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Bromsgrove



 
 
Bromsgrove is a town
Town

A town is a type of human settlement ranging from a few to several thousand inhabitants, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas; the precise meaning varies between countries and is not always a matter of legal definition....
 in Worcestershire
Worcestershire

Worcestershire is a county located in the West Midlands of central England. From 1974 to 1998 it was administered as part of Hereford and Worcester....
, West Midlands
West Midlands (region)

The West Midlands is an official Regions of England of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands#The English Midlands....
, England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
. The town is about 16 miles north east of Worcester
Worcester

Worcester is a City status in the United Kingdom and county town of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some 30 miles southwest of Birmingham, 29 miles north of Gloucester, and has an estimated population of 94,300 people....
 and 13 miles south west of Birmingham
Birmingham

Birmingham is a city status in the United Kingdom and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. Birmingham is the most populous of England's English Core Cities Group, and is the List of United Kingdom cities by population British city after London, with a population of 1,010,200 ....
. It had a population of 27,633 in 2001 and is in Bromsgrove District
Bromsgrove (district)

Bromsgrove is a Districts of England in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in the town of Bromsgrove.Other places in the district include Aston Fields, Blakedown, Catshill, Hagley and Stoke Prior....
.

sgrove is first documented in the early 9th century as Bremesgraf. Later in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English language chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The annals were created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great....
 of 909 A.D. Bromsgrove is mentioned as Bremesburh. Then in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book

The Domesday Book is the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William I of England, or William the Conqueror....
 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
Manor

The term manor may refer to:...
, a priest and three water mills.






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Encyclopedia


Bromsgrove is a town
Town

A town is a type of human settlement ranging from a few to several thousand inhabitants, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas; the precise meaning varies between countries and is not always a matter of legal definition....
 in Worcestershire
Worcestershire

Worcestershire is a county located in the West Midlands of central England. From 1974 to 1998 it was administered as part of Hereford and Worcester....
, West Midlands
West Midlands (region)

The West Midlands is an official Regions of England of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands#The English Midlands....
, England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
. The town is about 16 miles north east of Worcester
Worcester

Worcester is a City status in the United Kingdom and county town of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some 30 miles southwest of Birmingham, 29 miles north of Gloucester, and has an estimated population of 94,300 people....
 and 13 miles south west of Birmingham
Birmingham

Birmingham is a city status in the United Kingdom and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. Birmingham is the most populous of England's English Core Cities Group, and is the List of United Kingdom cities by population British city after London, with a population of 1,010,200 ....
. It had a population of 27,633 in 2001 and is in Bromsgrove District
Bromsgrove (district)

Bromsgrove is a Districts of England in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in the town of Bromsgrove.Other places in the district include Aston Fields, Blakedown, Catshill, Hagley and Stoke Prior....
.

History

Bromsgrove is first documented in the early 9th century as Bremesgraf. Later in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English language chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The annals were created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great....
 of 909 A.D. Bromsgrove is mentioned as Bremesburh. Then in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book

The Domesday Book is the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William I of England, or William the Conqueror....
 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
Manor

The term manor may refer to:...
, a priest and three water mills. It was an important royal vill
Vill

Vill is a term used in English history to describe a land unit which might otherwise be described as a parish, manor or tithing.The term is used in the period immediately after the Norman conquest and into the late medieval....
 astride to the Roman
Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
 road linking Droitwich with the northern Midlands. It was at the centre of a very large parish
Parish

A parish is a local church; it is an administrative unit typically found in Roman Catholic, Anglican, United Methodist, and Presbyterianism churches....
 and its church was certainly of minister status. Bromsgrove, along with all the towns in north Worcestershire
Worcestershire

Worcestershire is a county located in the West Midlands of central England. From 1974 to 1998 it was administered as part of Hereford and Worcester....
, was committed to defending the city of Worcester
Worcester

Worcester is a City status in the United Kingdom and county town of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some 30 miles southwest of Birmingham, 29 miles north of Gloucester, and has an estimated population of 94,300 people....
 and is recorded to have contributed burgess
Burgess

Burgess is a word in English language that originally meant a Freedom of the City of a borough or burgh . It later came to mean an elected or un-elected official of a municipality, or the representative of a borough in the English House of Commons....
es to Droitwich in 1086. There may also have been Saxon or Norman
Normans

The Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France. They descended from Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of mostly Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock....
 fortifications in Bromsgrove, but other than in literature no physical archaeological evidence remains.

In the Anglo-Saxon
History of Anglo-Saxon England

The history of Anglo-Saxon England covers the history of early medieval England from the end of Roman Britain and the establishment of Anglo-Saxons kingdoms in the fifth century until the Norman Conquest of England in 1066....
 times, Bromsgrove had a woodland economy, consisting of hunting, maintenance of haies and pig farming.

At one time, Bromsgrove was a centre for the wool
Wool

Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells, called follicles, of animals in the Caprinae family, principally domestic sheep, but the hair of certain species of other Mammalia such as cashmere goat, llamas, rabbits and keeshonds may also be called wool....
len trade, which went into decline before the 17th century.

The Bromsgrove Union Workhouse
Poor Law

The Poor Law was the system for the provision of social security in operation in England and Wales from the 16th century until the establishment of the Welfare State in the 20th century....
, on the Birmingham Road, was opened in 1838 and closed in 1948 and is in use as offices today.

Nail
Nail

Nail may refer to:* Nail , toughened keratin at the end of an animal digit* Nail , the pin-shaped fastener used in engineering, woodworking and construction...
 making was introduced by the French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 Huguenot
Huguenot

The Huguenots were members of the Protestantism Reformed Church of France of France from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries....
s 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
Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal entertaining, and a major tourist attraction....
 (whose locks are stamped with the Guild
Guild

File:Windsorguildhall.jpgA guild is an association of artisan in a particular trade. The earliest guilds were formed as confraternities of workers....
's name), the lifts on the Lusitania
RMS Lusitania

RMS Lusitania was a Lusitania-Class Great Britain luxury ocean liner owned by the Cunard Line and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland, torpedoed by a German U-boat on May 7, 1915....
 and the famous statue adorning the Fortune Theatre
Fortune Theatre

The Fortune Theatre is a 432 seat West End theatre in Russell Street, near Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, built in 1922-4 by Ernest Schaufelberg for impresario Laurence Cowen....
 in Drury Lane
Drury Lane

Drury Lane is a street in the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of London Borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster....
.

In 1841, Bromsgrove railway works
Bromsgrove railway works

Bromsgrove railway works was established in 1841 at Aston Fields, near Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England as a maintenance facility for the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway....
 was established. It was primarily a maintenance facility but also built steam locomotive
Steam locomotive

A steam locomotive is a locomotive powered by steam. The term usually refers to its use on railways, but can also refer to a "road locomotive" such as a traction engine or steamroller....
s. 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
Norman architecture

The term Norman architecture is used to categorise styles of Romanesque architecture developed by the Normans in the various lands under their dominion or influence in the 11th and 12th centuries....
 and 13th century St. John the Baptist church was carried out in 1858 by Sir George Gilbert Scott
George Gilbert Scott

Sir George Gilbert Scott was an England architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of Church , cathedrals and workhouses....
. In the churchyard
Churchyard

A churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language or Northern English language this can also be known as a kirkyard or kirkyaird....
 here are the grave
Grave

Grave may refer to:*Grave *Grave accent*Grave *Tempo#Basic_tempo_markings*Grave, NetherlandsGrave might also refer to:*Peter Graves, an American film and television actor known for his starring role in the television series...
s of two railwaymen, Tom Scaife and Joseph Rutherford who were killed when their steam locomotive
Steam locomotive

A steam locomotive is a locomotive powered by steam. The term usually refers to its use on railways, but can also refer to a "road locomotive" such as a traction engine or steamroller....
 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
Gilbert Blount

Gilbert Blount was an England architect working mostly for Catholic Churches. He started his career as a civil engineer under Isambard Kingdom Brunel and became superintendent of the Thames Tunnel works....
 in 1858.The Buildings of England: Worcestershire, Nikolaus Pevsner, 1968 Penguin. p110

The fish and chip shop above which Lord Lucan
Richard Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan

Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan , United Kingdom aristocrat known as Lord Bingham from 1949 to 1964 and colloquially known as "Lucky" Lucan, Missing person in the early hours of 8 November 1974, following the murder of Sandra Rivett, his children's nanny, the previous evening....
 was rumoured to have hidden during the late 1970s has been demolished.

Governance

Bromsgrove's Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators....
 is Julie Kirkbride
Julie Kirkbride

Julie Kirkbride is a United Kingdom politician. She has been Conservative Party Member of Parliament for the Conservative stronghold of Bromsgrove since 1997....
. 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
Conservative Future

Conservative Future is the youth movement of the United Kingdom Conservative Party , for members aged up to 30 years old.It was formed in 1998 by the merger of the Young Conservatives , the Conservative student organisation Conservative Collegiate Forum and National Association of Conservative Graduates into one organisation....
.

Geography


The solid geology
Geology

Geology is the science and study of the solid and liquid matter that constitute the Earth. The field of geology encompasses the study of the composition, structural geology, physical properties, dynamics, and History of the Earth of Earth materials, and the processes by which they are formed, moved, and changed....
 of Bromsgrove is that of the Triassic
Triassic

The Triassic is a geologic period that extends from about 251 to 199 annum . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic....
(late Scythian to early Ladinian
Ladinian

The Ladinian is a faunal stage of the Middle Triassic epoch . It spans the time between 237 ? 2 annum and 228 ? 2 Ma . The Ladinian was preceded by the Anisian Stage and succeeded by the Carnian Stage of the Late Triassic Period....
) Bromsgrove Sandstone
Sandstone

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-size mineral or rock Particle size . Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust ....
. It shows red bed facies
Facies

In geology, facies are a body of rock with specified characteristics. [Reading ] Ideally, a facies is a distinctive rock unit that forms under certain conditions of sedimentation, reflecting a particular process or environment....
 and was probably laid down by rivers flowing through an arid landscape or in ephemeral
Ephemeral

Ephemeral things are transitory, existing only briefly. Typically the term is used to describe objects found in nature, although it can describe a wide range of things....
, shallow lakes. The uppermost beds were deposited by a brief marine transgression. The soil is very good for market gardening
Market gardening

In agriculture, market gardening is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sale directly to consumers and restaurants....
 and growing vegetable
Vegetable

The term "vegetable" generally means the Eating parts of plants. The definition of the word is traditional rather than scientific, however, and therefore the usage of the word is somewhat arbitrary and subjective, as it is determined by individual cultural customs of food selection and food preparation....
s due to Marl
Marl

Marl or Marlstone is a calcium carbonate or lime-rich mud or mudstone which contains variable amounts of clays and aragonite. Marl is originally an old term loosely applied to a variety of materials, most of which occur as loose, earthy deposits consisting chiefly of an intimate mixture of clay and calcium carbonate, formed under...
 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
Sea level

Mean sea level is the average height of the sea, with reference to a suitable reference surface. Defining the reference level , however, involves complex measurement, and accurately determining MSL can prove difficult....
.

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
Dryad

Dryads are Tree nymphs in Greek mythology. In Greek drys signifies 'oak,' from an Indo-European root *derew- 'tree' or 'wood'. Thus dryads are specifically the nymphs of oak trees, though the term has come to be used for all tree nymphs in general....
 and boar
Boar

The wild boar , or colloquially simply called the boar, is an omnivorous, wikt:gregarious mammal of the family Suidae. It is native across much of Central Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and much of Asia as far south as Indonesia, and has been introduced elsewhere....
 in the high street
High Street

High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic street name of the primary business street of towns or city in the United Kingdom....
.

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
Gunpowder Plot

The Gunpowder Conspiracy of 1605, or the Powder Treason or Gunpowder Plot, as it was then known, was a failed assassination attempt by a group of provincial English Roman Catholic Church against King James I of England....
.

Economy

In 2004, 33,175 people in Bromsgrove District
Bromsgrove (district)

Bromsgrove is a Districts of England in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in the town of Bromsgrove.Other places in the district include Aston Fields, Blakedown, Catshill, Hagley and Stoke Prior....
 were in employment, with mining
Mining

Mining is the extraction of value minerals or other geology materials from the earth, usually from an ore body, vein or seam. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, Sodium chloride and potash....
 and quarrying, manufacturing
Manufacturing

Manufacturing is the use of machine, tool and labor to make things for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to Industry production, in which raw material are transformed into finished good on a large scale....
, electricity
Electricity

Electricity is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena such as lightning and static electricity, but in addition, less familiar concepts such as the electromagnetic field and electromagnetic induction....
, gas
Gas

In physics, a gas is a state of matter, consisting of a collection of particles without a definite shape or volume that are in more or less random motion....
 and water supply
Water supply

Water supply is the process of self-provision or provision by third parties in the water industry, commonly a public utility, of water resources of various qualities to different users....
, the utilities, being the biggest sector of employment.

Many of Bromsgrove's residents find employment in Birmingham
Birmingham

Birmingham is a city status in the United Kingdom and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. Birmingham is the most populous of England's English Core Cities Group, and is the List of United Kingdom cities by population British city after London, with a population of 1,010,200 ....
, Redditch
Redditch

Redditch is a town and Non-metropolitan district in north-east Worcestershire, England. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005....
, Worcester and other places along the motorway
Motorway

Motorway is a term for both a type of road and a classification or designation. Motorways are high capacity roads designed to carry fast motor traffic safely....
 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
A38 road

The A38 is a major trunk road in England. Though formally known as the Exeter - Leeds Trunk Road, it actually runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire....
 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
Theatre

Theatre is the branch of the performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one or more actor, isolated in time and/or Theater , present themselves to Audience." By this broad definition, theatre has existed since the dawn of man, as a result of human tendency for story telling....
 and a cinema
Movie theater

A movie theater, movie theatre, picture theatre, film theater or cinema is a venue, usually a building, for viewing film ....
, located in School Drive. It hosts relatively recently-released film
Film

Film encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the film industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects....
s, rock concert
Rock concert

The term rock concert refers to a musical performance in the style of any one of many genres inspired by "rock and roll" music. While a variety of vocal and instrumental styles can constitute a rock concert, this phenomenon is typically characterized by band playing at least one electric guitar, an electric bass guitar, and Drum kit....
s, stand-up comedians and classical music
Classical music

Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of Western art history Religious music and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 9th century to present times....
 concert
Concert

A concert is a live performance, usually of music, before an audience. The music may be performed by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band....
s from Bromsgrove Concerts.

Bromsgrove has a medium sized public community library
Library

A library is a collection of information, sources, resources, books, and services, and the structure in which it is housed: it is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual....
 situated in the centre of the town. The library offers not only books but also music CD
Compact Disc

A Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store Data , originally developed for storing digital audio. The CD, available on the market since October 1982, remains the standard physical medium for sale of commercial Sound recording and reproduction to the present day....
s, spoken word, foreign language
Foreign language

A foreign language is a language not spoken by the people of a certain place: for example, not only English language but also Late Old Japanese is a foreign language in Japan....
 tapes and video
Video

Video is the technology of electronics Videography, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing Scene in motion....
s & DVD
DVD

DVD, also known as "Digital Versatile Disc" or "Digital Video Disc,"is a popular optical disc data storage device media format. Its main uses are video and data storage....
s for adults and children. There are 25 computer
Computer

A computer is a machine that manipulates Data according to a list of Code .The first devices that resemble modern computers date to the mid-20th century , although the computer concept and various machines similar to computers existed earlier....
s available with internet access
Internet access

Internet access refers to the means by which users connect to the Internet....
.

Bromsgrove has a municipal park, Sanders Park. Facilities include: basketball, tennis court
Tennis court

A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both Types of tennis match....
s, a skate park, children's play area and football pitch
Football pitch

A football pitch is the playing surface for the game of association football made of turf. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play"....
es. A bonfire night
Bonfire Night

Bonfire Night can refer to a number of occasions:* Guy Fawkes Night, celebrated on 5 November in the United Kingdom* St. John's Eve, celebrated on 23 June in Ireland...
 is held annually with a large fireworks
Fireworks

A firework is classified as a low explosive material pyrotechnics device used primarily for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display....
 display and fair ground
Fair Ground

Fair Ground is a Canada Rock music band.Fair Ground was formed by Canadian guitarists Pete Lesperance and Mike Turner , of the bands Harem Scarem and Our Lady Peace, respectively....
 rides. Other events are held such as big band
Big band

A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the swing from the early 1930s until the late 1940s....
 afternoons featuring bands playing in the bandstand.

There is a Bowls club in Charford
Charford

Charford is a small village located close to the town centre of Bromsgrove in Worcestershire....
 which is immensely popular with the older residents.

There is a large public leisure centre
Leisure centre

A leisure centre in the United Kingdom and Canada is a purpose built building or site, usually owned and operated by the borough council or district Non-metropolitan district, where people go to keep fit or relax through using the facilities....
 and sports centre in the town called The Dolphin Centre. It has two swimming pool
Swimming pool

A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is an artificially enclosed body of water intended for swimming or water-based recreation....
s 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
Bromsgrove (district)

Bromsgrove is a Districts of England in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in the town of Bromsgrove.Other places in the district include Aston Fields, Blakedown, Catshill, Hagley and Stoke Prior....
.

Transport

Bromsgrove is intersected by the A38
A38 road

The A38 is a major trunk road in England. Though formally known as the Exeter - Leeds Trunk Road, it actually runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire....
, the M5 motorway
M5 motorway

The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from the M6 motorway at Great Barr to Exeter in Devon. Heading south from the M6, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley....
 borders the west side and the M42 motorway
M42 motorway

The M42 motorway is a major road in England. The motorway runs north east from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire to just south west of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, passing Redditch, Solihull, the National Exhibition Centre and Tamworth on the way....
 starts at the north of the town.

Bromsgrove railway station
Bromsgrove railway station

Bromsgrove railway station serves the town of Bromsgrove in Worcestershire. It is located at the foot of the two mile Lickey Incline which ascends at a gradient of 1 in 37.7 towards Barnt Green railway station on the line between Birmingham New Street railway station and Worcester Foregate Street railway station....
 is situated to the south of the town. It sits at the foot of the Lickey Incline
Lickey Incline

The Lickey Incline is the steepest sustained main-line railway incline in Great Britain. Situated just south of Birmingham in England the climb is two miles at 1 in 37.7 ....
 which is the steepest Incline on the British mainline network meaning most freight trains require assistance from a locomotive at the rear. Between 1919 and 1956 this was operated by a purpose built locomotive known by drivers as Big Bertha
Big Bertha

Big Bertha may refer to:Krupp* Big Bertha , a heavy mortar-like howitzers built and used by Germany during World War I, the name being associated with Bertha Krupp, heiress and owner of the Krupp industrial empire....
. There are frequent trains to Birmingham New Street, Worcester Foregate Street
Worcester Foregate Street railway station

Worcester Foregate Street railway station is situated in the centre of the city of Worcester, in Worcestershire, England. It is physically the smaller of the two stations serving the city, the other being Worcester Shrub Hill railway station which is situated to the east....
 and Hereford
Hereford railway station

Hereford railway station serves the city of Hereford, England. Managed by Arriva Trains Wales, it lies on the Welsh Marches Line between Leominster railway station and Abergavenny railway station and is the western terminus of the Cotswold Line....
. On 4 May 2007, Network Rail
Network Rail

Network Rail is a United Kingdom "not for dividend" company limited by guarantee whose principal asset is Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, a company limited by shares....
 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
Worcestershire

Worcestershire is a county located in the West Midlands of central England. From 1974 to 1998 it was administered as part of Hereford and Worcester....
 and the West Midlands
West Midlands (county)

The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in West Midlands England with a population of 2,591,300. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
.

Education


State Schools
Bromsgrove schools use a three-tier education system (First School
First School

First school and lower school are terms used in some areas of the United Kingdom to describe the first stage of primary education. Some Education in England Local Education Authority have introduced First Schools since the 1960s....
, Middle School
Middle school

Middle school or junior high school serves as a "bridge" between elementary school and high school. The terms can be used in different ways in different countries, sometimes interchangeably....
, High School
High school

High school is the name used in some parts of the world to describe an institution which provides all or part of secondary education. The term originated in Scotland and spread to the New World countries as the high prestige that the Scottish educational system had at the time led several countries to employ Scottish educators to develop the...
).

Bromsgrove has 12 first schools
First School

First school and lower school are terms used in some areas of the United Kingdom to describe the first stage of primary education. Some Education in England Local Education Authority have introduced First Schools since the 1960s....
 in its district. There are five middle schools
Middle school

Middle school or junior high school serves as a "bridge" between elementary school and high school. The terms can be used in different ways in different countries, sometimes interchangeably....
: Alvechurch Middle School, Catshill Middle School, Aston Fields Middle School
Aston Fields Middle School

Aston Fields Middle School is a middle school in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. The school's catchment area encompasses Bromsgrove and its surrounding villages....
, St John's Middle School and Parkside Middle School.

There are two high schools, North Bromsgrove High School
North Bromsgrove High School

North Bromsgrove High School is a High School/Sixth Form Centre located in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. It offers education for GCSE and Advanced Level courses....
 and South Bromsgrove High School
South Bromsgrove High School

South Bromsgrove High School is a co-educational, comprehensive secondary school on the estate of Charford in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. The school holds Specialist Language College and Technology College College status....
 in Charford
Charford

Charford is a small village located close to the town centre of Bromsgrove in Worcestershire....
. 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
Specialist school

The specialist schools programme is a UK government initiative which encourages secondary schools in England to specialise in certain areas of the curriculum to boost achievement....
 in media and creative arts.

Private Schools
Bromsgrove is also home to Bromsgrove School
Bromsgrove School

Bromsgrove School, founded in 1553, is a co-educational independent school in the Worcestershire town of Bromsgrove, England....
, a co-educational independent school founded in 1553 with three campuses catering for pupils from nursery to sixth-form that offers boarding facilities. Former pupils include Digby Jones
Digby Jones

Digby Marritt Jones, Baron Jones of Birmingham is a United Kingdom businessman and politician. He has served as Director of the Confederation of British Industry and Minister of State for Trade ....
, head of the CBI
CBI

CBI is a three letter acronym with a number of meanings, including:*California Bureau of Investigation* Caribbean Basin Initiative* California Birth Index...
 for many years, and the actors Ian Carmichael
Ian Carmichael

Ian Carmichael Officer of the Order of the British Empire is an England film, theatre, television and radio actor.Carmichael was born in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire....
 and Richard Wattis
Richard Wattis

Richard Cameron Wattis , was a United Kingdom character actor.He attended King Edward's School, Birmingham and Bromsgrove School, he then worked for the family electrical engineering firm before becoming a professional actor....
.

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
North East Worcestershire College

North East Worcestershire College is a large General Further Education College based on two main campuses in Bromsgrove and Redditch, Worcestershire....
, 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
    Rugby union

    Rugby union is a competitive outdoor contact sport, played with an oval ball, by two teams of 15 players. It is one of the two main codes of rugby football, the other being rugby league....
     clubs in the country. It was formed on the 28 September 1872.
  • Bromsgrove Rovers
    Bromsgrove Rovers F.C.

    Bromsgrove Rovers F.C. are a non-League football club from the town of Bromsgrove in Worcestershire....
     Football
    Football (soccer)

    Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players, and is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world....
     Club. Formed in 1885.
  • Bromsgrove Cricket
    Cricket

    Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games team sport that originated in southern England. The earliest definite reference is dated 1598, and it is now played in more than 100 countries....
    , Hockey
    Hockey

    Hockey is any of a family of sports in which two teams compete by trying to maneuver a ball, or a hard, round, rubber or heavy plastic disc called a Hockey puck, into the opponent's net or goal, using a hockey stick....
     and Tennis
    Tennis

    Tennis is a sport played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a strung racquet to strike a hollow rubber Tennis ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's tennis court....
     Club.


Attractions


Bromsgrove Museum
The Avoncroft Museum of Buildings
Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings

The Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings is an open-air industrial and architectural museum located in Stoke Heath, Worcestershire, a district of Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England....
 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
Worcester and Birmingham Canal

The Worcester and Birmingham Canal is a canal linking Birmingham and Worcester in England. It starts in Worcester, as an 'offshoot' of the River Severn and ends in Gas Street Basin in Birmingham....
 runs close to Bromsgrove, it is popular for leisure activities such as walking and coarse fishing
Coarse fishing

Coarse fishing is a term used in the United Kingdom and Ireland for Sport fishing for coarse fish, which are those types of freshwater fish other than game fish ....
. There are several narrowboat
Narrowboat

A narrowboat or narrow boat is a boat of a distinctive design, made to fit the narrow canals of England and Wales....
 hire centres situated in villages close to Bromsgrove. The Tardebigge
Tardebigge

Tardebigge is a village in Worcestershire, England.The village is most famous for the Tardebigge Locks, a flight of 30 canal locks that raise the Worcester and Birmingham Canal over 220 feet over the Lickey Hills....
 lock flight
Lock (water transport)

A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber whose water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is the chamber itself that rises and falls....
, with 30 locks
Lock (water transport)

A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber whose water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is the chamber itself that rises and falls....
, is the longest in the UK.

Bromsgrove is five miles away from the historic country house Hanbury Hall
Hanbury Hall

Hanbury Hall is a country house in the village of Hanbury, Worcestershire in Worcestershire, England, near Droitwich Spa.The manor of Hanbury was acquired by the Vernon family as a consequence of the marriage of Richard Vernon of Audley, Cheshire to the Hanbury heiress Frances Wylde, in 1584....
, which is open to the public.

Bromsgrove's nightlife scene was dominated by "Euphoria" (known to some locals as "Euph"), a nightclub
Nightclub

A nightclub is a Alcoholic beverage, Dance and entertainment Music venue which does its primary business after dark. People who frequent nightclubs are known as clubbers....
 featuring a mixture of styles ranging from pure pop music
Pop music

Pop music is a music genre that features a noticeable rhythmic element, melodies and hook , a mainstream style and a conventional structure.The term "pop music" was first used in 1926 in the sense of "having popular appeal" , but since the 1950s it has been used in the sense of a musical genre, originally characterized as a lighter alternat...
 to commercial dance music
Dance music

Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dance. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement....
. 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
Wetherspoons

J D Wetherspoon plc is a United Kingdom pub chain based in Watford. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index....
 pub), a Slug and Lettuce
Slug and Lettuce (pub chain)

Slug and Lettuce is a pub chain in the United Kingdom - it is owned by the Bay Restaurants Group who are based in Luton, Bedfordshire.Originally part of Grosvenor Inns the chain was bought by SFI group who were based in Woking....
 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
Inn

Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging and, usually, food and drink. They are typically located in the country or along a highway....
 are both well known as live music venues.

Bromsgrove is close to the Lickey Hills
Lickey Hills

The Lickey Hills are a range of hills in Worcestershire, England, eleven miles to the south-west of the centre of Birmingham near the villages of Lickey and Barnt Green....
, Clent Hills
Clent Hills

The Clent Hills lie 15 km southwest of Birmingham city centre in Worcestershire, England. The closest towns are Stourbridge and Halesowen, both in the West Midlands conurbation....
, Waseley Hills, and to rural Worcestershire
Worcestershire

Worcestershire is a county located in the West Midlands of central England. From 1974 to 1998 it was administered as part of Hereford and Worcester....
 and Birmingham
Birmingham

Birmingham is a city status in the United Kingdom and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. Birmingham is the most populous of England's English Core Cities Group, and is the List of United Kingdom cities by population British city after London, with a population of 1,010,200 ....
.

Town Twinning and Friendship Links


In May 1980, Bromsgrove was twinned with the German
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 town of Gronau
Gronau, North Rhine-Westphalia

Gronau is a town in the Borken , in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near the border with the Netherlands, approx. 10 km east of Enschede....
. A formal friendship link document was signed between Bromsgrove and the district of Saint-Sauveur-Lendelin
Saint-Sauveur-Lendelin

Saint-Sauveur-Lendelin is a Communes of France in the Manche Departments of France in Normandy in northwestern France....
 in Normandy
Normandy

Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is situated along the coast of France south of the English Channel between Brittany and Picardy and comprises territory in northern France and the Channel Islands....
, France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
, in July 1999. Annual exchange visits are made by Bromsgrove and District Twinning Association members to each town with great success.

Twinning
  • Gronau
    Gronau, North Rhine-Westphalia

    Gronau is a town in the Borken , in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near the border with the Netherlands, approx. 10 km east of Enschede....
    , Germany
    Germany

    Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
Friendship Link
  • Saint-Sauveur-Lendelin
    Saint-Sauveur-Lendelin

    Saint-Sauveur-Lendelin is a Communes of France in the Manche Departments of France in Normandy in northwestern France....
    , Manche
    Manche

    Manche is a France Departments of France in Normandy named after La Manche , which is the French language name for the English Channel....
    , France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....


Energy policy

In May 2006, a report commissioned by British Gas
Centrica

Centrica plc is a large multinational utility company, based in the United Kingdom but also with interests in North America and Europe. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index....
 showed that housing in Bromsgrove produced the 14th highest average carbon emissions in the country at 7,133 kg of carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalent bond to a single carbon atom. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure and exists in Earth's atmosphere in this state....
 per dwelling.

See also: Energy efficiency in British housing
Energy efficiency in British housing

Domestic housing in the United Kingdom presents a possible opportunity for achieving the 20% overall cut in UK carbon dioxide emissions targeted by the Government for 2010....
.


Notable Residents

  • Singer/actor, Michael Ball
    Michael Ball (singer)

    'Michael Ashley Ball' is an Olivier Award winning England actor, Singing, and radio and TV presenter who is best known for the song "Love Changes Everything" and musical theatre roles such as Marius Pontmercy in Les Mis?rables , Alex in Aspects of Love, Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Edna Turnblad in Hairspray '...
    , was born in Bromsgrove
  • Some members of Beat Union
    Beat Union

    Beat Union are a pop-punk band from Birmingham, Bromsgrove and Redditch, United Kingdom. They were formerly known as Shortcut to Newark. The group has garnered comparisons to Elvis Costello and The Jam, as well as pop punk groups like Green Day....
     were born in Bromsgrove and Redditch
    Redditch

    Redditch is a town and Non-metropolitan district in north-east Worcestershire, England. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005....
    .
  • Joyce Carpenter (1929-73) UK`s shortest ever mature human. (74cm or 29ins)
  • Nicola Charles
    Nicola Charles

    Nicola Charles is an actress.Whilst travelling around Australia she landed the part of Sarah Beaumont on the soap opera Neighbours. She was included in FHM's list of the 100 sexiest women in FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World 1998 and FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World 1999....
    , 1969, Actor
    Actor

    An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
  • Jonathan Coe
    Jonathan Coe

    Jonathan Coe, born 19 August 1961 in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, is a United Kingdom novelist and writer. His work usually has an underlying preoccupation with political issues, although this serious engagement is often expressed comically in the form of satire....
    , author, was born in Lickey in 1961
  • Fyfe Dangerfield
    Fyfe Dangerfield

    Fyfe Antony Dangerfield Hutchins is an England musician and songwriter, best known for being the founding member of the Avant-garde Pop music band Guillemots ....
    , Musician
    Musician

    A musician is a person who plays or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument....
  • Nicholas Evans
    Nicholas Evans

    Nicholas Evans is an England journalist, screenwriter film producer and novelist. Evans was educated at Bromsgrove School but before studying at Oxford University, he served in Africa with the charity Voluntary Service Overseas ....
    , author, best known for The Horse Whisperer
    The Horse Whisperer

    The Horse Whisperer is a movie directed by and starring Robert Redford, based on the 1995 in literature The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans....
  • Geoffrey Hill
    Geoffrey Hill

    For the British aeronautical engineer and professor, see Geoffrey T. R. HillGeoffrey Hill is an English people poet, professor emeritus of English literature and religion, and former co-director of the Editorial Institute, at Boston University....
    , 1932, poet
  • Alfred Edward Housman, 1859, poet
    Poet

    A poet is a person who writes poetry....
  • Model
    Model (person)

    A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who poses or who is displayed for the purpose of art, fashion, or other product s and advertising....
    , Hannah Joy Lewis, was born in Bromsgrove
  • Ritchie Neville, member of boy band
    Boy band

    A boy band, written in some countries boys band or boy's band, is a type of pop music band featuring several young male singers. The members are generally expected to perform as dancers as well, often executing highly choreographed sequences to their own music....
     Five
    Five (band)

    Five is a British 5-member pop group put together in 1997 by the same team that formed the Spice Girls. Signed by Simon Cowell, they enjoyed fair success worldwide, but particularly in the UK, parts of Europe, Russia, parts of Asia, Brazil, Israel, Australia, New Zealand and USA....
     attended Bromsgrove School
    Bromsgrove School

    Bromsgrove School, founded in 1553, is a co-educational independent school in the Worcestershire town of Bromsgrove, England....
    & St. John the Baptist church
    St. John the Baptist Church

    St. John the Baptist Church, or variants thereof, may refer to:...
  • Richard Orford
    Richard Orford

    Richard Orford is a United Kingdom television presenter. He was educated at Aston Fields Middle School and South Bromsgrove High School in Worcestershire, then began his career as a children?s television presenter on The Disney Club....
    , TV Presenter
  • Ernest Anthony Pratt (or Anthony E Pratt) (1903 - 1994), the inventor of the board game
    Board game

    File:Game_of_life_board.jpgA board game is a game in which counters or pieces that are placed on, removed from, or moved across a "board" . As do other form of entertainment, board games can represent nearly any subject....
     Cluedo
    Cluedo

    Cluedo is a mystery crime fiction board game originally published by Waddingtons in Leeds, United Kingdom in 1949. It was devised by Anthony E....
    , is buried in Bromsgrove Cemetery
  • Matthew Priest, Musician
    Musician

    A musician is a person who plays or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument....
    .
  • Andrew Rice (1987), Chef who has worked alongside Gordon Ramsay and is currently working with Gary Rhodes, lived in Bromsgrove and went to South Bromsgrove High School.
  • Pat Roach
    Pat Roach

    Francis Patrick "Pat" Roach was an England actor and professional wrestling from Birmingham. His most famous role is that of West Country bricklayer Brian "Bomber" Busbridge in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet....
     (1937 - 2004). Wrestler and Actor is buried in Bromsgrove Cemetery .
  • David Rudkin
    David Rudkin

    James David Rudkin is an England playwright of Anglo-Irish origin. He was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham and St Catherine's College, Oxford....
    , playwright, taught at North Bromsgrove High School
    North Bromsgrove High School

    North Bromsgrove High School is a High School/Sixth Form Centre located in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. It offers education for GCSE and Advanced Level courses....
     in the early 1960s. His play Afore Night Come
    Afore Night Come

    Afore Night Come is a Play_ by the United Kingdom playwright David Rudkin, first staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1962. It is set in an orchard in the Black Country region of England's Midlands....
     (1962) was inspired by his experiences in the countryside close to Bromsgrove
  • Alan M. Smith
    Alan M. Smith

    Alan Martin Smith is an England former Association football Forward . He played for Leicester City F.C. and Arsenal F.C. at professional level, and won thirteen caps for England national football team....
    , 1962, footballer
    Football (soccer)

    Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players, and is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world....
    .
  • Trudie Styler
    Trudie Styler

    Trudie Styler is an actress and producer. She is married to the musician Sting ....
     was born in Bromsgrove.
  • Jim Swire
    Jim Swire

    James Swire is an England Physician best-known for his involvement in the aftermath of the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103, in which his daughter Flora was killed....
    , 1936, doctor and father of Lockerbie
    Lockerbie

    Lockerbie is a burgh in the Dumfries and Galloway region of south-western Scotland. It lies approximately 70 miles south of Glasgow, 70 miles south east of Edinburgh, and north of the border with England....
     victim
  • Singer/songwriter Clifford T. Ward
    Clifford T. Ward

    Clifford Thomas Ward , was a popular England singer/songwriter, best known for his career as a solo artist....
    , who lived in nearby Stourport, taught English language
    English language

    English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
     and drama
    Drama

    Drama is the specific Mode of fiction Mimesis in performance. The term comes from a Ancient Greek word meaning "Action " , which is derived from "to do" ....
     in Bromsgrove before resigning to concentrate on his solo career


  • Mark Williams
    Mark Williams (actor)

    Mark Williams is an England actor, comedian, scriptwriter and presenter. He is known as one of the stars of the popular BBC sketch show, The Fast Show as well as for the role of Arthur Weasley in the Harry Potter ....
    , 1959, actor
    Actor

    An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....


  • George Cadbury
    George Cadbury

    George Cadbury was the third son of Quaker John Cadbury, who founded Cadbury Schweppes#Cadbury's cocoa and chocolate company.He worked at the school for adults on sundays for no pay, yet he still only went to school till he was sixteen....
      (Creator of Cadbury chocolates) lived here


Bibliography

  • Bromsgrove (Images of England) - ISBN 0-7524-1146-2
  • Glory Gone: The Story of Nailing in Bromsgrove - ISBN 0-9513525-1-2


External links

  • Local Bromsgrove weekly newspaper
  • Local Bromsgrove weekly newspaper