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Redditch

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Image:Redditch 009A.jpg thumb|right|Church Green and St. Stephen's Church in central Redditch on a Winter's day {| class="infobox bordered" border=1 cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" align="right" width=300 style=margin-left:10px |- !colspan=2 align=center bgcolor="#ff9999"|Borough of Redditch |- |colspan=2 align=center bgcolor="#ffffff"|Image:WorcestershireRedditch.png 150px|Redditch
''Shown within Worcestershire'' |- !colspan=2 bgcolor="#ff9999"|Geography |- |width="45%"|Status:||Borough |- |Regions of England Region:||West Midlands (region) West Midlands |- |Admin. County:||Worcestershire |- |Surface area Area:
- Total||List of English districts by area Ranked 295th
1 E7 mÂ² 54.25 square kilometre kmÂ² |- |Admin. HQ:||Redditch |- |ONS coding system ONS code:||47UD |- |Geographic coordinates:||{{coor dm|52|19|N|1|56|W|type:city}} |- !colspan=2 bgcolor="#ff9999"|Demographics |- |Population:
- Total (2004 est.)
- Density.html">List of English districts by population Ranked 294th
79,300
1,462 / km² |- |Ethnicity:||94.8% White
2.7% S.Asian |- !colspan=2 bgcolor="#ff9999"|Politics |- |colspan=2 align=center|Redditch Borough Council
http://www.redditchbc.gov.uk/ |- |Local government in England#Councils and councillors Leadership:||Leader & Cabinet |- |Executive (2006):||Labour Party (UK) Labour |- |MPs elected in the UK general election, 2005 MP(2006):||Jacqui Smith |} '''Redditch''' is a town and Districts of England local government district in Worcestershire, England, just south of (but not part of) the West Midlands (county) West Midlands urban area and lies on the A441 road A441, a trunk road from Birmingham to Studley. Notably, the Roman Road known as Icknield Street is prominent as it runs North to South through the eastern side of the town. The district has a population of about 80,000 and is currently (2006) represented in Parliament by Jacqui Smith.

History
The first recorded mention of Redditch ("''Red-Dych'' ", thought to be a reference to the red clay of the nearby River Arrow) is in 1348, the year of the outbreak of the Black Death. During the Middle Ages it became a centre of needle-making. It was designated a New Town in 1964 and the population increased dramatically from 32,000 to around 77,000. Entire new estates such as Church Hill, Matchborough, Oakenshaw, Winyates, Lodge Park and Woodrow were created to accommodate the large overspill from an industrially expanding Birmingham. Today needle-making has been replaced by modern light industry, with Redditch also functioning as a dormitory town for Birmingham. With the redevelopment of the flagship Kingfisher Shopping Centre in 2002 Redditch is undergoing an economic and cultural renaissance.

Transport
Located in the heart of England, Redditch is an ideal point of departure for destinations in the surrounding region. The M42 motorway is a short drive away and it is linked by dual carriageways and A-class roads to surrounding towns such as Bromsgrove and Evesham, Worcestershire Evesham. There are regular bus services to Studley, Bromsgrove, Catshill and Birmingham. The Birmingham Cross-City Line Cross-City Line provides a regular train service via Birmingham New Street to Lichfield. Redditch Station, the southern terminus of the line, was first opened as the terminus of the Redditch Railway on September 19, 1859, alongside what is now Clive Road. This first station stayed until May 4 1868 when the last section from Alcester to Redditch of the Redditch and Evesham Railway was opened, when a second station was built alongside the junction of Bromsgrove Road and Plymouth Road. This station was provided with a standard Midland Railway design and two platforms. The current station is now however a shadow of its former self. Image:Redditch_Bus_Station_1996.jpg thumb|Redditch Bus Station of boring postcard fame, circa 1996 There is an extensive network of local bus services run by First Group First and other operators (including Pete's travel). Many services run from the bus station in the town centre, a postcard of which was voted Britain's most boring postcard in a competition run by the photographer Martin Parr. Redditch is locally well known for its confusing road system dominated by a system of dual carriageways built when it became a "New Town". Due to their similar appearance drivers easily become disorientated, although the story of an elderly couple admitted to hospital with severe dehydration after spending more than sixty hours trying to navigate the highway system is an urban legend. Redditch was briefly famous for a tongue-in-cheek calendar featuring its "picturesque" roundabouts created by a local printing company, which proved so successful it has sparked a national series (http://www.roundaboutsofbritain.com/).

Places of interest
*Bordesley Abbey: remains of a former Cistercian abbey, later used as a Royal Swannery. *Forge Mill Needle Museum: exhibition of traditional needle making

Kingfisher Shopping Centre
The Kingfisher Shopping Centre, opened in 1978, is the town's primary retail centre and was well-known for its palm trees in the centre's main square. The original trees and their accompanying fountain, have been removed by the Centre's management after health and safety fears relating to the central lowered section in the square. However more appropriate palm trees have been planted following an outcry from residents. The centre is also well known for its large mosaic panels designed by famous Scottish artist and sculptor, Sir Eduardo Paolozzi.

Arrow Valley Park
Image:ArrowValleyLake_WaterTower.JPG thumb|left|View across Arrow Valley Lake Redditch benefits from 900 acres of public open space in Arrow Valley Park (also known as ''Arrow Valley Country Park''). This incorporates the 27 acre Arrow Valley Lake, popular for Nuclear warfare dinghy sailing and fishing. The lake is home to Redditch Sailing Club (racing up to 14ft boats) and the Youth Afloat initiative, which provides sailing experience for children would not otherwise have the opportunity. Arrow Valley Park was recognised with a Civic Trust Green Flag Award in 2005. The lake is fed from the River Arrow.

Royal Enfield motorcycles
Redditch was the home of the Royal Enfield motorcycle. This is where the factory of the original company was located. It kept manufacturing through the sixties, the last model being the [http://www.ozemate.com/interceptor Interceptor]. In the mid fifties it established a partner Madras in India, who manufactured the Bullet model. The Indian factory is still very successful, with new Indian models. It has taken Royal Enfield into its third century of manufacturing. The English manufacturing ended in 1970. A few of the original factory buildings still remain and are part of the Enfield Industrial Estate.

Notable residents
*John Bonham (1948–1980) of Led Zeppelin was born in Redditch.{{Inote|Bonham|Bonham}} *Rik Mayall (1958–) (comedian) spent his early life in Redditch. *Charles Dance (1946–) (actor) was born in Redditch *Ruth England (1970–) (TV presenter) was educated in Redditch. *Raymond Thompson (scriptwriter and TV producer) was born in Redditch.

Local Dialect
Due to its geographical location Redditch was isolated from the Worcestershire vernacular, instead developing a distinguishable local mode of speech which owes more to the influence of nearby Warwickshire and Birmingham. The establishment of Redditch as a new town and the accompanying influx of migrants from the West Midlands area, along with the influence of national television, mean that particularly amongst the younger generation virtually all traces of a local dialect have been lost.

See also
*Redditch United F.C.

External links

- Redditch Advertiser
- Bus service information
- Brief history of Redditch
- Kingfisher Shopping Centre
- Redditch Standard
- Redditch Muslims

References
*Bonham, Mick. ''Bonham by Bonham: My Brother John'' (Solihull: Icarus Publications, 2003). ISBN 0954571703 {{West_Midlands}} Category:Local government in Worcestershire Category:New towns Category:Shire districts Category:Towns in Worcestershire de:Redditch fr:Redditch nl:Redditch ja:ãƒ¬ãƒ‡ã‚£ãƒƒãƒ? sv:Redditch

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