River Stour

The River Stour winds for about forty kilometres through Worcestershire, the West Midlands and Staffordshire. It begins high on the Clent Hills near St Kenelm’s Church in Romsley, then descends north-east through Halesowen and the Black Country. The river passes through Cradley, Lye and Stourbridge, where glassworks once lined its banks. It is shadowed for several kilometres by the Stourbridge Canal before leaving the conurbation at Wollaston. The Stour then turns south, closely followed by the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. The Stour’s history is tied to industry and boundary disputes. For centuries mills powered by the river ground corn and forged iron. The Domesday Book records two corn mills at Kinver, and by the 17th century slitting and blade mills spread along the valley. Names like Dud Dudley and the Foley family appear in early iron experiments on the Stour. The river also marked county borders, separating Worcestershire from Staffordshire and an old Shropshire exclave that included Halesowen until the 19th century. Today the Stour is recovering its wildlife. After decades of chemical pollution from local industries, kingfishers and grey herons have returned. Recent sightings of salmon and trout suggest the river is healing. Walkers can follow the towpaths beside the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, while the sandstone aqueduct near Smestow Brook offers a striking view. In Kidderminster the river briefly disappears beneath the canal before reappearing to join the Severn at Stourport.