Bedworth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Map sources for Bedworth at grid reference SP3586
|
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.
Bedworth is pronounced 'Bed-uth' by residents of the town and by most Coventrians and Nuneatonians, though the common 'Bed-worth' pronunciation is used virtually everywhere else.
Contents |
[edit] Features
The most notable buildings in Bedworth are the Nicholas Chamberlaine's Almshouses on All Saint’s Square in the town centre, which are built in Tudor style and date from 1840. The main venue in Bedworth is the Bedworth Civic Hall which has an attached Arts Centre [1]
A new and interesting building in Mill 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 Hugenot weavers, but are now used as shops. 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, Tesco and Iceland are represented here.
Domestic appliance insurer Domestic and General has offices in the town centre and provides substantial employment for the community.
[edit] History
Originally a small market town with Saxon origin, 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. The opening of the Coventry Canal in 1769 and later, the railway in 1850 enhanced the town's growth. Until quite recently Bedworth was primarily a coal mining town, but the last colliery was closed in 1994.
Due to its good transport links, and proximity to Coventry, Birmingham and Leicester, Bedworth is now growing rapidly as a dormitory town.
From 1894 Bedworth was a civil parish within the Foleshill Rural Ristrict. In 1928 Bedworth was incorporated as an urban district in its own right [2]. In 1974 the Bedworth Urban District was merged with the borough of Nuneaton to create the borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth.
[edit] Transport
Bedworth is situated to the immediate north of the M6 motorway at junction 3, and is served by the Coventry to Nuneaton railway line. The present railway station was opened in 1988 after the original station was closed in the 1960s was part of the Beeching axe.
The Coventry Canal also runs through the town.
[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] Notable residents
The locally born author George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans) lived at "Griff House" just north of Bedworth between 1819 and 1841. Griff House still stands today as a private residence. Other famous people associated with the town are:
- Former Libertines front-man Pete Doherty, who attended Nicholas Chamberlaine Technology College.
- Bill Maynard from TVs Heartbeat and Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt!
Lee Hurst, a Coventry City F.C. footballer in the 1990s, used to reside in Exhall. He retired due to injury. He was an unsung local hero on the terraces of Highfield Road Stadium, who lined up alongside the likes of Roy Wegerle, Peter Ndlovu, Steve Ogrizovic, Brian Borrows, Kenny Sansom, Mick Quinn, Robert Rosario, Brian Hill and many famous Coventry City footballers.
