| Bedworth | |
Bedworth town centre and civic hall |
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Bedworth
Bedworth shown within Warwickshire |
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| Population | 32,268 (2001) |
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| OS grid reference | SP3586 |
| District | Nuneaton and Bedworth |
| Shire county | Warwickshire |
| Region | West Midlands |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BEDWORTH |
| Postcode district | CV12 |
| Dialling code | 024 |
| EU 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 lies 101 miles (163 km) northwest of London, 19 miles (31 km) east of Birmingham, and 15 miles (24 km) north northeast of the county town of Warwick. It is situated between Coventry, 5.5 miles (9 km) to the south, and Nuneaton, 3 miles (5 km) to the north.
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 "Beduth" 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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Bedworth has six main suburban districts, namely Collycroft, Mount Pleasant, Bedworth Heath, Coalpit Field, Goodyers End and Exhall. 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.
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 Town centre is dominated by All Saint's Parish Church, (Church of England), Which was rebuilt in the late 19th century of Runcorn stone in the Decorated style. The church has a square bell tower from the original Church thought to date from 1450 which houses the Town Clock (1817), and a peal of eight bells, which are rung for Morning Services and for special occasions. The church has several fine stained glass windows; of particular note the north aisle window is a rare example of the work of Mr. H. Clarke depicting St Peter, St Paul, St Luke and St John. All Saint's has been recently reordered (2000) to include a narthex, in which is held a coffee Morning on Friday mornings. The church is open for visitors each morning (Monday – Friday 10am – 12 noon). Sunday Services are 9am Holy Communion, 11am Family Worship and 6pm Evening Worship. http://www.allsaintsbedworth.org.uk/
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 noticeable landmark building in Bedworth, in the style of Edwin Lutyens, visible from miles around and built in the 19th century. It used to provide water for the houses and the mining facilities. It is also home to a pair of Peregrine Falcons.[3]
Along Mill Street until recently were rows of former weavers' cottages which were once inhabited by Huguenot weavers.[2] Some of these were still used as shops, although most had been allowed to become derelict. They have been demolished as part of the redevelopment of Tesco. 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 retail names as well as many charity, card shops and banks.
Domestic appliance insurer Domestic & General has offices in the town centre and provides substantial employment for the community.
Several years ago Bedworth Kwik Save (a sixties steel re-enforced concrete building with drive-on roof parking, known locally as the Hypermarket - the original name), was redeveloped into a new Aldi store. Located next to it is a Home Bargains store. Also, the local Woolworths has been closed down because of the credit crunch, leaving some Bedworth residents unemployed. Clothes shop Store Twenty One replaced Woolworths. Bedworth Tesco which was a similar type of building to Kwik Save, but in a brick faced and arched windowed 1970s style, closed in January 2011[4] and was redeveloped into a steel framed Tesco Xtra store. Parking is at ground level, the store is on the first floor, with delivery access on the roof. It opened on 5 December 2011. It caused traffic jams in the town, and the re-routing of bus services.
Bedworth has a large range of pubs and working men's clubs. These include, but are not limited to: The Bear and Ragged Staff (a Wetherspoon pub), The White Horse, The Miners Arms, The Mountpleasent, The Black Horse, The Lord Raglan, The Black Bank, Saunders Hall, Collycroft Working Men's Club, The Bedworth Liberal Club, Bedworth Conservative Club, The Griffin Inn,The Newdigate Arms, The Cross Keys,The Collycroft Goose, The Royal Oak, The Prince Of Wales, JB'S, Littleworks (Re-Opened as Jack's Entertainment Club) and The Cricketers Arms in Collycroft. Although, The White Swan, The British Queen, The Navigation and The Corner Pin and others have closed, in line with national trends.
Bedworth also has a 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.
A new play area located within the park will be dedicated to Bedworth born Sergeant Simon 'VAL' Valentine a local Soldier of 2nd Btn Royal Regiment of Fusiliers who lost his life in August 2009 while serving his country in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Originally a small market town with Saxon origin,[2] 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.[5] Until quite recently Bedworth was primarily a coal mining town, but the last colliery was closed in 1994.[6] In the middle of the Nineteenth century, the large number of public houses, and thirsty miners lead to the town being called 'Black Bedworth'.
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[7] In 1974 the Bedworth Urban District was merged with the borough of Nuneaton to create the borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth.
Every year on Remembrance day 11 November many of the "bedites" gather in the town to watch a remembrance parade. There are groups such as the local Girls Brigade, and cadets who march through the town, with bands playing commemorative music. There used to be a Second World War Douglas C-47 Skytrain Dakota transport aircraft, and in years previous to that a Spitfire fighter, that scattered remembrance poppy petals over the town, aiming at the war memorial. It was featured on the National TV news on remembrance days, but they were banned on Health and Safety grounds, from low flying over an urban area. Douglas DC-3 Dakotas have since been declared 'unsafe' for passenger transport by the EU, after having been safely in service since the 1930s.
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, Hinckley & Leicester and a direct service to the University Hospital in Walsgrave, Coventry is provided by Travel de Courcey.
The locally born author George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans) lived at "Griff House" north of Bedworth and south of Nuneaton between 1819 and 1841.[2] "Griff House" still stands today as a Premier Travel Inn Hotel and Beefeater Restaurant. It is near the Bermuda retail/warehouse park roundabout on the A444 Bedworth bypass.
Other notable people associated with the town are:
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