the encyclopedic entry of Bromsgrove

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History

Bromsgrove is first documented in the early 9th century as Bremesgraf. Later in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of 909 A.D. Bromsgrove is mentioned as Bremesburh. Then in the Domesday Book Bromsgrove is referenced as Bremesgrave. The Breme part of the place name is almost certainly a Saxon personal name.

Prior to 1086 Bromsgrove is known to have had a Royal chief manor, a priest and three water mills. It was an important royal vill astride to the Roman road linking Droitwich with the northern Midlands. It was at the centre of a very large parish and its church was certainly of minister status. Bromsgrove, along with all the towns in north Worcestershire, was committed to defending the city of Worcester and is recorded to have contributed burgesses to Droitwich in 1086. There may also have been Saxon or Norman fortifications in Bromsgrove, but other than in literature no physical archaeological evidence remains.

In the Anglo-Saxon times, Bromsgrove had a woodland economy, consisting of hunting, maintenance of haies and pig farming.

At one time, Bromsgrove was a centre for the woollen trade, which went into decline before the 17th century.

The Bromsgrove Union Workhouse, on the Birmingham Road, was opened in 1838 and closed in 1948 and is in use as offices today.

Nail making was introduced by the French Huguenots in the 17th century and became a thriving industry. At one point Bromsgrove was the world centre of nail making. Mechanisation quickly put the industry into decline.

Bromsgrove was home for many years to the world-famous "Bromsgrove Guild", a company of craftsmen who produced many fine works of sculpture, ironwork, etc., including the gates of Buckingham Palace (whose locks are stamped with the Guild's name), the lifts on the Lusitania and the famous statue adorning the Fortune Theatre in Drury Lane.

In 1841, Bromsgrove railway works was established. It was primarily a maintenance facility but also built steam locomotives. The works provided employment for people in Bromsgrove. In 1964, following a reorganisation of railway workshops, the works closed and was demolished. The site is now a housing estate. One of the turntable pits still remains.

Major restoration of the Norman and 13th century St. John the Baptist church was carried out in 1858 by Sir George Gilbert Scott. In the churchyard here are the graves of two railwaymen, Tom Scaife and Joseph Rutherford who were killed when their steam locomotive blew up while climbing the steepest mainline railway gradient in England, at the nearby Lickey Incline, on November 10th 1840. The driver and his number two died instantly.

St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church in Worcester Road was built by Gilbert Blount in 1858.

The fish and chip shop above which Lord Lucan was rumoured to have hidden during the late 1970s has been demolished.

Governance

Bromsgrove's Member of Parliament is Julie Kirkbride. As a largely rural constituency with affluent residential areas, Bromsgrove is strongly Conservative with even more conservative seats being won in the local elections at the expense of 'other' candidates. The population has a small ethnic minority. Bromsgrove has its own youth branch of Conservatives called Bromsgrove Conservative Future.

Geography

The solid geology of Bromsgrove is that of the Triassic(late Scythian to early Ladinian) Bromsgrove Sandstone. It shows red bed facies and was probably laid down by rivers flowing through an arid landscape or in ephemeral, shallow lakes. The uppermost beds were deposited by a brief marine transgression. The soil is very good for market gardening and growing vegetables due to Marl bands.

Bromsgrove has a rainfall of between 27 and 28 inches annually and the district is at a general elevation of between 200 to 300 feet above sea level.

Landmarks

There is a statue of Alfred Edward Housman in the high street, which was erected in 1985. There is also a sculpture of a dryad and boar in the high street.

Bromsgrove is home to Grafton Manor which dates back to the 13th century. It has a rich history, with some historians believing it to be involved in the gunpowder plot.

Economy

In 2004, 33,175 people in Bromsgrove District were in employment, with mining and quarrying, manufacturing, electricity, gas and water supply, the utilities, being the biggest sector of employment.

Many of Bromsgrove's residents find employment in Birmingham, Redditch, Worcester and other places along the motorway network. MG Rover was a major employer of Bromsgrove residents until its collapse in May 2005.

Bromsgrove is still home to LG Harris Ltd, a paint brush manufacturer.

Business parks in Aston Fields and Buntsford Hill are helping to revitalise the local economy, in addition to newer developments such as Saxon and Harris Business Parks. Bromsgrove District Council is aiming to create a technology corridor along the A38 to take advantage of the area's excellent road links.

Present day

Communal Facilities

Bromsgrove is now host to a new centre for the arts, "Artrix". This is a theatre and a cinema, located in School Drive. It hosts relatively recently-released films, rock concerts, stand-up comedians and classical music concerts from Bromsgrove Concerts.

Bromsgrove has a medium sized public community library situated in the centre of the town. The library offers not only books but also music CDs, spoken word, foreign language tapes and videos & DVDs for adults and children. There are 25 computers available with internet access.

Bromsgrove has a municipal park, Sanders Park. Facilities include: basketball, tennis courts, a skate park, children's play area and football pitches. A bonfire night is held annually with a large fireworks display and fair ground rides. Other events are held such as big band afternoons featuring bands playing in the bandstand.

There is a large public leisure centre and sports centre in the town called The Dolphin Centre. It has two swimming pools and a large sports hall. Numerous activities and clubs are held here, such as the Bromsgrove Swimming Club. It is maintained by Bromsgrove District Council.

Transport

Bromsgrove is intersected by the A38, the M5 motorway borders the west side and the M42 motorway starts at the north of the town.

Bromsgrove railway station is situated to the south of the town. There are frequent trains to Birmingham New Street, Worcester Foregate Street and Hereford. On 4 May 2007, Network Rail announced that a new station will be built, to replace the existing structure, at a cost in the region of £10-12 million.

There is also a bus station adjacent to the high street. Buses operate to a wide area of Worcestershire and the West Midlands.

Education

State Schools

Bromsgrove schools use a three-tier education system (First School, Middle School, High School).

Bromsgrove has 12 first schools in its district. There are five middle schools: Alvechurch Middle School, Catshill Middle School, Aston Fields Middle School, St John's Middle School and Parkside Middle School.

There are two high schools, North Bromsgrove High School and South Bromsgrove High School. South Bromsgrove is a specialist school in foreign languages and I.T, noted for its extensive use of information technology. A previous headteacher, Philip McTague, was heavily involved in political action to reduce the gap in funding between Worcestershire state schools and others across the country. North Bromsgrove High School has now been classed for a specialist status in media and creative arts.

Private Schools

Bromsgrove is also home to 'Bromsgrove School' (founded in 1553) a private, co-educational independent school with three campuses catering for pupils from nursery to sixth-form that offers boarding facilities. Digby Jones, head of the CBI for many years, went to Bromsgrove School.

Special Schools

There are two special schools in Bromsgrove, one is Chadsgrove School and Specialist Sports College the other Rigby Hall School.

Further Education

Bromsgrove is the main site of North East Worcestershire College, better known as NEW College. NEW College has recently built a motorcycle academy with a £1.7 million grant from Advantage West Midlands, it has been extensively equipped by Harley Davidson.

Sport

Bromsgrove is home to :

Bromsgrove Rugby Football Club, one of the oldest rugby union clubs in the country. It was formed on the 28 September 1872.
Bromsgrove Rovers Football Club.
Bromsgrove Cricket, Hockey and Tennis Club.

Attractions

The Avoncroft Museum of Buildings has its home in Bromsgrove. This museum includes the National Telephone Kiosk Collection. There is also another museum near the centre of town, Bromsgrove Museum, which is currently closed, although the Tourist Information office in the same building remains open.

The Worcester and Birmingham Canal runs close to Bromsgrove, it is popular for leisure activities such as walking and coarse fishing. There are several narrowboat hire centres situated in villages close to Bromsgrove. The Tardebigge lock flight, with 30 locks, is the longest in the UK.

Bromsgrove is five miles away from the historic country house Hanbury Hall, which is open to the public.

Bromsgrove's nightlife scene was dominated by "Euphoria" (known to some locals as "Euph"), a nightclub featuring a mixture of styles ranging from pure pop music to commercial dance music. On 20 February 2006, Euphoria underwent refurbishing and opened 6 July 2006 under the name Aura. In 2007 it was refurbished again and was known as Love, only a few months after this refurbishment, the nightclub changed its name again to Love2Love. Popular pubs in the town centre include The Red Lion, The Golden Cross Hotel (a Wetherspoons pub), a Slug and Luttuce and the Wishing Well (formerly The Shoulder Of Mutton). A Bar called The Rousler has recently opened in the High street, taking its name from the clay figure, the Bromsgrove Rousler. Ye Olde Black Cross is another popular pub in Bromsgrove and well known as a local Rock music pub hosting live music. The Wishing Well and the Hop Pole Inn are both well known as live music venues.

Bromsgrove is close to the Lickey Hills, Clent Hills, Waseley Hills, and to rural Worcestershire and Birmingham.

Town Twinning and Friendship Links

In May 1980, Bromsgrove was twinned with the German town of Gronau. A formal friendship link document was signed between Bromsgrove and the district of Saint-Sauveur-Lendelin in Normandy, France, in July 1999. Annual exchange visits are made by Bromsgrove and District Twinning Association members to each town with great success.

Twinning

Gronau, Germany

Friendship Link

Saint-Sauveur-Lendelin, Manche, France

Energy policy

In May 2006, a report commissioned by British Gas showed that housing in Bromsgrove produced the 14th highest average carbon emissions in the country at 7,133 kg of carbon dioxide per dwelling.