Oldswinford

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The name Oldswinford is now used for a small area of Stourbridge, close to the parish church.

Originally, it was an extensive ancient parish, covering the whole of the former Municipal Borough of Stourbridge, except Pedmore. This included Wollaston, Lye, and Norton (which were part of the same manor), and Stourbridge, and Amblecote, which were separate manors.

Amblecote was formerly in Staffordshire, but the rest of the parish (south of the River Stour was in Worcestershire. Both Stourbridge and Amblecote townships were formerly administered separately from the rest of Oldswinford. The Parish Church of Oldswinford is St Mary's Church.

The name was sometimes formerly written Old Swinford. This spelling is used for Old Swinford Hospital, a voluntary aided school with boarding houses, founded and endowed by the ironmaster, Thomas Foley. The parish name and that of Kingswinford derive from a swine ford, which is probably the same crossing of the river Stour that gave rise to the name Stourbridge.

Today, there are still numerous pre-1900 buildings remaining in Oldswinford. The area has also been heavily developed for upmarket private housing since the 1920s.