Stroud, England
Stroud is a town in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District.The town of Stroud is notable for its steep streets, being perched on the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills. Historically, Stroud is a cloth town; power for woollen mills was provided by the numerous small rivers which surge down the hillside. Particularly noteworthy was the production of military uniforms in the trademark "Stroudwater Scarlet" colour.
There is still a small textile industry (the green baize cloth used to cover snooker tables is made here), but today, the town functions primarily as a centre for light engineering and small-scale manufacturing, and a provider of services for the surrounding villages. The town's bimonthly Farmers' Market, which was launched in 1999, was nominated for Farmers Market of the Year in 2001. Stroud railway station (on the Gloucester-Swindon line) was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
The town's most famous sons and residents are authors. Those born in the area, or who lived there while writing, include Laurie Lee, Jilly Cooper, Jasper Fforde and the Reverend Wilbert Vere Awdry.