Tamworth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For other places named Tamworth, see Tamworth (disambiguation).
| Borough of Tamworth | |
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 Shown within Staffordshire |
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| Geography | |
| Status: | Non-metropolitan district, Borough |
| Region: | West Midlands |
| Admin. County: | Staffordshire |
| Area: - Total |
Ranked 336th 30.85 km² |
| Admin. HQ: | Tamworth |
| ONS code: | 41UK |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total (2005 est.) - Density |
Ranked 307th 74,200 2,405 / km² |
| Ethnicity: | 98.1% White |
| Politics | |
| Tamworth Borough Council http://www.tamworth.gov.uk/ |
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| Leadership: | Leader & Cabinet |
| Executive: | Conservative |
| MP: | Brian Jenkins |
  Map sources for Tamworth at grid reference SK2203
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Tamworth is an historic town and local government district in Staffordshire, UK, located 27 km (17 miles) northeast of Birmingham and 198 km (123 miles) northwest of London. The town gained its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker. At the 2001 census the town had a population of 74,531.
Tamworth is the home of the historic Tamworth Castle and Moat House, and has a non-league football team, Tamworth FC. It is also home to the Snowdome, the first real-snow indoor ski slope in Western Europe, and Drayton Manor Theme Park.
The town's main industries include logistics, engineering, clothing, brick, tile and paper manufacture. It was also home to the Reliant car company, which produced the famous three-wheeled Robin model and the Scimitar sportscar for several decades. The site of the former factory has now been transformed into a modern housing estate advertised as "Scimitar Park".
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[edit] History
Tamworth has existed since Saxon times, and once was the proud capital of Mercia, the largest of all English countries of its time (see Heptarchy). It was by far the largest town in the Midlands when today's much larger city of Birmingham was still in its infancy. This is largely because of its strategic position at the meeting point of two rivers (the Tame and the Anker), which meant the town was perfectly placed as a centre of trade and industry. The King of Mercia, Offa, constructed a defensive dyke around the boundary of the town as the borders then lay, designed to protect his pile from the frequent invaders. This was especially effective as the flatlands around Tamworth meant that approaching enemies could be seen from miles around. Exactly where Offa's castle lay is the subject of much debate, with theories indicating that the former palace may have stood on the site of today's Norman castle, or the nearby St. Editha's church. Offa's dyke can still be clearly seen around the town to this day. This is most noticeable on a floodplain near the River Anker close to the Ventura Park Retail Park, not far from the town centre. The town was later sacked by Danes in the 9th century, and what is known (as fact) is that there was a wooden castle, constructed on the site of today's castle, designed to defend the town against further Danish invaders by Ethelfleda, Lady of the Mercians, the daughter of King Alfred the Great.
In the 11th century, a Norman castle was built on the site of the Saxon one, which still stands to this day as an important tourist attraction. Grants of borough privileges, including rights to a third additional fair in 1588, consolidated Tamworth’s historic importance as ‘the seat of Saxon kings’.
Tamworth continued to grow and remained of the most populous towns in the Midlands by 1670, when the combined hearth tax returns from Warwickshire and Staffordshire list a total of some 320 households. Its strategic trade advantage lay with control of the two vital packhorse bridges across the Anker and the Tame on the route from London to Chester. While it remained a local market town, it did a brisk trade providing travellers with the staple bread, ale and accommodation, maintaining trading links as far afield as Bristol. Charles II’s reconfirmation of its borough's privileges in 1663 gave the town an added boost, as confirmed by Richard Blome's description of its celebrated market, well served with corn, provisions and lean cattle.
There are four cannons in the Castle Grounds, an indication of the town's previously violent past.[citation needed]
The town grew rapidly in the 18th and 19th centuries during the Industrial Revolution, due largely to the surrounding coal mines. It also became a hub of the canal network, with the Coventry Canal and the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal being built through the town. Later the railways arrived with the Midland Railway route from Derby to Birmingham, and later the London and North Western Railway, which provided direct trains to the capital. A split-level station exists where the two main lines cross one-another, the higher level platforms (on the Derby to Birmingham line), being at right angles to the lower ones on the main line to London.
The Victorian Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel served as the town's MP from 1830 until his death in 1850. It was in Tamworth that Robert Peel unveiled his Tamworth Manifesto in 1834 which created what is now the modern Conservative Party. During the 19th century a breed of pig called Tamworth Pig was initially bred here using some imported Irish stock.
Samuel Parkes who won the Victoria Cross in the Charge of the Light Brigade was born in Wiggington and baptised at St Editha's on 24 December 1815.
Tamworth has grown rapidly in the postwar years due to overspill from the West Midlands conurbation to the southwest. A population of about 7,000 in 1931 had risen to some 13,000 just after World War II; this figure remained fairly static until the late 1960s when a major expansion plan was implemented. Although not officially a "New Town", Tamworth developed like one for a time.[citation needed] As part of this plan the town boundaries were expanded to include the industrial area around Wilnecote to the south. The 1961 population of the new enlarged area was 25,000. In 1971 it was 40,000; in 1981, 64,000; in 1991, 68,000 and in 2001, 74,000. The target population is c.80,000.[citation needed]
The village of Fazeley merges almost completely into the town to the southwest, and although nominally belonging to the Lichfield District area rather than Tamworth Borough, many consider it to be a district of Tamworth. If Fazeley is regarded as part of the town, Tamworth's population has already risen to 80,000.
Tamworth was historically split between Staffordshire and Warwickshire, with the county boundary running through the town centre. Staffordshire was made to include the entire borough in 1888.
The A5 £26,000,000 8 km (5 mile) dual-carriageway 'Fazeley, Two Gates and Wilnecote Bypass' opened in July 1995, acting both as a bypass of Watling Street, and as a fast route for traffic into the town. This was further extended to meet the M6 Toll and A38 in 2005.
[edit] Tamworth suburbs
Amington, Coton Green, Stonydelph, Leyfields, Riverside, Gillway, Glascote Heath, Kettlebrook, Belgrave, Lakeside, Bolehall, The Leys, The Alders, Perry Crofts, Borough Park, Two Gates, Wilnecote, Dosthill, Hockley, Quarry Hill, Bitterscote, Fazeley, Mile Oak, Bonehill, No Man's Heath.
[edit] Culture
Former The Teardrop Explodes frontman and solo artist/writer Julian Cope was raised in Tamworth and later lived in nearby Drayton Bassett. The heavy rock band Wolfsbane cut their teeth in the town, before their lead singer Blaze Bayley went on to front the legendary Iron Maiden.
[edit] Sport
[edit] Football
One of the more notable personalities to come from Tamworth is former Manchester City goalkeeper Tony Coton, who made a number of appearances over the years. Tamworth F.C. has also fielded a number of notable players in recent times, including West Bromwich Albion legend Bob Taylor and, for one match in the 2005/2006 season, former Aston Villa and Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson. Tamworth FC shows signs of progress, now being in its third season in the Nationwide Conference, playing former league sides such as Halifax Town, Oxford United & Kidderminster Harriers on a regular basis. The club also has a keen rivalry with fellow Staffordshire clubs Stafford Rangers and Burton Albion. Andrew Wragg, the co-founder of the famous fancy pants lingerie company, has recently made his footballing debut at Tamworth Town scoring an own goal in the first 3 minutes.
[edit] Speedway
Speedway racing took place in the Tamworth area in the 1930s and in the post war era featured at the Greyhound Stadium in Fazeley. The Hounds started out in 1947 racing in the National League Division Three before becoming The Tammies when the venture was purchased by Birmingham promoter Les Marshall.
[edit] Sports Teams In Tamworth
| Club | Sport | Founded | League | Venue | Logo |
| Bolehall Swifts | Football | 1953 | Midland Football Combination Premier Division | Rene Road Ground |  |
| Tamworth | Football | 1933 | Conference National | The Lamb Ground |  |
[edit] References
J. Gould, “The Medieval Burgesses of Tamworth: their Liberties, Courts and Markets”, Transactions of the South Staffordshire Archaeological Society, No. 13 (1971-2).
Ceremonial county of Staffordshire  |
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| Unitary authorities: | Stoke-on-Trent | |
| Boroughs/Districts: | Cannock Chase • East Staffordshire • Lichfield • Newcastle-under-Lyme • South Staffordshire • Stafford • Staffordshire Moorlands • Tamworth | |
| Cities/Towns: | Biddulph • Burntwood • Burton upon Trent • Cannock • Cheadle • Eccleshall • Hednesford • Kidsgrove • Leek • Lichfield • Newcastle-under-Lyme • Penkridge • Rugeley • Stafford • Stoke-on-Trent (Burslem • Fenton • Hanley • Longton • Stoke • Tunstall) • Stone • Tamworth • Uttoxeter See also: List of civil parishes in Staffordshire |
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| Districts of the West Midlands |  |
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Birmingham | Bridgnorth | Bromsgrove | Cannock Chase | Coventry | Dudley | East Staffordshire | Herefordshire | Lichfield | Malvern Hills | Newcastle-under-Lyme | North Shropshire | North Warwickshire | Nuneaton and Bedworth | Oswestry | Redditch | Rugby | Sandwell | Shrewsbury and Atcham | Solihull | South Shropshire | South Staffordshire | Stafford | Staffordshire Moorlands | Stoke-on-Trent | Stratford-on-Avon | Tamworth | Telford and Wrekin | Walsall | Warwick | Wolverhampton | Worcester | Wychavon | Wyre Forest |
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Counties with multiple districts: Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands, Worcestershire |
