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Map sources for Wollaston, West Midlands at grid reference SO888849

Wollaston is a village and suburb of Stourbridge, in West Midlands, England. It is within Dudley Metropolitan Borough.

It is situated on the border between Dudley Metropolitan Borough and Staffordshire County (South Staffordshire district), and until 1974 was in Worcestershire. The Stourbridge to Bridgnorth A458 road runs through the village.

Wollaston is 1 mile from Stourbridge town centre. The nearest train station is Stourbridge Town, and several Travel West Midlands and Hansons bus services from Stourbridge run through the village.

Three primary schools serve Wollaston: St. James's CofE Primary, Beauty Bank Primary, and The Ridge Primary. Concerning secondary schools, the village is primarily served by Ridgewood High School.

In 2004, a book titled A History Of Wollaston was published about the village's history by "HOW" (The History of Wollaston Group).

Contents 1 Wollaston Hall 2 Birthplace of Steam Locomotive 3 Kinver Light Railway 4 Wollaston Illuminations 5 References 6 External Links 7 See Also

Wollaston is locally famous for Wollaston Hall, which once stood in the village but was disassembled and shipped abroad to an unknown location in North America. It has been established that panelling and a fireplace from the Hall are now in Edsel Ford's house in Grosse Point in Michigan, a building that bears a striking resemblance to the original Hall.^[1]

The Stourbridge Lion, built in Wollaston, was the first steam locomotive to run on a commercial line in the United States. Built by Foster, Rastrick & Co. in 1829, the Stourbridge Lion's historic first run took place on August 8th. The foundry where the Stourbridge Lion was built stands to this day but is now under threat of demolition. The Grade II listed building has been vandalised since the last business went bankrupt and is in a sorry state. Local historian Dr Paul Collins believes the site is of huge historical importance and should be developed into a heritage centre and exhibition to celebrate this unique piece of history. The locomotive is now on view at then B&O Railroad museum, Baltimore MD, on loan from the Smithsonian Institute, Washington.

Between 1901 and 1930 Wollaston was served by an electric tramway, the Kinver Light Railway.

Wollaston is home to the locally famous "Wollaston Illuminations" in Leonard Road in the village, where the annual Christmas lights attract people from all over the Black Country to raise money for a chosen charity. The Stourbridge celebrity Johnny Briggs, who played Mike Baldwin in the ITV soap Coronation Street has switched the lights on several times over the years, and they are often featured on the BBC Midlands Today news program.

In 2006 many of the residents of Leonard Road decided to cancel the illuminations as a protest to hot food and drink vendors 'cashing in' on the fundraising event which in past years, has raised large sums for charity. ^[2]

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ Express and Star "Festive Lights Switched Off article - 25th October 2006

• History of Wollaston Group
• Edsel Ford's House

• A History of Wollaston, H.O.W. Group ISBN 0-9547053-0-0