Kidderminster

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Coordinates: 52°23′19″N 2°14′56″W / 52.3885°N 2.2490°W / 52.3885; -2.2490

Kidderminster
Kidderminster  Kidderminster shown within Worcestershire
Population	55,348
OS grid reference	SO831767
- London	131.1 m
District	Wyre Forest
Shire county	Worcestershire
Region	West Midlands
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	KIDDERMINSTER
Postcode district	DY10, DY11
Dialling code	01562
Police	West Mercia
Fire	Hereford and Worcester
Ambulance	West Midlands
European Parliament	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Wyre Forest
List of places: UK • England • Worcestershire

Kidderminster is a town in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town. The town is twinned with the town of Husum, Germany.

History

The land around Kidderminster seems to have first been populated by the Husmerae, and Anglo-Saxon tribe first mentioned in the Ismere Diploma, a document in which Ethelbald of Mercia granted a 'parcel of land of ten hides' to Cynebehrt ^[1]. This became the settlement of Stour-in-Usmere, which was later the subject of a territorial dispute settled by Offa of Mercia in 781, where he restored certain rights to Bishop Heathored^[2].

This allowed for the creation of a monastery or minstre in the area, and the earliest written form of the name Kidderminster (Chedeminstre) was not seen until it appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086. It was a large manor held by William I with 16 outlying settlements (Bristitune, Fastochesfeld, Franche, Habberley, Hurcott, Mitton, Oldington, Ribbesford, Sudwale, Sutton, Teulesberge, Trimpley, Wannerton and Wribbenhall). Various spellings were in use - Kedeleministre or Kideministre (in the 12th and 13th centuries), Kidereministre (13th-15th centuries) - until the name of the town was settled as Kidderminster by the 16th century ^[2].

Between 1156 and 1162 Henry II granted the manor to his steward, Manasser Biset, and as the settlement grew a fair (1228) and later a market (1240) were established there.^[2].

In a visit to the town sometime around 1540, King's Antiquary John Leland noted that Kidderminster “standeth most by clothing”^[2].

King Charles I granted the Borough of Kidderminster a Charter in 1636^[2].

A parliamentary report of 1777 listed Kidderminster Borough as having a parish workhouse accommodating up to 70 inmates. Under the so-called Gilbert's Act of 1782 Kidderminster Union was established for the purpose of relieving the indigent poor.

Canal lock, with St Mary and All Saints Church in the distance

Kidderminster has two so-called "Commissioner Churches". The first was St. George's church, on Radford Avenue. This was designed by Francis Goodwin and built in 1821-1824,^[3] finally being consecrated in April 1824. It had the third largest grant by the Commission, of just over £17,000.00, of any church outside London.^[4] The second church was St. John's church, on the Bewdley Road. This church was built in 1843 and the architect was Matthew Steele, although the grant in this case was just over £4,000.^[4]

Under the Local Government Act 1972, it was proposed for Kidderminster to be part of the West Midlands metropolitan county, but it was scrapped after the proposed county boundary was trimmed back to Stourbridge.

Geography

The River Stour and the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal both flow through Kidderminster town centre.

Climate

Like most of the United Kingdom, Kidderminster has an oceanic climate.

Economy

The modern carpet industry was founded in the area in 1785 by Brintons, and the carpet industry became extremely important to the local economy, so much so that the local newspaper is still named The Shuttle after the shuttles used on the carpet looms. Although much declined in recent years, the industry is still a significant employer in the area, with Brintons Carpets still employing several hundred people and is the biggest employer in the town.

Kidderminster is also the home of Victoria Carpets plc. The "Vic" has factories in Munster, Ireland and in Dandenong, Australia and is a worldwide exporter of bespoke carpets for hotels and large commercial venues. One notable user of Victoria carpet is the Eiffel Tower.

The local commercial radio station is The Wyre, which started broadcasting on 12 September 2005, and broadcasts from studios in Kidderminster. It competes alongside Wyvern FM, whose presence is minimal^{[citation needed]} in the town, Sunshine Radio, and BBC Hereford & Worcester.

Prominent on the edge of the town are the two silos^{[clarification needed]} sited on the former British Sugar Corporation site on the Stourport Road, These silos can be seen from the Malvern Hills, nearly thirty miles away.

The town centre area has undergone substantial redevelopment, with the commercial retail area of 'Weaver's Wharf', which opened in March 2004, attracting many visitors and shoppers. Shops include TK Maxx, Next, Marks and Spencer, SportsDirect.com, Brantano, DW Sports Fitness & Clarks. Eateries Frankie & Benny's, McDonalds & Pizza Hut. 'Slingfield Mill', a Grade II listed building, has been converted into a Debenhams Desire and a hotel which has been incorporated into 'Weaver's Wharf'.

There is The Co-operative Food and a doctor's surgery on Franche Road (A442) in Franche, a Morrisons on Green Street in the centre of the town, a Sainsburys on Carpet Trades Way near the river, and Tesco, Netto and Aldi are in the town centre on either side of New Road.

In Summerfield on the outskirts of Kidderminster is the ROXEL site where solid rocket motors are manufactured. The site has manufactured the motors for the Rapier missile, Seawolf missile, Starstreak and ASRAAM missile systems. Over the years the site has been owned by IMI, Royal Ordnance and British Aerospace but is now part of the Roxel Group, headquartered in Paris and with a sister site outside Bordeaux.

The SEALINE yacht company manufactures boats for the luxury market and is Kidderminster's second largest single employer.

Politics

The Wyre Forest District Council is currently run by a minority Conservative Party group, who hold eighteen of the council's forty two seats. In addition there are still Kidderminster Health Concern Councillors on the council.

Kidderminster is an unparished area within Wyre Forest District, but Charter Trustees maintain the traditions of the town and elect a Mayor.

The area (initially as Kidderminster , then after 1983 as the Wyre Forest constituency) has been represented by Conservative MPs Gerald Nabarro 1950-63, Sir Tatton Brinton 1964-74, Esmond Bulmer 1974-87, Anthony Coombs 1987-97, and Labour MP David Lock 1997-2001.

It is notable that in the United Kingdom general election, 2001, the town returned Dr Richard Taylor as an independent MP for the Wyre Forest parliamentary constituency. Only a handful^{[original research?]} of independent MPs have been elected since World War II and Taylor had fought the election to protest against the proposed reduction in services at Kidderminster Hospital. He held his seat at the 2005 election, the first independent MP to do so since 1949.

Famous residents

• Captain H.W.C. Alger, who was the first pilot to fly the inaugural air mail flight carrying mail from England to Australia for the first time for Imperial Airways' Empires Air Routes, in February 1937. He flew the Short 'C' class Seaplane (named Castor) from Calshot near Southampton to Marseilles, Brindisi, Alexandria, South Africa, India and Australia.

• The Puritan minister Richard Baxter, (born November 12, 1615 - died December 8, 1691) began his ministry in Kidderminster in April 1641 and spent the next 19 years in the town. There is a statue to him outside Saint Mary's parish church, where he was based. It states his wish 'for unity and comprehension in religion'.

• Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, known also as James Albert, lived with his family in the town in the 1760s and 1770. An African prince and freed slave, he worked on his autobiography in Kidderminster, with a secretary from Leominster. Published at Bath in about 1772, this was considered the first Black African autobiography published in Britain.

• Lant Carpenter was born in Kidderminster on September 2, 1780.

• Sir Josiah Mason, an English pen-manufacturer, was born in Mill Street on February 23, 1795.

• Sir Rowland Hill, the inventor of the Penny Black and the modern postal system, was born in Blackwell Street on December 3, 1795 . There is a statue, sculpted by Sir Thomas Brock,^[6] to him in Vicar Street outside the Town Hall. There is a pub in the Bull Ring called The Penny Black in his honour.

• Edward Bradley, the English humorist of the mid-Victorian era, was born in Kidderminster in 1827. He died on December 11, 1889.

• Captain Eustace Jotham and Private John Francis Young were Victoria Cross winners in 1915 and 1918 and were born in Kidderminster.

• Robert Plant the front man of the rock band Led Zeppelin has close associations with Kidderminster, particularly Kidderminster College of Further Education.

• Andy Edwards, drummer, was born in Kidderminster, and worked with Plant between 1999 and 2001 before becoming a member of theprogressive rock band IQ in 2005.

• Robbie Blunt, solo guitarist , another Robert Plant collaborator, has associations with Kidderminster.

• Jess Roden, singer was born in Kidderminster.

• Tony De Vit, Birmingham DJ, was born in Kidderminster.

• Stan Webb, blues guitarist and founder of Chicken Shack, resides in the town.

• Roger LaVern, keyboard player with pop group The Tornados of 'Telstar' fame was born Roger LaVern Jackson in November 1938 in Kidderminster.

• Robert Hamer, film director and screenwriter, known for his 1949 comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets, starring Dennis Price and Alec Guinness, was born in Kidderminster on 31 March 1911.

• Peter Collins, former Formula One driver was born in Kidderminster on November 6, 1931. During his career Collins drove for the HWM, Vanwall, Maserati and Ferrari teams and won 3 of his 33 Grands Prix. Tragically his promising career was cut short during the 1958 German Grand Prix, when Collins spun off the track and sustained a fatal head injury in the accident that followed.

• Tom Watson (born 8 January 1967), is the Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) for West Bromwich East. He was educated at King Charles I High School in Kidderminster. In September 2006 Watson was the subject of national media attention after resigning his junior ministerial post in an effort to force Prime Minister Tony Blair to name the date he would step down from office.

• Jon Turley (born April 26, 1971), an author who writes children's books, has lived in Kidderminster since the mid 1990s and was born some fifteen miles away in Worcester.

• Sammi Davis, film actress was born in Kidderminster in 1964.

• Rachel Jones, the current live producer of BBC Radio 1's The Chris Moyles Show, was born in the town.

• Rustie Lee, Celebrity chef also lives in the town.

• Mike Sanchez, Rhythm and blues pianist and vocalist is a long-time resident of Kidderminster.

• Ernest Perry, first-class cricketer, died in Kidderminster in 1996.

• Alun Evans, English soccer's first £100,000 teenager, was born in Kidderminster.

• Clifford T Ward, singer/songwriter^{[citation needed]}

• Jowe Head, (born Joe Hendon in Kidderminster in 1956) bass guitarist, singer and visual artist was a member of Swell Maps before joining the Television Personalities.

Transport

There are two railway stations in the town, sharing the same approach road. The main Network Rail station is Kidderminster, from where trains run to Birmingham, Worcester and London. The other station, Kidderminster Town, is that of the preserved Heritage Railway line, Severn Valley Railway; trains run from here to Bridgnorth.

Kidderminster is on the A456 which runs from Birmingham to Woofferton, Shropshire, a few miles south of Woofferton.

Kidderminster is on the A451 which runs from Stourbridge to Abberley.

Kidderminster is on the A442 which runs from Droitwich to Hodent, Shropshire, a few miles north of Telford.

Kidderminster is on the A449 road which runs from Newport in south Wales to Stafford and crosses the A456 at the Land Oak.

It is also on the A448 road which runs to Bromsgrove and starts in the town.

A major change in the town centre road infrastructure was the construction of the ring road in the 1970s and 1980s, which relieved the town's growing congestion problem. Unusually, the final phase of the ring road was never completed which makes it unique in having a ring road that doesn't form a ring

The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal passes through the town.

There are direct bus links with towns including Halesowen, Bewdley, Stourport and Bromsgrove. There is also a direct bus link with Birmingham city centre.

Education

As part of educational restructuring in the Wyre Forest district, Kidderminster's schools were reorganised from a three-tier system of first, middle and high schools to the two-tier system more common in the UK as a whole with primary schools and secondary schools. Several first and middle schools were closed or merged into new primaries, with the three high schools becoming secondary schools:

• King Charles I School
• Wolverley C E Secondary School
• Baxter College (formerly Harry Cheshire High School)

All three schools have sixth forms.

Independent schools include Heathfield School in Wolverley and the girls-only Holy Trinity School on the A456 Birmingham Road.

Kidderminster College is based on Market Street in the town centre, having moved from older premises in Hoo Road in 2003.

Sport

Cricket

Kidderminster Victoria CC is a local cricket club.

Football

Formed in 1886, Kidderminster Harriers F.C. is the town's professional football club. Local rivals of the Harriers were traditionally Worcester City and Bromsgrove Rovers, and in recent years also Cheltenham Town and Hereford United, although as of 2009 both Cheltenham and Hereford are in divisions above Kidderminster. In 2005 the Harriers were relegated to the Conference National after five years in the Football League Two division. They had reached the Football League as Conference champions in 2000. They had won the title in 1994 but were denied promotion then as their stadium did not meet Football League capacity requirements - this came the same year that they eliminated Birmingham City from the FA Cup.

The Kidderminster & District League has operated since 1984 and draws teams from Worcestershire and South Staffordshire.

Judo

Samurai Judo Club is a local judo club, one of three Gold Clubmark clubs in the UK and a highly successful competitive club.

Rugby

Kidderminster Carolians RFC is a local rugby union club, currently playing in Midlands Division 3 West Northern Section.

Field Hockey

Kidderminster Hockey club was founded in 1892 and in 2006 was still going strong. There are five men's hockey teams, a ladies and a junior team.

Dramatics

Kidderminster Playhouse was a small theatre partly owned by the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre company. It was opened in 1946 and hosted shows from the Nonentities and Kidderminster Amateur Operatic Society (KAOS). After years of shows it was closed and torn down in 1968.

The Town is home to the Rose Theatre ([1]) with its Resident company 'The Nonentities' who recently celebrated their 25th Anniversary at the Rose Theatre with a performance of 'Twelfth Night', the play they first opened with at the site. This starred David Wakeman as Fester with Laurie Pollitt and Michael Harvey as Viola and Sebastian. The Theatre is still going strong today and is home to many amateur and professional companies.

A Stagecoach was set up in Kidderminster in 2003, and has become very popular. Students From Stagecoach Kidderminster have performed in London's West End.

Kidderminster Operatics & Dramatics Society (KODS)([2]) was founded in 1916 and is affiliated to the National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA). The Society puts on a show and a musical each year. Shows have included 'My Fair Lady', 'Anything Goes' and 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'. Shows are normally performed at 'The Rose Theatre'. The Society used to be known as Kidderminster amateur operatic society (KAOS) and performed at the Playhouse.

Carpet Trades Operatic Society (CTOS)([3]) was founded in 1945 and is also affiliated with the National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA). This society puts on a musical each year and is predomiately made up of performers from Kidderminster Operatics and Dramatics Society (KODS). Both Societies hold rehearsals at the New Meeting Hall in Kidderminster Town Centre. Shows for Carpet Trades (CTOS) are performed at the Stourport Civic Centre.

Food & drink

There are many public houses and drinking establishments in Kidderminster. The former Yates' wine lodge re-opened in late 2008 as part of the Carters' chain. The Witherspoons chain also operates 'The Penny Black' bar in the town. There are also several longer established public houses in and around the town centre.

There are several nightclubs, with 'M2' (formerly 'Mirage') being the longest-standing in the town, having opened in the early-mid 1990s, while the recently renamed and relaunched DY10 (formerly 'Redwoods') takes its name from the postcode for the town; there is also a pool bar 'Q2' in Green Street.

The 'Players Bar' closed in 2007 following heavy losses since its opening in 2005. The venue was bought, refurbished and renamed as 'Tribe' nightclub in the summer of 2007.

The town has numerous restaurants and take-aways serving a wide range of traditional, Indian and Chinese food. These are mainly based around the Comberton Hill and Blackwell Street areas.

Closest cities, towns and villages

Destinations from Kidderminster

	Arley, Highley, Alveley, Bridgnorth, Telford	Wolverley, Cookley, Kinver, Enville, Wolverhampton	Blakedown, Hagley, Stourbridge, Dudley, Birmingham
	Bewdley, Ludlow		Belbroughton
		Kidderminster
	Tenbury Wells, Leominster	Stourport, Hartlebury, Worcester	Bromsgrove, Droitwich

References

External links

• Kidderminster Workhouse
• Parish church
• The Rose Theatre
• Kidderminster news - Express & Star
• The Shuttle Local Kidderminster weekly newspaper
• River Stour
• S&W Canal
• Wyfopedia, on-line encyclopaedia for the Wyre Forest district
• Boys' Brigade The 1st Kidderminster Boys' Brigade Company
• Exploring Roxel Rocket Site, Wyre Forest

Radio stations in Kidderminster:

• Kidderminster Hospital Radio
• 107.2 The Wyre