AMBLECOTE HISTORY SOCIETY OFFICIAL SITE

Amblecote is a Location in the Midlands of England within the Black Country

Amblecote was named by the Saxons at the site of an earlier original Anclent British settlement. It is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as the manor of 'Elmlecote' in south Staffordshire on the border with north Worcestershire. After many years as an agricultural village the 17th century saw Amblecote embrace the Industrial Revolution and become a place of mines and factories, most notably producing coal, clay, bricks, iron, sand and glassware - although it never entirely lost its rural character. By the late 19th century Amblecote had become an Urban District with 3,000 inhabitants reputedly the smallest in England. Nevertheless, civic pride remained a vital local force until in 1966 the UDC was divided between the nearby towns of Stourbridge and Brierley Hill. A further amalgamation occurred in 1974 when the new and artificial 'County of West Midlands' was created to unify the urban areas of Birmingham and the Black Country. Stourbridge, along with Amblecote and many other once independent localities was unnaturally incorporated into the Metropolitan Borough of 'Dudley'. The future of Amblecote in the 21st Century is unclear as 'Dudley' itself may be amalgamated into the 'Birmingham City Region'. Amblecote History Society exists to preserve and protect the heritage of the area.