Redditch
Redditch is a town, and local government district, in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district has a population of 85,000 as of 2019. In the 19th century, it became the international centre for the ...
is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
and
local government district
The districts of England (also known as local authority districts or local government districts to distinguish from unofficial city districts) are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. As the st ...
in north-east
Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
The town is divided into separate districts.
All street-name signs in Redditch have the street name in white lettering on a blue background and the district name in black lettering on a white background at the bottom of the sign. In the New Town areas the roads are usually named in alphabetical order and
house numbering
House numbering is the system of giving a unique number to each building in a street or area, with the intention of making it easier to locate a particular building. The house number is often part of a postal address. The term describes the numb ...
in the cul-de-sac closes is consecutive, starting with number 1 as the first house on the left as you enter, and the highest house number will be on the opposite side of the road as you leave.
Abbeydale
Abbeydale, along with Batchley and Mayfields, were post-WWII 1950s housing estates built to cope with a population boom and the local councils enforcement of the Conservative government's 'Homes for Heroes' pledge after the
1951 United Kingdom general election
The 1951 United Kingdom general election was held twenty months after the 1950 general election, which the Labour Party had won with a slim majority of just five seats. The Labour government called a snap election for Thursday 25 October 1951 ...
.
Astwood Bank
Batchley
Redditch United F.C.
Redditch United Football Club is an English football club based in Redditch, Worcestershire. The club participates in the and play their home games at the V
Trico Stadium. They are managed by former Captain and Assistant Manager Matt Clarke.
...
's
Valley Stadium
A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...
is located off the Bromsgrove Road, in Batchley.
Batchley was originally a pre-WWII housing estate which has continued to expand to meet need for affordable accommodation until the present day. The original estate included many Orlit prefabricated houses though none remain today they were still present into the 1980s. Generally with an equal mixture of privately owned, private rental and social housing it hosts a number of diverse cultural and socio-economic groups. It has three local schools and a park and fishing lake. There are a number of small privately owned local shops and a Tesco Express with external ATM. It is within a short walking distance of Redditch town centre.
Brockhill
Situated in the north west of the town. Almost entirely a modern residential area and home to many housing estates that to this day are still being constructed since 1996
The district lends its name to
Brockhill (HM Prison)
HM Prison Hewell is a multiple security category men's prison in the village of Tardebigge in Worcestershire, England. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.
On 16 October 2019, the Ministry of Justice announced that HMP Hew ...
, a Young Offenders Institution at the Hewell Grange complex.
Callow Hill
Church Green
![Redditch 015](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Redditch_015.jpg)
A commercial district and public space in the centre of Redditch, Church Green forms part of the town centre, however it is treated as a district and typically appears in addresses for buildings located there. Church Green forms a traditional centre for the town, like a village green or town square, and features a bandstand and fountain (see picture, right). Dominated by St Stephen's church, it is home to several banks, estate agents, charity shops, a Chinese restaurant and other businesses.
Church Green West historically formed part of the major trunk road,
A441
List of A roads in zone 4 in Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European isla ...
from Birmingham to Evesham.
Church Hill
The largest estate in Redditch, occupying the north-east corner of the town, Church Hill Ward has yearly elections of Councillors due to its size and the number of councillors.
Church Hill is one of the more recent Redditch developments, beginning in 1975. Church Hill has a distinctive layout similar to the
Radburn model
Radburn design housing (also called Radburn housing, Radburn design'', ''Radburn principle, or Radburn concept) is a concept for planned housing estates, based on a design that was originally used in Radburn, New Jersey, United States.
History ...
, with access roads Paper Mill Drive, Ravensbank Drive and Moons Moat Drive largely encircling the estate. Residences are almost exclusively built around cul-de-sacs. The estate comprises Moon's Moat, Marlfield Barn, and Bomford Hill which boasts a Peace Memorial. Unlike the many
monotenure {{unreferenced, date=October 2016
Monotenure is a planning term relating to the land tenure of a development or neighbourhood. There are generally three types of residential land tenure within the built environment: private sector housing (also kno ...
housing estates
A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country.
Popular throughout the United States a ...
in the UK and globally, but in common with many newer estates in Redditch Church Hill is divided into districts correlated with
tenure
Tenure is a category of academic appointment existing in some countries. A tenured post is an indefinite academic appointment that can be terminated only for cause or under extraordinary circumstances, such as financial exigency or program disco ...
:
![Bomford Hill-160](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Bomford_Hill-160.jpg)
* Church Hill North - primarily private residential
* Church Hill Centre - a small commercial centre with a community centre and flats run by the YMCA, a medical centre, dentist, shops and a take-away, and first and middle schools.
* Church Hill South - primarily social housing
The North and South parts are separated by Church Hill Way (a buses only road), with Church Hill Centre in the middle. Church Hill's geometric layout, a characteristic of planned new town developments, largely separates private (North) residents from social (South) residents in their day-to-day lives, whilst bringing together the children of both sides of the community at common schools (in particular, at Church Hill Middle School). Church Hill North previously had two first schools, Ravensbank First School (then changed to the present Abbeywood First school) and Marfield Farm First School, however this has since been closed and demolished. It has been characterised by some as something of a social planning experiment..
The estate is named after St Leonards church and the hill it stands on slightly north of Church Hill at
Beoley
Beoley is a small village and larger civil parish north of Redditch in the Bromsgrove District of Worcestershire. It adjoins Warwickshire to the east. The 2001 census gave a parish population of 945, mostly at Holt End. The parish includes the ...
.
Crabbs Cross
Enfield
Named after the Enfield Motorbike factory the area is mainly an industrial estate. The area was greatly improved during the industrial revolution as a main area in the town for the production of needles and fishing hooks. It is also the location of Mettis Aerospace which during World War Two was a producer of parts for Spitfire aircraft. Opposite Mettis on Windsor Road was the old Redditch Gas works which have now been demolished and replaced with a series of apartment blocks and houses. It is also the home to the local Fire Station which is part of the
Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service
The Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS) is the statutory fire and rescue service covering Herefordshire and Worcestershire in the West Midlands region of England. The service covers an area of , and a population of around 780 ...
, the station has 3 main fire engines. There is also a small retail park which includes a Sainsburys Supermarket & Petrol station and the royal mail delivery office. Also situated is the
DVLA
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA; cy, Asiantaeth Trwyddedu Gyrwyr a Cherbydau) is the organisation of the UK government responsible for maintaining a database of drivers in Great Britain and a database of vehicles for the entire ...
test centre for North Worcestershire
Feckenham
Feckenham
Feckenham is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Redditch in Worcestershire, England. It lies some south-west of the town of Redditch and some east of the city of Worcester. It had a population of 670 in the 2001 census and its immedi ...
is in practical terms a separate village, but is governed by Redditch Borough Council and counts administratively as a district.
Feckenham village arose because it straddled the ancient saltway track between Alcester and Droitwich (later a Roman road, now the modern B4090 road), and the early stretches of the Bow Brook.
Feckenham Forest
Feckenham Forest was a royal forest, centred on the village of Feckenham, covering large parts of Worcestershire and west Warwickshire. It was not entirely wooded, nor entirely the property of the King. Rather, the King had legal rights over game ...
once covered a substantial area of Worcestershire. It was used as a Norman royal hunting forest, and there was a royal hunting lodge near the village.
Greenlands
Greenlands is situated in between Woodrow & Lodge Park. Its mainly known for its 3 large football fields and having a walkway through to Tesco Extra and Oakenshaw which is a popular place for dog walks. It's also home to the South Redditch social club and The Mayfly Public House which has been there since 1958. The rest of Greenlands consist of 1950, 60s and 70s built housing estates. Also situated is; an off license, Chinese take away and a basketball court with mini Skatepark.
Headless Cross
![Headless Cross Water Tower - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Headless_Cross_Water_Tower_-_geograph.org.uk_-_7379.jpg)
Like Crabbs Cross, Headless Cross was once a village in its own right, it is thought to be named after Headless Cross farm, which was situated roughly where Vaynor Drive is today. Headless Cross may be derived from ''Smeethehedley'', itself an indication of a role in
Feckenham Forest
Feckenham Forest was a royal forest, centred on the village of Feckenham, covering large parts of Worcestershire and west Warwickshire. It was not entirely wooded, nor entirely the property of the King. Rather, the King had legal rights over game ...
.
Keeping with the Redditch tradition of needle manufacture, Headless Cross once accommodated 3 needle works: the Needle Factory, located where Stonehouse Close is today; Phoenix Works on Birchfield Road and Mount Pleasant Mill on Evesham Road. A large
brickworks
A brickworks, also known as a brick factory, is a factory for the manufacturing of bricks, from clay or shale. Usually a brickworks is located on a clay bedrock (the most common material from which bricks are made), often with a quarry for cl ...
was situated on Marlpit Lane, as well as a smaller one along Birchfield Road.
There are 2 schools in Headless Cross: The Vaynor First School and Walkwood CE Middle School, both located on Feckenham Road.
Due to its slight altitude advantage, both of Redditch's water towers were built in Headless Cross. The old one still stands having been converted into a private residence. The distinctive shape of the new water tower has become something of a local icon and can be seen dominating the skyline from as far as the Hollybush Inn on Gorcott Hill, approximately 6 km to the east in Warwickshire.
The village also inspired the 1989 Black Sabbath song 'Headless Cross' which features on the album of the same name.
Headless Cross is also the site of an Iron Age hill fort.
Hunt End
Ipsley
Ipsley is home to the corporate headquarters of engineering firm
GKN
GKN Ltd is a British multinational automotive and aerospace components business headquartered in Redditch, England. It is a long-running business known for many decades as Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds. It can trace its origins back to 1759 an ...
and the former headquarters of
Solicitors Regulation Authority
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is the regulatory body for solicitors in England and Wales.
It is responsible for regulating the professional conduct of more than 125,000 solicitors and other authorised individuals at more than 11,000 f ...
, which has since been transformed into apartments. Ipsley is one of the few estates in the town to not have any Council owned housing. In common with Winyates Green, all homes in the Ipsley estate are privately owned.
Lakeside
Lakeside is a largely industrial area of the town. Its location is in close proximity to the
Arrow Valley Park
Arrow Valley Country Park (also known as Arrow Valley Park) is a country park on the River Arrow, at Redditch, Worcestershire, England.
Built by Redditch Development Corporation in the 1970s. It has of public open space and incorporates the ...
. There is also a small housing estate.
Lodge Park
The first houses of the estate built on the Studley Road began construction in the end of the 1950s and finished in the mid-60s to be added to in the 1980s at the top of Barlich Way. There is also a social club with the view of Lodge Park and an outlet of shops one of which Tesco Express which has had its current position since 2003. There are ten different designs of housing in Lodge Park many with their own garages, not including the architects house, which stands on a corner of Barlich Way and Red Hill which features a double garage and a utility room. It is a lovely place to live and features both a middle and a first school.
Matchborough
Matchborough is a large district of Redditch. Its location lies between Winyates, Ipsley and Washford. Matchborough is the location of Arrow Vale High School and Matchborough First School. Matchborough consists of 2 areas, Matchborough East and Matchborough West, it also has a small shopping centre called Matchborough Centre, similar to Church Hill and Winyates Centres. Matchborough contains the area's most iconic feature, Matchborough Pond located near Arrow Vale High School.
Moons Moat
The district of Moon's Moat is an industrial and business estate in the north east of Redditch between Church Hill and Winyates. Moon's Moat itself is located in Church Hill.
The district takes its name from an ancient moated homestead which was founded by Monks and dates back to the 12th century. It is now a listed heritage site. The medieval homestead was inhabited by the Mohun family which is where the name "Moon's" Moat comes from (Mohun being an early name for Moon). The homestead was last in use in the 18th century, but by the end that century the Mohuns had died out. The homestead fell into disuse and became a ruin. What was left of the homestead was removed so that nothing visible now remains on the site.
The Moon's Moat site is believed by some to be haunted by the ghost of Lady Mohun who is said to appear on or near to the site on the eve of St Agnes (21 January). There is some folklore and history associated with the site concerning a suicide and a murder which may explain the ghost story.
Oakenshaw
Oakenshaw is a largely residential area with a mix of privately owned and social housing. There is a prominent
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...
in the centre of Oakenshaw on the A441 traffic island and nearby is the largest retail outlet in Redditch,
Tesco
Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...
Extra.
This area gets its name from Oakenshaw Farm, sometimes known as Pheasant Farm. The farm was located, where the underpass from Tesco to Greenlands is today, and a small lane ran from opposite Yvonne Road in Crabbs Cross to Oakenshaw Road in Greenlands, in which modern Oakenshaw lies upon.
Oakenshaw South
Oakenshaw South was built in the 1980s and consists of ten residential closes, all leading off Grangers Lane.
Built on land once belonging to Woodrow Farm, the particularly long pathway dividing Oakenshaw South is in fact the old lane linking the Slough to Woodrow Farm and then onto Studley Road. The Bridleway adjacent to Yarr Mill Close was the first stretch of the lane off the Slough, the pathway opposite carries on until the bend, where the lane was lifted to build Stoneleigh Close. The lane continues south towards Woodrow Drive, then rises to a pathed platform which was once the Redditch to Evesham Railway line. Woodrow Farm was located just before the rise and bend of the path, on the left looking towards the Rough Hill drive Round-a-bout. The old lane continued through what is now Bushley Close, Woodrow North to the Studley Road junction at Woodrow Centre.
Park Farm
Park Farm is an area in south-east Redditch largely comprising industrial and commercial properties
Politically, Park Farm is within the Greenlands ward represented by Councillors Joanna Kane and Juma Begum from the
Labour Party, and Councillor Emma Marshall from the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
.
Riverside
The Redditch area of Riverside runs alongside the River Arrow. Located between the areas of Enfield and Abbeydale is the location of Forge Mill Needle Museum and the ruins of Bordesley Abbey. Also located in Riverside is the Abbey Stadium Sports Complex and Redditch Crematorium. The Abbey Stadium has a swimming pool built in 2011. It gained some notoriety at that time as it is partially heated using waste heat from the nearby Crematorium.
Smallwood
Named for the Smallwood Brothers, this area of Redditch contains the Smallwood Alms Houses and the old Victorian factories of Millsborough House. It is also the location of a
B&Q outlet,
ASDA
Asda Stores Ltd. () (often styled as ASDA) is a British supermarket chain. It is headquartered in Leeds, England. The company was founded in 1949 when the Asquith family merged their retail business with the Associated Dairies company of York ...
Superstore and
Matalan
Matalan is a British fashion and homeware retailer based in Knowsley, Merseyside. It was established by John Hargreaves in 1985, and is still owned by the Hargreaves family. , the company employed over 13,000, and had 230 stores in the United K ...
. It also is the location of the
Redditch Central Mosque
Redditch Central Mosque is a mosque in the town centre area of Redditch, England, run by the Redditch Mosque Committee, and is one of the largest Muslim centres in Redditch.
The mosque is open to people of all religious affiliations, men and ...
.
Southcrest
Southcrest is a residential area of Redditch located on and to the south of Mount Pleasant, between the Town Centre and Headless Cross. It houses the Southcrest Hotel and Plymouth Road Cemetery, and is one of the oldest areas of Redditch. Most of the older buildings date from the late Victorian era and include Southcrest Works, which have now been renovated into privately owned apartments.
St Georges
St Georges is a residential area of Redditch to the south east of the Town Centre. It is home to St George the Martyr Church,
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, and St Georges Church of England First School. It is largely based around the roads of Beoley Road West and St Georges Road.
Town Centre
![Redditch001](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Redditch001.jpg)
The primary commercial core of Redditch is the indoor
Kingfisher Shopping Centre. Designed like an out of town mall facility, with fully covered walkways and integrated
multi-storey car parks, the Kingfisher Centre was built in place of several established Redditch town centre streets. The walkways are named after these streets.
The centre, along with Church Green and municipal buildings such as the Town Hall, Redditch Central Library and
Heart of Worcestershire College
Heart of Worcestershire College is an academic institution with campuses at Worcester, Malvern, Redditch and Bromsgrove. It was established in August 2014 on the merging of Worcester College of Technology and North East Worcestershire Colleg ...
are enclosed on three sides by the raised one-way, three-lane Redditch Ringway. Designed for access to the car parks, it illustrates the early ''roads for prosperity'' approach in new town design philosophy applied in the UK in the 1960s and 1980s.
Walkwood
Walkwood is a small suburb of Redditch and is home to the Bramley Cottage Inn and Walkwood Coppice, a nature reserve. Nearby is Morton Stanley Park, a large open area of parkland, which hosts the annual Morton Stanley Festival.
On Mason Road there is a small shopping arcade including a post office.
Washford
Washford is primarily a modern industrial estate in south-east Redditch. It is home to the corporate headquarters of automotive and bicycle accessories retailer
Halfords
Halfords Group PLC is the UK's largest retailer of motoring and cycling products and services. Through Halfords Autocentre, they provide vehicle servicing, MOT, maintenance and repairs in the United Kingdom.
Halfords Group is listed on the Lond ...
, along with large compressor manufacturer Gardner Denver who have their UK headquarters situated on the old Hydrovane site on Claybrook Drive. The estate also comprises many smaller businesses along the Hemming Road industrial estate. It is named after the Washford Mill, which is now a popular public house and restaurant, though a Mill has stood on this site since 1066 and is mentioned in the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
. Many areas of Redditch have similar very early origins: Ipsley, Batchley, Feckenham, Bordesley and Beoley were all Saxon settlements.
Webheath
Webheath is a district of Redditch, in Worcestershire, England. The district neighbours Batchley and the village of Callow Hill. It is also near Feckenham and Astwood Bank. Webheath used to be a village in its own right but is now part of the town of Redditch.
Webheath is home to two first schools, both located on Downsell Road:
* Webheath Academy Primary School
* Mount Carmel Catholic First School
Webheath comes under the West Ward on
Redditch Borough Council
Redditch Borough Council is the local authority covering the non-metropolitan district centred on the town of Redditch.
History
The town of Redditch was governed by a local board of health from 1858 until 1894, when such local boards were ref ...
. It is represented by two councillors, Matthew Dormer (
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
) and David Thain (
Green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...
).
Webheath is the westernmost district of the Redditch constituency.
Winyates
![ArrowValleyLake WaterTower](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/ArrowValleyLake_WaterTower.JPG)
Winyates is a new town estate in eastern Redditch. It comprises:
* Winyates West
* Winyates East
* Winyates Green, to the east of Winyates East
The West and East areas are separated by Winyates Way, a continuation of Church Hill Way and Matchborough Way, which is largely a bus lane though access is available to Winyates Shopping Centre. Winyates West adjoins
Arrow Valley Park
Arrow Valley Country Park (also known as Arrow Valley Park) is a country park on the River Arrow, at Redditch, Worcestershire, England.
Built by Redditch Development Corporation in the 1970s. It has of public open space and incorporates the ...
, accessible by a footpath under Battens Drive.
Winyates is home to the Ipsley Alders Marsh Nature Reserve which is an
SSSI
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
.
Politically, Winyates elects three councillors to
Redditch Borough Council
Redditch Borough Council is the local authority covering the non-metropolitan district centred on the town of Redditch.
History
The town of Redditch was governed by a local board of health from 1858 until 1894, when such local boards were ref ...
.
Tenacres first school is located in Winyates East. Ipsley Middle School and Roman Way First School are located in Winyates West.
Wire Hill
Wire Hill is a small estate which only contains houses. It is located opposite what was once The Jolly Farmer pub in Woodrow, and lies on the same road as the Alexandra Hospital. It is only accessible by Nine Days Lane. The entrance to Wire Hill Woods, which is an area of special scientific interest (SSSI) can also be found here.
Woodrow
This area gets its name from Woodrow Farm which in fact, was located where Oakenshaw South is today. Some roads in Woodrow North's closes, such as Bushley and Cropthorne, are remains of the old Woodrow Farm lane, which started at the Studley Road junction, where Woodrow Centre is today, ending at the Slough in Crabbs Cross. Woodrow North is council housing, whereas Woodrow South is a mix of private and council dwellings.
The
Alexandra Hospital
Alexandra Hospital (AH) is a hospital located in Queenstown, Singapore that provides acute and community care under the National University Health System.
The hospital's colonial-style buildings were constructed in the late 1930s on of land. U ...
is located in Woodrow.
References
Sources
*
{{Redditch
Redditch