Fradley
Encyclopedia
Fradley is a village and civil parish
in Lichfield District
, Staffordshire
, England
, about 5 miles (8 km) north-east of the City of Lichfield and 1 mile south-west of Alrewas
. Until 1 April 2009 it had been part of the larger parish of Alrewas and Fradley
. The parish council is a joint one with Streethay
. Following the completion of the Stirling Centre near Fradley South in 2009, comprising retail units, offices and food outlets, Fradley was formally re-categorised as a 'key rural settlement'.
Fradley is close to the A38 road
(which became a dual-carriageway in 1958) and is served by bus services to Lichfield
, Sutton Coldfield
, Birmingham
and Burton upon Trent
. A railway line passes close to the eastern side of the village but no station exists in Fradley, the nearest passenger station is now Lichfield Trent Valley railway station
serving the West Coast Main Line
, the London-Crewe line and acting as the terminus for the Cross-City Line. From 1849 until 1965, Alrewas railway station
on the South Staffordshire Line
was the closest passenger station to Fradley but was closed on 18 January 1965 by the British Railways Board.
The Coventry Canal
runs through the village and merges with the Trent and Mersey Canal
at nearby Fradley Junction
. Several bridges cross the Coventry Canal in Fradley, including Bell Bridge which carries the A38.
Fradley has a small Post Office/newsagent located in Church Lane and there are several retail units at the Stirling Centre near Fradley South - including two take-away restaurants, a Co-operative Food convenience store, a cafe and a salon. The Fradley Arms Hotel is located adjacent to the northbound carriageway of the A38
, next door to the Premier Inn Lichfield and a new public house is planned for a site near Fradley Park.
moved in, along with Hawker Hurricane
, Airspeed Oxford
and Avro Anson
aircraft. Spitfire arrived in 1941 and Vickers Wellington
aircraft followed in 1942. Alongside RAF personnel training in the Wellingtons, there were a large number of Australians and some Canadians and Czechs. The RAF left in 1958 and the whole site was sold by the Air Ministry in 1962.
St. Stephen's Church is home to the war graves of a number of Australian aircrew and one German Luftwaffe pilot who lost their lives during World War II. In 2000 a memorial to all who served at RAF Lichfield was constructed in Fradley.
, Faurecia
, Hellman Worldwide Logistics, NTN Bearings (UK), Caterpillar Logistics, Swish UK and Zytek
.
won the contract to build the canal from Coventry, to link with the Trent and Mersey Canal at Fradley. It was not until 1783 that this canal was completed, meeting the Trent and Mersey at Fradley Junction.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in Lichfield District
Lichfield (district)
Lichfield is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. It is administered by Lichfield District Council, based in Lichfield.The dignity and privileges of the City of Lichfield are vested in the parish council of the 14 km² Lichfield civil parish...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, about 5 miles (8 km) north-east of the City of Lichfield and 1 mile south-west of Alrewas
Alrewas
Alrewas is a large village and civil parish within Lichfield District, in Staffordshire, England. It lies on the A38 road, approximately 5 miles north of Lichfield...
. Until 1 April 2009 it had been part of the larger parish of Alrewas and Fradley
Alrewas and Fradley
Alrewas and Fradley, was a large civil parish in the Lichfield district of Staffordshire, England. The parish included the villages of Alrewas, Fradley and Orgreave, and in 2001 had a population of 4,686,. From 1 April 2009 it was divided into the two new parishes of Alrewas and Fradley.-References:...
. The parish council is a joint one with Streethay
Streethay
Streethay is an English village and civil parish adjoining the city of Lichfield, Staffordshire on the east side of the West Coast Main Line railway. The parish council is a joint one with Fradley.-Village amenities:...
. Following the completion of the Stirling Centre near Fradley South in 2009, comprising retail units, offices and food outlets, Fradley was formally re-categorised as a 'key rural settlement'.
Village amenities
Fradley has its own village hall which was completed in the early 2000s and planning permission for an additional community hall on land adjacent. The village church, St. Stephen's Church, was built in 1861 on the corner of Church Lane and Old Hall Lane. A Victorian schoolhouse, which had stood beside the church since 1875, was demolished in 2008 to make room for modern classrooms at St. Stephen's Primary School.Fradley is close to the A38 road
A38 road
The A38, part of which is also known as the Devon Expressway, is a major A-class trunk road in England.The road runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It is long, making it one of the longest A-roads in England. It was formerly known as the Leeds — Exeter Trunk Road,...
(which became a dual-carriageway in 1958) and is served by bus services to Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
, Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian"....
. A railway line passes close to the eastern side of the village but no station exists in Fradley, the nearest passenger station is now Lichfield Trent Valley railway station
Lichfield Trent Valley railway station
Lichfield Trent Valley is a split-level railway station on the outskirts of the city of Lichfield in Staffordshire, England. It is one of two stations in Lichfield, the other being in the city-centre.-History:...
serving the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
, the London-Crewe line and acting as the terminus for the Cross-City Line. From 1849 until 1965, Alrewas railway station
Alrewas railway station
Alrewas railway station was a station on the South Staffordshire Railway, which operated in the Midland county of Staffordshire, in England. The station was located next to a level crossing, although the road, now the A513, currently crosses over the still extant line on a bridge.-History:The...
on the South Staffordshire Line
South Staffordshire Line
The South Staffordshire Line was a railway line that connected Lichfield in Staffordshire, England with Dudley, formerly in Worcestershire. However, it joined the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway's line just north of Dudley Station, where it, in essence, continued to Stourbridge, in...
was the closest passenger station to Fradley but was closed on 18 January 1965 by the British Railways Board.
The Coventry Canal
Coventry Canal
The Coventry Canal is a navigable narrow canal in the Midlands of England.It starts in Coventry and ends 38 miles north at Fradley Junction, just north of Lichfield, where it joins the Trent and Mersey Canal...
runs through the village and merges with the Trent and Mersey Canal
Trent and Mersey Canal
The Trent and Mersey Canal is a in the East Midlands, West Midlands, and North West of England. It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities—east of Burton upon Trent and west of Middlewich—it is a wide canal....
at nearby Fradley Junction
Fradley Junction
Fradley Junction is a canal junction between Fradley and Alrewas near Lichfield, Staffordshire, England and the point at which the Coventry Canal joins the Trent and Mersey Canal....
. Several bridges cross the Coventry Canal in Fradley, including Bell Bridge which carries the A38.
Fradley has a small Post Office/newsagent located in Church Lane and there are several retail units at the Stirling Centre near Fradley South - including two take-away restaurants, a Co-operative Food convenience store, a cafe and a salon. The Fradley Arms Hotel is located adjacent to the northbound carriageway of the A38
A38
A38 or A-38 may refer to:* A38 , a fermented dairy product sold in Denmark* A38 , a party boat on the Danube in Budapest, Hungary* A38 motorway * A38 road * Bundesautobahn 38, an autobahn in Germany...
, next door to the Premier Inn Lichfield and a new public house is planned for a site near Fradley Park.
Fradley Aerodrome/RAF Lichfield
Construction on the Fradley Aerodrome (known as RAF Lichfield) started in 1939 and in August 1940 the Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
moved in, along with Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
, Airspeed Oxford
Airspeed Oxford
The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford was a twin-engine aircraft used for training British Commonwealth aircrews in navigation, radio-operating, bombing and gunnery during the Second World War.-Design and development:...
and Avro Anson
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
aircraft. Spitfire arrived in 1941 and Vickers Wellington
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
aircraft followed in 1942. Alongside RAF personnel training in the Wellingtons, there were a large number of Australians and some Canadians and Czechs. The RAF left in 1958 and the whole site was sold by the Air Ministry in 1962.
St. Stephen's Church is home to the war graves of a number of Australian aircrew and one German Luftwaffe pilot who lost their lives during World War II. In 2000 a memorial to all who served at RAF Lichfield was constructed in Fradley.
Fradley Park
In 1998 major redevelopment started on the former airfield, with the construction of factories, warehouses and 750 new houses. Today Fradley Park, a 300-acre warehousing and distribution development, covers most of the former airfield. Tenants of Fradley Park include TescoTesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
, Faurecia
Faurecia
Faurecia is one of the largest international automotive parts manufacturer in the world . It produces 6 types of car modules: seats, cockpits, doors, acoustic packages, front end and exhaust. Faurecia's customers include the Volkswagen group, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Renault-Nissan, Ford, General...
, Hellman Worldwide Logistics, NTN Bearings (UK), Caterpillar Logistics, Swish UK and Zytek
Zytek
Zytek Group Ltd is an automotive and motorsport company founded in 1981 and based in Fradley and Repton, United Kingdom. Zytek Group has two main division: Zytek Automotive, which is based at Fradley, Staffordshire; and Zytek Engineering, which is based at Repton, Derbyshire.-Zytek Automotive:Zytek...
.
Fradley Junction
Fradley was first mentioned in 1768 when the Engineer James BrindleyJames Brindley
James Brindley was an English engineer. He was born in Tunstead, Derbyshire, and lived much of his life in Leek, Staffordshire, becoming one of the most notable engineers of the 18th century.-Early life:...
won the contract to build the canal from Coventry, to link with the Trent and Mersey Canal at Fradley. It was not until 1783 that this canal was completed, meeting the Trent and Mersey at Fradley Junction.