Bedworth

Bedworth lies 101 miles (163 km) northwest of London, 19 miles (31 km) east of Birmingham and 17 miles (27 km) north northeast of the county town of Warwick.

Map of Bedworth and Bulkington.

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 River Sowe rises in Bedworth flowing through Exhall, northern and eastern Coventry, Baginton and Stoneleigh, before joining the River Avon south of Stoneleigh.[3][4][5]

Originally a small market town with Saxon origins, Bedworth was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.[6] 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 ribbon weaving industry had been introduced to the area by French Hugenot immigrants in the 18th century and thrived for nearly a century, until it was largely wiped out in the 1860s following the Cobden–Chevalier Treaty which removed tariffs on imported French silks, causing enormous hardship to the town. Hat making however grew and largely replaced the ribbon trade, and lasted until the 1950s.[7][8]

The opening of the Coventry Canal in 1789 and later, the railway in 1850 enhanced the town's growth.[8]

Bedworth was for many years primarily a coal mining town: Located on the Warwickshire Coalfield, coal mining in the area was recorded as early as the 13th century. The industry peaked in 1939 when there were 20 pits in the Bedworth area producing over 5.8 million tons of coal. The last colliery in Bedworth, Newdigate Colliery closed in 1982, and Coventry Colliery on the edge of the town closed in 1991.[7] In the middle of the 19th century, the large number of public houses, and thirsty miners lead to the town being called 'Black Bedworth'.

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.[9] In 1932 the urban district was enlarged by the addition of Exhall and parts of Foleshill, Astley and Walsgrave on Sowe parishes.[10] It was further enlarged in 1938 by the addition of Bulkington. In 1974 the Bedworth Urban District was merged with the borough of Nuneaton to create the borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth.[11]

Nicholas Chamberlaine Almshouses

The most notable buildings in Bedworth are the Nicholas Chamberlaine Almshouses on All Saints' Square in the town centre, which are built in Tudor style and date from 1840,[6] having been funded by a legacy from the local benefactor Nicholas Chamberlaine (1632–1715) through his will. The almshouses were restored in the 1980s, and are now Grade II* listed.[12][13]

The majority of the town centre was redeveloped in the 1960s and early-1970s, and has the typical architecture of that period.[14] The town centre itself contains some of the usual high street retail names as well as many charity shops, card shops and banks.

The main venue in Bedworth is the Bedworth Civic Hall which opened in 1973 and has an attached arts centre.[15][16]

South of the town centre is the Miners' Welfare Park, which opened in 1923, originally to provide a recreation space for miners and their families. Now managed by the local council it includes playing fields, sports facilities, footpaths and gardens.[11][17]

The former Bedworth water tower is probably the most noticeable landmark building in Bedworth; built in 1898 in the then fashionable Romanesque style, at approximately 45 metres (148 ft) high, it is visible from miles around and has been Grade II listed since 1987.[18] It originally had a 60,000 gallon water tank, but became obsolete in 1988, when a new water mains was installed into Bedworth.[19] The tower was home to a pair of peregrine falcons in 2006.[20] In 2015 it was sold to be converted into six luxury apartments.[21]

All Saints' Square – church at the far end. The almshouses are to the left out of picture.

Miners' Welfare Park

Former topshops. They were a common feature in Bedworth's and Coventry's textiles industry during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The lower two floors served as the weaver's private dwelling, while the upper floor acted as the workplace. This photograph clearly shows how the windows on the top floor were once much bigger, to allow more daylight.

Along Mill Street until recently were rows of former weavers' cottages which were once inhabited by Huguenot weavers.[6] Some of these were still used as shops, although most had become derelict. They have been demolished as part of the redevelopment of Tesco.

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 1960s steel reinforced concrete building with roof parking, known locally as the Hypermarket – the original name), was redeveloped into a new Aldi store. Next to it is a Home Bargains store. Tesco was in a similar type of building to Kwik Save, but in a brick-faced and arched windowed 1970s style, closed in January 2011,[22] 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 up a ramp to the first floor. It opened on 5 December 2011.

Bedworth has many pubs and working men's clubs: among others, the Bear and Ragged Staff, the White Horse, the Miners Arms, the Mount Pleasant, the Black Horse, the Black Bank, Saunders Hall, Collycroft Working Men's Club, Bedworth Liberal Club, Bedworth Conservative Club, the Griffin Inn, the Newdigate Arms, the Cross Keys, the Royal Oak, the Prince of Wales, JB's and Littleworks (reopened as Jack's Entertainment Club). Several others have closed.

Bedworth also has a skate park built in the Miners' Welfare Park in 2001 after campaigning by local youngsters. Previously, 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, on the site of the previous aviary and paddling pool near the cricket ground within the park, was dedicated in June 2012 to Sergeant Simon 'Val' Valentine. He was born and brought up in Bedworth, a soldier of 2nd battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers who died in August 2009 while serving his country in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.[23] The town centre was closed and thousands of townspeople paid their respects at Sergeant Valentine's funeral in 2009.[24]

The Oval Football Ground, home of Bedworth United.

Bedworth has a non-League football team Bedworth United F.C. who play at the Oval Ground. There is also a swimming club called Nuneaton and Bedworth Dolphins.

Bedworth is proud host to the Bedworth Parkrun on a Saturday and Bedworth Park 5k on a Sunday. Both of these runs are held in the Miners Welfare Park at 9am.

Every year Armistice Day 11 November is well attended by the population, who gather in the town to watch the veterans' armistice parade that concludes with the laying of poppy wreaths at the war memorial, to pay their respects to those who fought and died in the armed forces. Local youth groups like the Girls' Brigade, and cadets march through the town as part of the parade, with bands playing commemorative music. Second World War Douglas C-47 Skytrain 'Dakota' military transport aircraft, also known as the civilian version Douglas DC-3, scatter remembrance poppy petals over the town, aiming at the war memorial if the weather permits. Before 2005 Spitfire fighters were used.

The flypasts were 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.

Bedworth chose to keep 11 November as Armistice Day, even after 1939, when the rest of the country moved to the nearest Sunday. In more recent times, the tradition was kept up by Frank Parsons. The former Royal Marine died in 2011,[25] but his work over the previous 25 years not only kept Bedworth's tradition - unique in the United Kingdom - alive, but also lent significant weight to the campaign to move Remembrance Day back to 11 November.

Nicholas Chamberlaine School

• Nicholas Chamberlaine School
• Ash Green School

• Nona Bellairs (1824-1897), writer and philanthropist
• Pete Doherty, former Libertines front-man, attended Nicholas Chamberlaine School.[28]
• George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans) lived at "Griff House" north of Bedworth and south of Nuneaton between 1819 and 1841.[6] "Griff House" still stands today as a Premier Inn.
• Lee Hurst, a Coventry City footballer in the 1990s, used to reside in Leas Close in the Mount Pleasant area. He retired due to injury caused during a training exercise at an assault course, organised by then manager Bobby Gould. He also appeared on They Think It's All Over as the mystery guest as a joke due to one of the show residents of the same name, Lee Hurst, the comedian. He was an unsung local hero on the terraces of the Highfield Road stadium, who lined up alongside the likes of Roy Wegerle, Peter Ndlovu, Steve Ogrizovic, Brian Borrows, Kenny Sansom, Micky Quinn, Robert Rosario and many famous Coventry City footballers.
• Conrad Keely of American rock group ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead was a resident of Bedworth.[28]
• Nick Skelton, winner of a gold medal in London 2012 Olympics, winner of the Hickstead Derby and European showjumping championships.[28]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bedworth.

• Nuneatonhistory.com – Townscapes of Bedworth & Collycroft
• The Bedworth Society
• Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough council
• The Civic Hall, Bedworth
• Nicholas Chamberlaine Trusts