 live in the area administered by the county council. The main towns are Stoke-on-Trent (2001, 240,643), Newcastle-under-Lyme (2001, 122,040), Stafford (2001, 120,653), Lichfield (2001, 93,237), and Tamworth (1991, 68,440). Other towns of note include Burton upon Trent (1991, 60,525), Cannock (2001, 92,126), Leek (1991, 18,167), Rugeley (1991, 22,975), and Stone (1991, 12,305). Stoke-on-Trent, which has city status as well as separate administrative status, is the name now given collectively to the six towns of Stoke-upon-Trent, Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton, and Tunstall, which were federated in 1910 and gained city status in 1925. These towns existed previously as individual communities, and are known collectively as the Staffordshire Potteries, or just “the Potteries”.

Until April 1, 1997, Staffordshire was administered by a county council, based in Stafford, and nine district councils: Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, South Staffordshire, Stafford, Staffordshire Moorlands, Stoke-on-Trent, and Tamworth. However, on that date, and as a result of the recommendations of the Local Government Commission, established in 1992 to review the structure of local government in England, Stoke-on-Trent was separated administratively from the rest of the county. The new Stoke-on-Trent City Council is now a unitary authority, responsible for all local government services in its area, including those previously provided by the county council. The rest of the county has retained the two-tier structure of county and district councils. The police authority is the Staffordshire Police, with headquarters at Stafford. Crown Courts sit in Stafford and at Stoke-on-Trent.