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Stafford Castle, Staffordshire, England: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stafford_Castle_2.jpgAuthor: Simon Huguet
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, England. This town of 65,000 people (2012 estimate) is about 26 km (16 mi) north of Wolverhampton and 29 km (18 mi) south of Stoke-on-Trent. It is the fourth largest town in Staffordshire behind Stoke-on-Trent, Tamworth and Newcastle under Lyme.
Stafford is situated on the River Sow, a tributary of the River Trent. Its history goes back to the Anglo-Saxon period. It was founded by Bertelian, a prince of the Saxon kingdom of Mercia, in AD 700. In AD 913, Æthelflæd, the eldest daughter of King Alfred the Great of Wessex, established a burh at Stafford. Staffordshire was formed about this period.
The Normans conquered the area in 1066, but faced resistance fighter Eadric the Wild, who rose in rebellion against the Normans at the Battle of Stafford in 1069. Having put down any oppostion to their rule, the Normans erected Stafford Castle in 1090.
King John of England granted a Royal Charter to Stafford in 1206, making it a borough. During the English Civil War, it was initially under the control of King Charles I before it was captured by the Parliamentarians. During the Industrial Revolution, Stafford has a shoe-making industry. The first railway line connected the town to Birmingham and Warrington in 1937.
Today Stafford is a charming, well-preserved town. This makes it a popular tourist destination.
Ancient High House, Stafford: Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Stafford-ancient-high-house.jpgAuthor: Stocksy
Visiting Stafford
From London, take the M1 motorway to Junction 19, then continue on the M6 motorway till Junction 13. Head north on the A449 road to reach Stafford.
County buildings on Martin Street, Stafford: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:County_Buildings,_Martin_Street,_Stafford_-_geograph.org.uk_-_907045.jpgAuthor: Simon Huguet
Places of Interest in Stafford
- Elizabethan Ancient High House: The largest timber-framed town house in England.
- Shire Hall Gallery: Civic building from 1798. It once housed the court and office of the mayor. Today it is a Grade II listed building.
- Shugborough Hall: Country estate about 6.4 km outside Stafford, now owned by the National Trust.
- St Chad's Church: Oldest building in Stafford, dating to the 12th century.
- St Mary's Church: Collegiate church dating to the early 13th century.
- Stafford Castle: Norman castle on a hilltop to the west of Stafford, It was erected in 1090.
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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.
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