| Kidderminster | |
|---|---|
 .jpg)  Clockwise, from top:Town centre, with theTown Hall, fronted by a statue ofSir Rowland Hill; Slingfield Mill Chimney;St Mary and All Saints' Church seen from theStaffordshire and Worcestershire Canal | |
  Kidderminster Location withinWorcestershire | |
| Area | 16.25 km2 (6.27 sq mi) |
| Population | 57,400 (2021)[1] |
| • Density | 3,532/km2 (9,150/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | SO831767 |
| • London | 131 miles (211 km)SE |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | KIDDERMINSTER |
| Postcode district | DY10, DY11 |
| Dialling code | 01562 |
| Police | West Mercia |
| Fire | Hereford and Worcester |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Kidderminster Town Council |
| |
Kidderminster is amarket town andcivil parish inWorcestershire, England, 18 miles (29 km) south-west ofBirmingham and 15 miles (24 km) north ofWorcester. Located north of theRiver Stour and east of theRiver Severn, in the 2021census, it had a population of 57,400.[1] The town istwinned withHusum, Germany.
Situated in the far north of Worcestershire (and with its northern suburbs only 3 and 4 miles from theStaffordshire andShropshire borders respectively), the town is the main administration centre for the widerWyre Forest District, which includes the towns ofStourport-on-Severn andBewdley, along with other outlying settlements.
The land around Kidderminster may have been first populated by theHusmerae, an Anglo-Saxon tribe first mentioned in theIsmere Diploma, a document in which Ethelbald of Mercia granted a "parcel of land of ten hides" to Cyneberht.[2] This developed as the settlement of Stour-in-Usmere, which was later the subject of a territorial dispute settled byOffa of Mercia in 781, when he restored certain rights toBishop Heathored.[3] This allowed for the founding of a monastery orminstre in the area.
The earliest written form of the name Kidderminster was first documented in theDomesday Book of 1086, where it appears asChideminstre, meaning 'Cydda or Cydela'sminster or monastery'.[4] It was a large manor held byWilliam the Conqueror, with 16 outlying settlements (Bristitune, Fastochesfeld, Franche, Habberley, Hurcott, Mitton, Oldington, Ribbesford, Sudwale, Sutton, Teulesberge, Trimpley, Wannerton and Wribbenhall). Various spellings were in use –Kedeleministre orKideministre (in the 12th and 13th centuries),Kyderemunstre (13th–15th centuries) – until the name of the town was settled as Kidderminster by the 16th century.[3] Between 1156 and 1162Henry II granted the manor to his steward,Manasser Biset. By six decades later, the settlement grew and a fair (1228) and later a market (1240) were established there.[3]
To the south by theRiver Stour, dating from the 15th century, is a single surviving tower of Caldwall (or Caldwell) Castle, a fortified manor house.[5]
_Tower%2c_Castle_Road%2c_Kidderminster_(geograph_2328286).jpg)
Kidderminster owes its growth to the early development of thecloth industry, which was aided by its position upon the River Stour, and its location at the confluence of four main roads toBirmingham,Dudley,Worcester,Bewdley andBridgnorth. In a visit to the town sometime around 1540, King's AntiquaryJohn Leland noted that Kidderminster "standeth most by clothing".[3] Over the following centuries the town specialised in textile trades such as weaving, fulling, cloth working and milling, and was also home to numerous other trades including shoemaking, haberdashery, saddle making, dyers, tailors, tanners and glovers.[6]
KingCharles I granted theBorough of Kidderminster a Charter in 1636.[3] the original charter can be viewed at Kidderminster Town Hall.
Kidderminster's position at the junction of several main roads made it a place of strategic importance during theEnglish Civil War, with several skirmishes taking place in and around the town.[3]
In 1670–1 Kidderminster's cloth industry obtained aguild by act of parliament and by 1677, the town had as many as 459 weavers and perhaps 3,000 spinners.[7] FollowingKing Louis XIV's revocation of theEdict of Nantes in October 1685 and the subsequent renewed persecution of FrenchProtestants in France, manyHuguenots emigrated to Britain. The immigration and settlement of waves of industrious Huguenots brought the benefits of skilled artisans, merchants and manufacturers to Britain. They contributed to a preexisting but basic cloth weaving industry in towns and cities throughout England, in some cases establishing new businesses. In Worcestershire, the Huguenots established themselves at Worcester,Evesham,Droitwich and Kidderminster.[8]
In the early 18th century,carpet weaving was introduced to Kidderminster, and this rapidly became the staple trade of the town. Its growth was aided by the opening of theStaffordshire and Worcestershire Canal in 1771, and later the arrival of therailway to the town in 1852. The carpet industry went into decline in the 1970s, but still continues on a reduced scale.[3][9]
Poor trade conditions in 1828, when 2,000 looms were not working for an 18-week period, led to riots where £3,000 of damage was done during one night.[10]
The town's local government was reformed by theMunicipal Reform Act 1835, which incorporated Kidderminster as amunicipal borough. This superseded the charter of 1636, and divided the borough into three wards represented by six aldermen and eighteen councillors, the number of wards was doubled in the 1880s. The currentTown Hall on Vicar Street was built in 1877.[3]
Kidderminster has twoCommissioners' churches. The first wasSt George's Church, on Radford Avenue. This was designed byFrancis Goodwin and built in 1821–1824,[11] finally being consecrated in April 1824. Its grant of just over £17,000.00, was the third-largest given by the commission to any church outside London.[12] The second church wasSt John's Church, on the Bewdley Road. This was built in 1843 and the architect wasMatthew Steele; its grant was just over £4,000.[12]
The Shrubbery was converted into a military headquarters towards the end of the 19th century.[13]
In 1974 the old borough of Kidderminster was abolished and merged into the newWyre Forest District.[9] In December 2015 Kidderminster was established as acivil parish with a newTown Council, following a public referendum.[14]
TheRiver Stour and theStaffordshire and Worcestershire Canal both flow through Kidderminster town centre.
Destinations from Kidderminster | |
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The modern carpet industry was founded in the area in 1785 byBrintons. The carpet industry became extremely important to the local economy, so much so that the local newspaper is still namedThe Shuttle after the shuttles used on the carpetlooms.[15] A type of carpet was known asKidderminster carpet or, in the United States,Ingrain carpet: this was a reversible carpet with no pile, with the pattern showing in opposite colours on the two faces, and was popular from the 18th to early 20th centuries.[16] By 1951 there were over thirty carpet manufacturers in the town,[17] including, for example, Quayle & Tranter (now defunct). They commissioned such notable artists asGeorge Bain to create their traditional Celtic designs.[18][19]Aided by a 2004 grant from theHeritage Lottery Fund, amuseum dedicated to the Kidderminster carpet industry was officially opened byLord Cobham in 2012.[20]
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(January 2022) |
Kidderminster Town Council | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Mayor | Cllr Darren Chambers |
Deputy Mayor | Cllr George Connolly |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 18 Councillors |
6 / 18 | |
4 / 16 | |
3 / 18 | |
2 / 18 | |
2 / 18 | |
1 / 18 | |
| Elections | |
| Multiple non-transferable vote | |
Last election | 5 May 2016 |
Next election | 6 May 2021 |
| Meeting place | |
| Kidderminster Town Hall, Kidderminster | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Kidderminster Town is acivil parish withinWyre Forest District, with Kidderminster Town Council created in the early 21st century to take on the duties of aparish council, following a referendum in May 2015.[21] Prior to this,Charter Trustees maintained the traditions of the town and elected a Mayor. At the2019 local elections to Wyre Forest District Council, theConservatives lost their majority and the council was taken over by a 'Progressive Alliance' formed of independents and councillors from other parties. However, in May 2022Health Concern announced they would not be standing at the next election, instead favouring a unified independent offering. At thefollowing election in 2023 theConservatives regained majority control after a collapse in the independent and former Health Concern vote, one of only two council gains nationally.
The area (initially asKidderminster, then after 1983 as theWyre Forest constituency) has been represented byConservativeMembers of Parliament (MPs)Gerald Nabarro 1950–1964,Tatton Brinton 1964–1974,Esmond Bulmer 1974–1987,Anthony Coombs 1987–1997, andLabourMPDavid Lock 1997–2001. In the2001 United Kingdom general election, the town returned DrRichard Taylor as an independentMP for the Wyre Forest parliamentary constituency. Taylor had fought the election to protest against the proposed reduction in services atKidderminster Hospital. He held his seat at the2005 election, the first independent MP to do so since 1949.[22]Mark Garnier has held the seat ofWyre Forest since the2010 election increasing his majority each time.[23][24]
At the 2011 census there were 55,530 residents in Kidderminster in 24,869 households, the median age of Kidderminster residents was 41.[25]
Kidderminster's population at the 2011 census was predominantlyWhite (96.8%). The largest non-white groups wereAsian at 1.7%, andmixed race at 1.2%.[25]
67% of Kidderminster residents identified asChristian, with 24.7% stating they hadno religion, and 6.6% not stating any religion. The largest non-Christian group wereMuslims at 0.8%, followed byBuddhists at 0.2% andHindus andSikhs at 0.1% each, with others at 0.4%.[25]
Kidderminster's parish church ofSt Mary and All Saints' is agrade I listed building dating mostly from the 15th and 16th centuries.[26] Another notable church isSt John's Church, which is grade II listed, and dates from 1843.[27] Other listed buildings of note in the town include theTown Hall of 1877.The Shrubbery, a 19th-century mansion, and theKidderminster Register Office. Many of Kidderminster's historic buildings were lost from the 1960s onwards, this led to the creation of the Kidderminster Civic Society in 1993 to promote preservation of the town's heritage.[28]
There are some former factory buildings of note in Kidderminster, which have mostly been converted to other uses. A notable one is the former Slingfield Mill, dating from 1864 to 1870, which is grade II listed, and has been converted for retail use.[29]
In the 1968Buildings of England volume on Worcestershire,Pevsner described the town as: "uncommonly devoid of visual pleasure and architectural interest."[30] Crown House, an early 1970s office block was particularly criticised, and was once rated among the top 10 ugliest buildings in Britain. Demolition was completed in April 2020, improving the Kidderminster skyline.[31] In the 2007 revision of this volume, Alan Brooks wrote: "the 19th century mill buildings, together with the churches, provide most of the architectural interest in a town otherwise uncommonly lacking in visual pleasures."[32]
Two railway stations in the town share the same approach road and are located less than fifty metres apart. The mainNational Rail station, operated byWest Midlands Trains, isKidderminster, from where trains run toBirmingham,Worcester and London. The other station,Kidderminster Town, is the terminus of the preserved Heritage Railway line,Severn Valley Railway, from where trains run toBridgnorth.
Several major routes run through the town, including theA456 which runs from Birmingham to just south ofWoofferton,Shropshire; theA451 which runs from Stourbridge toAbberley; theA442 which runs fromDroitwich toHodnet, Shropshire, a few miles north ofTelford; theA449 which runs fromNewport in south Wales toStafford and crosses the A456 at the Land Oak; and theA448 road which starts in the town and goes toStudley inWarwickshire, viaBromsgrove andRedditch. A major change in the town centre road infrastructure was the construction of the ring road in the 1970s and 1980s. This relieved the town's growing congestion but diverted traffic outside the centre, drawing off customers for businesses. The final phase of the ring road was never completed, which results in the town having a ring road that does not form a complete ring.
The nearest motorway is theM5, which signs Kidderminster from junction 3 (Halesowen) with the A456, and junction 6 (Worcester North) with the A449.
TheStaffordshire and Worcestershire Canal passes through the town.
There are direct bus links with towns includingWorcester,Halesowen,Bewdley,Stourport,Bridgnorth,Bromsgrove andRedditch. The majority of the services in Kidderminster are operated byDiamond West Midlands (previouslyFirst Midland Red) while the rest is operated by Select Bus Services (297), Finesse and Yarranton Brothers. Services 291 and 292 were operated by R & B Travel prior to the company surrendering its licence in January 2020.Services 15A/C, S15, 294, 580 and 133were operated by Coniston Coaches prior to surrendering its licence in October 2020.15A/C, S15 & 294 were passed onto Astons until 2021 and 2022. Service 297 was operated by Arriva Midlands until 4 September 2023 when Select won the contract for the service.
As part of educational restructuring in theWyre Forest district, Kidderminster's schools were reorganised from athree-tier system of first, middle and high schools to the two-tier system more common in the UK as a whole, featuringprimary schools andsecondary schools. In this process, several first and middle schools were closed or merged into new primaries. The three high schools ofKing Charles I School,Wolverley C E Secondary School, andBaxter College (formerly Harry Cheshire High School) became secondary schools that includedsixth forms.
Independent schools includeHeathfield Knoll School inWolverley. Formerly independent,Holy Trinity School became a state-funded free school in 2014.Kidderminster College is located in Market Street in the town centre, having moved from older premises in Hoo Road in 2003. Other local secondary schools includeThe Stourport High School & VIth Form Centre andThe Bewdley School.
Kidderminster CC is a localcricket club at whose home ground ofChester Road North GroundWorcestershire County Cricket Club play occasionalCounty Championship and county 2nd XI games.[33]
Formed in 1886,Kidderminster Harriers F.C. is the town's professionalfootball club. Local rivals of the Harriers were traditionallyWorcester City andBromsgrove Rovers, and in recent years alsoCheltenham Town andHereford United. As of 2023 Cheltenham are inLeague One, two divisions above Kidderminster, with Hereford being the division below Kidderminster.
In 2005 the Harriers were relegated to theConference Premier after five years in theFootball League Two division. They had reached the Football League as Conference champions in 2000, and are Worcestershire's only representative in the league. They had won the title in 1994 but were denied promotion then as their stadium did not meet Football League capacity requirements. That same year they eliminatedBirmingham City from theFA Cup; they eventually reached the fifth round of the competition (just missing the quarter-finals), where they hostedPremier League sideWest Ham United, narrowly losing 0–1. Prior toLincoln City's run in the competition in 2017, Harriers were the last non-league side to reach round five of the FA Cup. Harriers were relegated to theNational League North in 2016.
In recent years, Kidderminster have seen some success under manager and former Harriers playerRussell Penn. A strong FA Cup run in the 2021–2022 season led to the Harriers facing Premier League side West Ham in, as they had done in 1994. The affair ended in a 1–2 defeat, yet the game led to major economic benefit for the club, with TV money and ticket sales generating large amounts of income. Harriers further went into the Play-Offs that same season, but were eliminated in their first game toBoston United. In the 2022–2023 season, Kidderminster again reached the Play-Offs, achieving the feat on the last game of the season after an excellent late run of league form. Harriers beatAlfreton,Kings Lynn and finallyBrackley in the Play-Offs and regained promotion to theNational League.
TheKidderminster & District League has operated since 1984 and draws teams fromWorcestershire andSouth Staffordshire.
Kidderminster Carolians RFC is a localrugby union club, currently playing at level 7 in Counties 1 Midlands West (North) at First XV Level and Counties 4 Midlands West (South) at 2nd XV level.
Regularly putting out three senior teams including veterans, the club also has a thriving Colts (U18s) age group, a developing women's team since 2021, and a large minis and juniors section.
Kidderminster Hockey Club was founded in 1892. By 2010, there were five men'shockey teams, a women's team and a junior team. The club was dissolved in 2022.
Located in Kidderminster is theSevern Valley Railway aheritage railway. TheMuseum of Carpet, opened in 2012, showcases the town's contribution to the carpet industry.[9] Brinton Park is anurban park to the south of the town centre, comprising 30 acres (12 ha) of land donated byJohn Brinton in the 1880s.[34] Another green space isWilden Marsh, a nature reserve covering 94 acres (38 ha) to the south of Kidderminster.
Places of interest near Kidderminster include theWest Midlands Safari Park to the west of Kidderminster towardsBewdley. A few miles south of the town isHartlebury Castle, which houses theWorcestershire County Museum. A few miles north are theDrakelow Tunnels, a former underground military complex, which has an attached museum.[34]
The local newspapers covering Kidderminster areThe Shuttle[35] and theKidderminster Standard.[36]
Local news and television programmes are provided byBBC West Midlands andITV Central. Television signals are received from theSutton Coldfield and local relay transmitters.[37][38]
107.2 The Wyre was the town's first local commercial radio station; it began broadcasting on 12 September 2005 from studios in Kidderminster, and was closed in 2012. Other radio stations providing local coverage areHits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire,Sunshine Radio andBBC Hereford & Worcester. Signal 107 was launched on 26 March 2012; it now broadcasts as Greatest Hits Radio Hereford & Worcester.[39]
The town is noted for its particularly high record lows. Despite an average July low of 11.7 °C,[40] the temperature has never fallen below 5 °C in that month. The coldest and warmest July nights were both recorded in 2015.[41]
| Climate data for Kidderminster | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 18.0 (64.4) | 19.6 (67.3) | 25.0 (77.0) | 26.6 (79.9) | 28.2 (82.8) | 32.0 (89.6) | 34.6 (94.3) | 32.0 (89.6) | 27.6 (81.7) | 27.0 (80.6) | 18.0 (64.4) | 19.1 (66.4) | 34.6 (94.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.8 (44.2) | 7.4 (45.3) | 10.2 (50.4) | 13.3 (55.9) | 16.8 (62.2) | 19.5 (67.1) | 21.8 (71.2) | 21.4 (70.5) | 18.3 (64.9) | 14.0 (57.2) | 9.7 (49.5) | 7.0 (44.6) | 13.9 (56.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.3 (34.3) | 0.8 (33.4) | 2.7 (36.9) | 3.9 (39.0) | 6.7 (44.1) | 9.7 (49.5) | 11.7 (53.1) | 11.6 (52.9) | 9.5 (49.1) | 6.7 (44.1) | 3.7 (38.7) | 1.5 (34.7) | 5.8 (42.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −8.0 (17.6) | −11.9 (10.6) | −7.0 (19.4) | −3.0 (26.6) | 0.0 (32.0) | 2.0 (35.6) | 5.0 (41.0) | 6.0 (42.8) | −6.0 (21.2) | −3.0 (26.6) | −7.0 (19.4) | −10.1 (13.8) | −11.9 (10.6) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 65.6 (2.58) | 46.1 (1.81) | 53.1 (2.09) | 62.0 (2.44) | 56.7 (2.23) | 59.1 (2.33) | 54.8 (2.16) | 64.4 (2.54) | 62.9 (2.48) | 80.8 (3.18) | 72.4 (2.85) | 73.3 (2.89) | 751.2 (29.58) |
| Average rainy days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 12.5 | 9.6 | 11.0 | 10.5 | 10.4 | 9.7 | 9.4 | 9.8 | 9.6 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 11.8 | 128.3 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 53.4 | 73.6 | 109.2 | 151.6 | 190.8 | 191.3 | 200.7 | 186.0 | 140.4 | 107.1 | 62.4 | 46.7 | 1,513.2 |
| Source 1:Met Office[40] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: MyWeather2.com[41] | |||||||||||||
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