Bedworth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bedworth | |
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  Bedworth shown within Warwickshire |
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| Population | 32,268 (2001) |
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| OS grid reference | |
| District | Nuneaton and Bedworth |
| Shire county | Warwickshire |
| Region | West Midlands |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BEDWORTH |
| Postcode district | CV12 |
| Dialling code | 024 |
| European Parliament | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | North Warwickshire |
| List of places: UK • England • Warwickshire | |
Bedworth is a market town in the Nuneaton and Bedworth district of Warwickshire, England. It is situated between Coventry, 9 km (5.5 miles) to the south and Nuneaton, 5 km (3 miles) to the north. London is 163 km (101 miles) to the southeast. In the 2001 census the town had a population of 32,268[1]. Residents are known as "Bedworthians", or occasionally "Bedites"
Bedworth is often pronounced "Bed-uth" by many (but not all) residents of the town and inhabitants of nearby Coventry and Nuneaton, though the standard "Bed-worth" pronunciation is used virtually everywhere else.
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[edit] Features
The most notable buildings in Bedworth are the Nicholas Chamberlaine Almshouses on All Saint’s Square in the town centre, which are built in Tudor style and date from 1840[2], having been funded by the local benefactor Nicholas Chamberlaine (1632-1715). The main venue in Bedworth is the Bedworth Civic Hall which has an attached Arts Centre. The St Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church is also a prominent building in the town centre. The Bedworth Water Tower is probably the most noticed building in Bedworth, visible from miles around and built in the 19th century. It used to provide water for the houses and the mining facilities.".
A new and interesting building in George Street is the martial arts academy with a Chinese Canopy at the front. Along Mill Street can be seen rows of former weavers' cottages which were once inhabited by Huguenot weavers[3]. Some of these are still used as shops, although most have fallen into a derelict state. The majority of the town centre was built in the postwar period, and has all the hallmarks of such a development. The town centre itself contains some of the usual high street names such as Tesco, Woolworth's, New Look, Boots, Aldi, and Iceland, as well as many charity and card shops.
Domestic appliance insurer Domestic & General has offices in the town centre and provides substantial employment for the community.
After the recent closure of the Bedworth Kwik Save (known locally as the Hypermarket), the site has been regenerated into a new Aldi store.
Bedworth has a large range of pubs and working men's clubs. These include, but are not limited to: The Bear and Ragged Staff (commonly referred to as Wetherspoons), The Swan, The White Horse, The Miners Arms, The Mount, The Black Horse, The Lord Raglan, The Black Bank, Saunders Hall, Collycroft Working Men's Club, Bedworth Labour Club, The Griffin Inn and The Cricketers Arms in Collycroft.
Bedworth also has an excellent skate park built in the Miners Welfare Park in 2001 after campaigning by local youngsters. Previous to this, most youngsters would skate in the town centre, or in the market area, much to the annoyance of residents and the local police.
[edit] History
Originally a small market town with Saxon origin [4], Bedworth developed into an industrial town in the 18th and 19th centuries, due largely to coal mining and the overspill of ribbon weaving and textile industries from nearby Coventry [5] [6]. The opening of the Coventry Canal in 1769 and later, the railway in 1850 enhanced the town's growth [7]. Until quite recently Bedworth was primarily a coal mining town, but the last colliery was closed in 1994 [8].
Due to its good transport links, and proximity to major cities such as Coventry, Birmingham and Leicester, Bedworth is now growing rapidly as a dormitory town.
From 1894 Bedworth was a civil parish within the Foleshill Rural District. In 1928 Bedworth was incorporated as an urban district in its own right [9] In 1974 the Bedworth Urban District was merged with the borough of Nuneaton to create the borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth.
[edit] Transport
Bedworth has good transport links being situated immediate north of the M6 motorway at junction 3, and being served by the Coventry to Nuneaton railway line. The current Bedworth railway station was opened in 1988 after the original station was closed in the 1960s as part of the Beeching Axe.
The Coventry Canal also runs through the town.
Bus services to the city centre of Coventry are operated competitively by Stagecoach in Warwickshire and National Express Coventry. Stagecoach also provides direct services to Nuneaton, Bulkington, Keresley, Atherstone and Hinckley and a direct service to the University Hospital in Walsgrave, Coventry is provided by Travel De Courcey.
[edit] Suburbs and districts
Bedworth has six main suburban districts, namely Collycroft, Exhall, Mount Pleasant, Bedworth Heath, Coalpit Field and Goodyers End. Exhall is a generic name for the area surrounding junction 3 of the M6 motorway, comprising parts of both Bedworth and Coventry. Much of what is now considered Exhall within south Bedworth is also referred to as Hayes Green by locals and on older maps of the area.
[edit] Schools
- Nicholas Chamberlaine Technology College
- St Michaels Primary School
- Canon Maggs
- Canon Evans
- Race Leys Infant School
- Race Leys Junior School
[edit] Notable residents
The locally born author George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans) lived at "Griff House" just north of Bedworth between 1819 and 1841[10]. "Griff House" still stands today as a Premier Travel Inn Hotel and Beefeater Restaurant. Other famous people associated with the town are:
- Former Libertines front-man Pete Doherty, who attended Nicholas Chamberlaine Technology College.
- Musician Steven Venables from the band The BlackLies attended Nicholas Chamberlaine Technology College.
- Bill Maynard from TVs Heartbeat and Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt!
- Mike Softley #72 local Motocross Rider who recently gained a sponsorship from Olympia Motocross Park. The owner of which also runs the Bedworth Lawnmower shop.
- Lee Hurst, a Coventry City F.C. footballer in the 1990s, used to reside in Leas Close in the Mount Pleasant area. He retired due to injury caused during a training exercise at an assault course, Organised by then manager Bobby Gould, He also appeared on They think its all over as the mystery guest as a joke due to one of the show residents of the same name, Lee Hurst, the comedian. He was an unsung local hero on the terraces of the Highfield Road stadium, who lined up alongside the likes of Roy Wegerle, Peter Ndlovu, Steve Ogrizovic, Brian Borrows, Kenny Sansom, Micky Quinn, Robert Rosario, and many famous Coventry City footballers.
- Mark Albrighton, a football player who has played for various clubs in the football league and non league divisions., most notably with Doncaster Rovers, helping them gain promotion from the football conference to League 1 in consecutive seasons.
[edit] References
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2007) |
- ^ 2001 urban areas headcounts
- ^ Allen, Geoff, (2000) Warwickshire Towns & Villages, ISBN 1 85058 642 X
- ^ Allen, Geoff, (2000) Warwickshire Towns & Villages, ISBN 1 85058 642 X
- ^ Allen, Geoff, (2000) Warwickshire Towns & Villages, ISBN 1 85058 642 X
- ^ Slater, Terry (1981) A History of Warwickshire, ISBN 0-85033-416-0
- ^ The Bedworth Society - About Bedworth
- ^ Slater, Terry (1981) A History of Warwickshire, ISBN 0-85033-416-0
- ^ The Bedworth Society - About Bedworth
- ^ Visionofbritain.
- ^ Allen, Geoff, (2000) Warwickshire Towns & Villages, ISBN 1 85058 642 X
[edit] External links
- The Bedworth Society
- Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough council
- Bedworth United FC
- The Civic Hall, Bedworth
- 1st Bedworth Scout Group, Bedworth
- A resident photographer, Bedworth
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