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'''Redditch''' is a town and [[Non-metropolitan district|local government district]] in north-east [[Worcestershire]], England, approximately {{convert|15|mi|km}} south of [[Birmingham]]. The district had a [[population]] of 84,300 in 2011. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the [[Sewing needle|needle]] and fishing tackle industry. At one point 90% of the world's needles were manufactured in the town and its neighbourhoods.<ref>[http://www.forgemill.org.uk/ Forge Mill museum] Retrieved 28 May 2011</ref>
'''Redditch''' is a town and [[Non-metropolitan district|local government district]] in north-east [[Worcestershire]], England, approximately {{convert|15|mi|km}} south of [[Birmingham]]. The district had a [[population]] of 84,300 in 2011. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the [[Sewing needle|needle]] and fishing tackle industry. At one point 90% of the world's needles were manufactured in the town and its neighbourhoods.<ref>[http://www.forgemill.org.uk/ Forge Mill museum] Retrieved 28 May 2011</ref>
In the 1960s it became a model for modern [[new town]] planning.
In the 1960s it became a model for modern [[new town]] planning. The main road in Redditch is, [[Evesham Road (A441)|Evesham Road]] which, even after major New Town alteration, is still a major link in the town.


==Geography==
==Geography==
Redditch lies just south of the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]] urban area but is not part of it (being in Worcestershire), 15 miles north of [[Evesham]] on the [[A435 road|A435]], which skirts it to the east. The main route of access is the [[A441 road|A441]], a trunk road from Birmingham to Cookhill, via junction 2 of the [[M42 motorway|M42]] [[Motorway]]. The [[Roman Road]] known as [[Icknield Street]] is prominent, running north to south through the eastern side of the town.
Redditch lies just south of the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]] urban area but is not part of it (being in Worcestershire), 15 miles north of [[Evesham]] on the [[A435 road|A435]], which skirts it to the east. The main route of access is the [[A441 road|A441]](known locally as [[Evesham Road (A441)|Evesham Road), a trunk road from Birmingham to Cookhill, via junction 2 of the [[M42 motorway|M42]] [[Motorway]]. The [[Roman Road]] known as [[Icknield Street]] is prominent, running north to south through the eastern side of the town.


===Climate===
===Climate===

Revision as of 20:08, 23 October 2013

Borough of Redditch
Town & Borough
Nickname: 
The Ditch[citation needed]
Borough of Redditch shown within Worcestershire

Borough of Redditch shown within Worcestershire
CountryUnited Kingdom
Constituent CountryEngland
RegionWest Midlands
Ceremonial CountyWorcestershire
DistrictRedditch Borough
Government
Leadership
Leader & Cabinet
 • TypeBorough
 • Executive (2006)Cllr Bill Hartnett(C)
 • MP(Con)
Area
(Ranked 240th)
 • Admin (Borough)20.95 sq mi (54.25 km2)
Population
(Ranked 273rd)
 • Admin (Borough)87,132
 • Density4,160/sq mi (1,606/km2)
 • Ethnicity
94.8% White
2.7% S.Asian
Geographic coordinates52°19′N 1°56′W / 52.317°N 1.933°W / 52.317; -1.933
ONS code47UD (ONS)
E07000236 (GSS)

Redditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately 15 miles (24 km) south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 84,300 in 2011. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry. At one point 90% of the world's needles were manufactured in the town and its neighbourhoods.[1] In the 1960s it became a model for modern new town planning. The main road in Redditch is, Evesham Road which, even after major New Town alteration, is still a major link in the town.

Geography

Redditch lies just south of the West Midlands urban area but is not part of it (being in Worcestershire), 15 miles north of Evesham on the A435, which skirts it to the east. The main route of access is the A441(known locally as [[Evesham Road (A441)|Evesham Road), a trunk road from Birmingham to Cookhill, via junction 2 of the M42 Motorway. The Roman Road known as Icknield Street is prominent, running north to south through the eastern side of the town.

Climate

Redditch experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.

Climate data for Redditch
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 7
(45) 		8
(46) 		11
(52) 		13
(55) 		16
(61) 		19
(66) 		22
(72) 		22
(72) 		18
(64) 		14
(57) 		10
(50) 		7
(45) 		14
(57)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 3
(37) 		2
(36) 		4
(39) 		4
(39) 		7
(45) 		10
(50) 		12
(54) 		12
(54) 		10
(50) 		8
(46) 		5
(41) 		3
(37) 		7
(45)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 37.6
(1.48) 		25.4
(1.00) 		24.3
(0.96) 		32.4
(1.28) 		27.1
(1.07) 		35.8
(1.41) 		31.0
(1.22) 		38.5
(1.52) 		39.9
(1.57) 		43.8
(1.72) 		36.7
(1.44) 		33.1
(1.30) 		405.6
(15.97)
Source: [2]

Districts of Redditch

The Borough of Redditch is divided into many districts. To the east of the town are 'New Town Districts' built between the 1970s and 1980s. To the west of the Borough there are older 'Former Village Districts' that dominant the more affluent[citation needed] south and west.

See: Districts of Redditch

Since 2011, Redditch has formed part of the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership along with neighbouring authorities Birmingham, Bromsgrove, Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Solihull, Tamworth and Wyre Forest.

History

Commemorative pavement plaque in Alcester Street
Church Green and St. Stephen's Church in central Redditch

The first recorded mention of Redditch ("Red-Dych", thought to be a reference to the red clay of the nearby River Arrow) is in 1348, the year of the outbreak of the Black Death. During the Middle Ages it became a centre of needle-making and later prominent industries were fish-hooks, fishing tackle, motorcycles and springs, the latter notably by Herbert Terry and Sons. It was designated a new town in 1964 and the population increased dramatically from 32,000 to around 77,000. Housing developments such as Church Hill, Matchborough, Winyates, Lodge Park and Woodrow were created to accommodate the large overspill from an industrially expanding Birmingham. Redditch was built as a 'flagship' town using new methods and new town planning; all the main roads (mostly new dual carriageways as well as a ring road for the town centre) in Redditch were banked to reduce noise to the new housing estates and the whole of Redditch was landscaped.

By the 21st century needle-making and other traditional industries had been replaced by modern light industry and services, with Redditch also functioning as a dormitory town for Birmingham. The automotive retailer Halfords and engineering giant GKN both have their headquarters in Redditch. Manufacturer of precious metal contacts Samuel Taylor Ltd has manufacturing plants within the town. Following the redevelopment of the flagship Kingfisher Shopping Centre in 2002 Redditch is undergoing an economic and cultural renaissance.

The town is home to several historical sites. The National Needle Museum and the ruins of Bordesley Abbey are located in the Abbey Ward district of Redditch), and the remains of a medieval moated settlement called Moons Moat is situated within the Church Hill estate.

Politics

The parliamentary constituency of Redditch is represented by Karen Lumley of the Conservatives, who defeated the Labour incumbent and former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith in the 2010 General Election.[3]

Redditch has a Borough Council with councillors elected from the Wards of Redditch.

Transport

Located in the heart of England, Redditch is an ideal point of departure for destinations in the surrounding region. The M42 motorway is a short drive away and it is linked by dual carriageways and A-class roads to surrounding towns such as Bromsgrove and Evesham. There are regular bus services to Studley, Bromsgrove, Catshill and Birmingham.

Railway

The Cross-City Line provides a regular train service via Birmingham New Street to Lichfield. Redditch railway station, the southern terminus of the line, was first opened as the terminus of the Redditch Railway on 19 September 1859, alongside what is now Clive Road. This first station stayed until 4 May 1868 when the last section from Alcester to Redditch of the Redditch and Evesham Railway was closed, at which point a second station was built alongside the junction of Bromsgrove Road and Plymouth Road. This station was provided with a standard Midland Railway design and two platforms. The current station, built in 1993, offers little more than a ticket office and a store.

Buses

The former Redditch Bus Station, circa 1996

There is an extensive network of local bus services run by Red Diamond, First and other operators (including Hardings Coaches, Johnsons Excel Bus). Many services run from the bus station in the town centre, a postcard of which was voted Britain's most boring postcard in a competition run by the photographer Martin Parr. The bus station was rebuilt as part of the 2002 shopping centre expansion.

Some areas of Redditch have dedicated bus routes; however, there have been issues with safety on these routes and 3 children have died over the past 15 years.[4] A campaign group called The Redditch Foundation is being set up to campaign for better safety on the bus routes.[4]

Road system

Redditch is occasionally noted for its confusing road system dominated by a system of dual carriageways built when it became a New Town, including the only cloverleaf interchange in England at the junction of the A441 and the Bromsgrove-bound A448. The system is designed to allow rapid flow of large volumes of traffic around the various districts and into the town centre, whilst keeping fast moving vehicles separated from residential streets. Due to the self-similar appearance of the road layout, some drivers find it disorientating, although the story of an elderly couple admitted to hospital with severe dehydration after spending more than sixty hours trying to navigate the highway system is an urban legend. Redditch was briefly famous (via The Graham Norton Show) for a tongue-in-cheek calendar featuring its "picturesque" roundabouts created by a local printing company. The calendar was called, unsurprisingly, 'Roundabouts of Redditch' and it proved so successful that it sparked a national series. This self-similar pattern is found on a smaller scale in many of the modern estates in the town, which follow a Radburn style of planned community.

Education

See also List of schools in Worcestershire

Redditch schools operate a three-tier system, where students attend first school from the age of five, middle school from the age of nine, and secondary school at the age of 13. Other areas of Worcestershire adopted this system at the same time as Redditch (in the 1970s), but many have reverted to the traditional 5-7 infant, 7-11 junior and 11-16/18 secondary schools.

Redditch currently has four secondary schools, Saint Augustine's High School, Kingsley College, Trinity High School and RSA Academy Arrow Vale.

North East Worcestershire College (often referred to locally as "NEW College") is a large general further education college: one of its two campuses is in central Redditch; the other is in Bromsgrove.

Malcolm Bradbury's novel The History Man, which was dramatised by the BBC in 1981, contained a reference to Redditch when Flora Beniform, a sociologist, mentioned to the hero Howard Kirk that she was studying an outbreak of troilism in Redditch. It is also mentioned in the John Cooper Clarke song, 'Burnley'.

Rik Mayall's Kevin Turvey — The Man Behind The Green Door was set and filmed in Redditch.

2012 film Sightseers is partly set in Redditch.

Redditch is featured in a section heading in An Utterly Impartial History of Britain by John O'Farrell.[5]

Places of interest

Kingfisher Shopping Centre

Worcester Square

Kingfisher Shopping Centre was opened in 1976 by the then Prime Minister James Callaghan and now forms the town's primary retail centre. It is well known for its palm trees in the centre's Worcester Square.

The centre has over 1,100,000 square feet (100,000 m2) of retail space,[6] with stores like Debenhams, Argos, Boots UK, Clarks, H&M, The Perfume Shop and Warren James Jewellers making it one of the largest covered shopping centres in the United Kingdom. In 2007, a cinema opened on the new upper floor.

Arrow Valley Country Park

View across Arrow Valley Lake

Redditch benefits from 900 acres (3.6 km2) of public open space in Arrow Valley Country Park. This incorporates the 30-acre (120,000 m2) Arrow Valley Lake, fed from the River Arrow. The park incorporates a Local Nature Reserve, Proctor's Barn Meadow.[7] The Arrow Valley Countryside centre, opened in 2000, in the Country Park has a lakeside café, gift shop and an interactive exhibition. The lake is also used for water sports. There are 4 beautiful way marked trails used for walking and cycling around the lake and through the Country Park. There is a skate park in the south of the Park with walks the length of the river Arrow through the Country Park to the Forge Mill Museum in the north. There are interactive events and family activities to get involved in at the Countryside Centre and a comprehensive children's play area.

Royal Enfield motorcycles

Redditch was the home of the Royal Enfield motorcycle. This is where the main factory of the original company was located and the business continued manufacturing through the sixties, the last model being the Interceptor. The Redditch factory was closed in 1967 and production was moved to the Bradford on Avon factory, which also ended in 1970 thereby ending English Enfield manufacturing. In the mid fifties, the Company established a partner, Madras Motors in Madras, India, who manufactured the Bullet 350 model. The Indian factory is still very successful, with new Indian models and has taken Royal Enfield into its third century of manufacturing. Some of the original factory buildings in Redditch still remain, most are in a derelict state and can be seen from Hewell Road. Some buildings have been taken over and now make the old part of Enfield Industrial Estate close to the town centre on Hewell Road.

Notable people


Town twinning

In 1956 Redditch was twinned with Auxerre in Burgundy, France. This twinning proved sufficiently popular to form an organisation named The Friends of Auxerre (FoA). At the beginning of June each year the coupling of these two towns is officially celebrated.

In 1986 Redditch was twinned with Mtwara in Tanzania. Frequent events are organised with assistance from the community of Tanzanian students at Birmingham University and Selly Oak College.

Redditch also has formal "Friendship" links[15] with:

Sport

Redditch sport teams include:

Redditch RFC Redditch CC

See also

References

  1. ^ Forge Mill museum Retrieved 28 May 2011
  2. ^ "Averages for Redditch".
  3. ^ "Former home secretary Jacqui Smith loses seat to Tories". BBC News. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  4. ^ a b "Marching for safer bus route" (PDF). Redditch Standard. 20 August 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2008. [dead link]
  5. ^ England Divided into Separate Kingdoms: no one wants Redditch, p49
  6. ^ "Major UK Shopping Transaction with Prudential" (PDF). Liberty International. 2005-03. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-10-27. Retrieved 2008-02-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ Redditch Borough Council web site - Arrow Valley Park habitats
  8. ^ Bonham, Mick. Bonham by Bonham: My Brother John (Solihull: Icarus Publications, 2003). ISBN 0-9545717-0-3
  9. ^ Clute and Nicholls's Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (1993)
  10. ^ Rallybase web site
  11. ^ TV.com - Rik Mayall Biography
  12. ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
  13. ^ See Jacqui Smith MP's web site archived on Wayback Machine. Note though Ms Smith's actual place of residence was subject to some controversy in 2009, see her article.
  14. ^ "British towns twinned with French towns". Archant Community Media Ltd. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  15. ^ More Information on "Friendship Links"
  16. ^ "Redditch Roller Sports Club homepage".
  17. ^ "Bromsgrove and Redditch Athletic Club homepage".
  18. ^ Redditch Swimming Club web site
  19. ^ Redditch Road and Path Cycling Club web site
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