| AdminHistory | Amblecote lies in an area near Stourbridge that produced quality clay that was free from alkalis and resistant to strong heating The area in and around Amblecote had extensive fireclay and coal works. It is known that that fireclay and coal extractions have taken place in this area for at least three hundred years, mainly due to the fact that the clay in this area, due to its unusual chemical composition, made it very resistant to strong heating. This made it perfect for producing, for example, the bricks that lined the glass making furnaces for which this area was famous. The clay, along with coal, was usually mined using the open-cast method. In 1966, the company was known as 'Rounds Fire-Clay (Stourbridge) Ltd.' It was around this time that controversy raged over proposals to close nearly a mile of Vicarage Road, Amblecote, to mine underneath it and replace it with a new loop road that would bypass the mined area. There were also objections from local residents regarding the filling in of the holes that were left. Apparently, foreign material was being used as infill, rather than the original soil. |