North Staffordshire

For the former parliamentary constituency, see North Staffordshire (UK Parliament constituency).

North Staffordshire describes an area of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It consists of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire Moorlands and the City of Stoke-on-Trent.[1] The Stoke and Newcastle areas make up The Potteries Urban Area, whilst the Moorlands are largely rural.

The Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme had a 2001 census population of 122,040.[2] The population of Stoke-on-Trent was 240,636,[3] whilst the Staffordshire Moorlands population was 94,489.[4] This gave an area wide population of 457,165 at 2001.

Industries

North Staffordshire industries of the 20th century included the potteries (ceramics), coal mining and steel production. Pottery companies from the area include Royal Doulton, Wedgwood, Portmerrion, Wade and the Johnson Brothers, who were all based in the pottery towns in North Staffordshire. By 2002 there had been a complete loss of coal mining and steel production. Ceramics production once employed 70,000 in around 200 firms, but at 2011 there were only 30 large firms remaining. Major employment sectors are now distribution, leisure, online services, higher education, healthcare, engineering, and a diminished ceramics sector. The area has ambitions to develop its high-growth knowledge-based industries in future. The area is also home to JCB Excavators, a major UK manufacturer and local employer.

Transport

Transport for the area during the Industrial Revolution was initially based on canals from the 18th century, with the Trent and Mersey canal connecting the Mersey with the River Trent. The restored canals now offer green leisure transport routes, and they carry around 10,000 narrowboat pleasure trips each year. The Railways arrived in the 1850s. Railways still serve the area, with frequent intercity trains from Stoke-on-Trent to London, Birmingham and Birmingham International Airport, and Manchester as well as the East-West line linking to Crewe and Derby via Uttoxeter. The area is served by the M6 motorway and the A50 dual carriageway, making an easy drive from the East Midlands Airport to the East, Manchester to the North, and Birmingham to the South.

Education

The region is home to two universities, Keele University and Staffordshire University at Stoke-on-Trent, and also the major University Hospital of North Staffordshire.

References

  1. ↑ "North Staffordshire Profile". Stoke-on-Trent City Council. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  2. ↑ "Newcastle-under-Lyme Social Profile" (PDF). Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council. Retrieved 2007-01-21.
  3. ↑ "Key Figures for 2001 Census: Key Statistics". National Statistics. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  4. ↑ "Key Figures for 2001 Census: Key Statistics". National Statistics. Retrieved 2007-05-20.

Coordinates: 53°00′N 2°06′W / 53.0°N 2.1°W / 53.0; -2.1

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