Cheap Hotels in Staffordshire

Situated on a plain drained by the River Trent, Staffordshire is a large rural county, with a concentration of industry around Stoke-on-Trent. The county is bounded on the north by the Pennine Hills and the Peak District National Park, and on the south by Cannock Chase, a forest with some heathland areas. The Trent is the third-longest river in England, and it rises on Biddulph Moor in the north of the county, before flowing south-east until it reaches Burton upon Trent, where it becomes navigable.

Stone Age burial grounds and a number of Iron Age hill forts are known in the county. Roman villa remains have also been identified, and from the 7th to the 9th centuries Staffordshire was part of the Saxon Kingdom of Mercia. The Danes plundered the area from the 9th to 11th century, and during this period the town of Stafford was founded. The Industrial Revolution of the 18th century saw the county becoming the home of English porcelain and pottery-makers, including the Wedgwood, Spode and Minton factories.

The Staffordshire economy is now mainly supported by agriculture with new light industries taking over from historic trades set up during the Industrial Revolution. Stoke-on-Trent is still England's pottery centre however, and Burton upon Trent, famous for its beer, is a major centre for brewing.