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Pocket
Histories
of
Redditch
-
Town
Expansion
Designed
and
Produced
by
Anthony
Green
2015
The
expansion
of
the
town
area
using
maps
from
1675
to
the
present
time
Pocket
Histories
of
Redditch
-
Town
Expansion
Designed
and
Produced
by
Anthony
Green
2015
Redditch
in
1776
-
based
on
contemporary
writings
by
Joseph
Monk
Pass
cursor
over
red
circle
for
more
information
Even
at
this
time,
the
Town
Centre
had
the
arrangement
which
we
know
today.
The
triangular
Green,
the
crossroads
at
the
junctions
of
Unicorn
Hill/Market
Place
and
Church
Green
West/Evesham
Street
and
the
road
going
north
to
what
is
now
Birmingham
Road.
In
1776
the
Chapel
next
to
the
ruins
of
Bordesley
Abbey
was
still
used
for
worship
by
the
townspeople
of
Redditch.
It
was
not
moved
into
the
town,
‘The
Chapel
on
the
Green’,
until
1806.
To
get
to
the
Chapel
people
in
the
town
walked
down
Fish
Hill,
now
Prospect
Hill.
Pocket
Histories
of
Redditch
-
Town
Expansion
Designed
and
Produced
by
Anthony
Green
2015
1831
Ordnance
Survey
Old
Series
one
inch
to
one
mile
Pass
cursor
over
red
circle
for
more
information
The
communities
of
Headless
Cross,
Crabbs
Cross
etc.
along
the
‘ridgeway’
south,
were
still
quite
separate
from
the
town
of
Redditch.
As
using
the
Pershore
Road
Turnpike
involved
paying
a
fee,
the
old
Roman
Road
(Iknield
Street)
was
still
used
as
a
route
by
many
people.
The
route
out
of
Redditch
was
down
Beoley
Road,
crossing
a
ford
across
the
River
Arrow
and
joining
Iknield
Street
at
Marlfield
Cottages.
At
this
time
the
population
of
the
town
was
less
than
2000.
However,
the
Chapel
on
the
Green
had
congregations
of
up
to
1000
and
work
began
to
raise
money
to
build
a
new
church
at
the
other
end
of
the
Green.
The
new
turnpike
road
went
straight
through
the
centre
of
the
town,
following
the
‘ridgeway’
south.
In
1826
the
Pershore
Road
Turnpike
opened.
It
was
planned
to
run
from
Birmingham
to
the
Vale
of
Evesham,
but,
due
to
financial
problems,
was
only
completed
to
Dunnington
Heath.
However,
it
gave
Redditch
its
first
good
road
since
the
Roman
Road
was
built
nearly
2,000
years
earlier.
The
Worcester
to
Birmingham
Canal
reached
the
Tardebigge
Old
Wharf
(North)
in
1807,
and
the
New
Wharf
(South)
in
1815.
This
was
only
3
miles
from
Redditch
and
was
of
major
importance
to
the
Redditch
industries,
until
it
was
replaced
by
the
railway.
Pocket
Histories
of
Redditch
-
Town
Expansion
Designed
and
Produced
by
Anthony
Green
2015
1901
Ordnance
Survey
Revised
New
Series
one
inch
to
one
mile
Pass
cursor
over
red
circle
for
more
information
The
railway
line
was
extended
in
1868
to
Evesham
and
Ashchurch,
joining
the
London
Line.
The
extension
to
the
line
included
a
300-yard
tunnel
under
the
Ridgeway.
The
communities
of
Headless
Cross
and
Crabbs
Cross
continued
to
develop
with
their
own
Churches
and
Schools.
The
cemetery
in
the
town
had
become
inadequate
and
a
new
cemetery
was
developed
off
Bromsgrove
Road.
This
was
up
a
lane
called
Cemetery
Lane
(retaining
the
same
name
today).
Plymouth
Road
did
not
exist
at
this
time.
This
cemetery
contains
the
graves
of
many
famous
Redditch
industrialists.
By
1900
the
population
of
Redditch
had
increased
to
about
14,000.
The
Chapel
had
was
replaced
by
St
Stephen’s
Church
in
1851.
The
railway
arrived
in
Redditch
in
1858.
Initially
it
was
goods
only
and
the
station
was
in
Clive
Road.
In
1859
it
was
opened
for
passengers
and
nine
years
later
the
passenger
station
was
moved
to
Bromsgrove
Road
when
the
tunnel
was
built.
Pocket
Histories
of
Redditch
-
Town
Expansion
Designed
and
Produced
by
Anthony
Green
2015
1919
Ordnance
Survey
Popular
Edition
one
inch
to
one
mile
Pass
cursor
over
red
circle
for
more
information
The
railway
played
an
important
role
during
the
First
World
War,
transporting
Redditch
manufactured
goods
for
the
war
effort
and
volunteers
from
Redditch
for
the
military.
The
communities
of
Headless
Cross,
Crabbs
Cross
etc.
along
the
‘Ridgeway’
south,
were
still
quite
separate
from
the
town
of
Redditch.
Railway
travel
had
become
the
primary
means
of
transport
for
both
goods
and
people.
The
route
south
of
Redditch
had
become
an
important
tourist
route
to
the
Vale
of
Evesham
and
was
very
popular
with
the
local
population.
During
this
period
little
had
changed
in
the
town.
The
Royal
Enfield
had
expanded
and
Batteries
Ltd
had
taken
over
their
old
site
in
Hunt
End.
The
overall
plan
of
the
town
had
remained
essentially
the
same.
The
Royal
Enfield
moved
from
the
site
in
Hunt
End
to
its
brand
new
site
in
Hewell
Road
(now
the
Enfield
Estate)
in
1907.
The
first
of
the
famous
Enfield
V-twins
was
launched
in
1910
and,
in
1915,
came
the
first
of
the
small
two
stroke
225
cc
engines.
During
the
First
World
War
Royal
Enfield
supplied
motorcycles
to
the
War
Department.
Pocket
Histories
of
Redditch
-
Town
Expansion
Designed
and
Produced
by
Anthony
Green
2015
1962
Ordnance
Survey
Seventh
Series
one
inch
to
one
mile
Pass
cursor
over
red
circle
for
more
information
By
1962,
the
car
had
become
the
primary
means
of
transport
for
individuals
and
the
Barnt
Green
to
Redditch
railway
spur
was
losing
money.
In
1963
the
‘Beeching
Report’
was
issued
and
in
1964
over
1000
miles
of
track
was
closed.
Fortunately,
the
disclosure
that
Redditch
was
to
become
a
‘New
Town’
protected
the
line
to
Redditch
from
closure.
Over
the
previous
43
years
(last
slide),
Redditch
had
steadily
expanded.
New
roads
had
been
built
e.g.
Plymouth
Road,
and
housing
estates
constructed.
New
industry
such
as
HDA
and
Reynolds
Tubes
had
arrived
to
support
the
war
effect
(WW2)
and
Redditch
had
played
a
major
industrial
role
in
that
war.
The
population
of
the
town
had
now
increased
to
about
30,000).
The
area
along
the
Ridgeway
had
expanded
with
new
housing
estates
and
ribbon
development
along
the
ridge.
The
communities
of
Headless
Cross,
Crabbs
Cross
etc.
along
the
‘Ridgeway’
south
had
now
become
a
continuation
of
the
main
town.
although
they
still
maintained
an
individual
identity.
After
the
Beeching
Report
the
track
south
of
Redditch
was
completely
closed.
Earlier
it
had
been
closed
for
passengers
but
retained
for
goods.
In
1964
the
track
was
lifted
and
the
route
within
the
town
was
eventually
used
as
a
route
for
a
road.
After
the
war
the
Redditch
Council
invested
great
effort
in
providing
houses.
Council
estates
were
built
in
Batchley,
Abbeydale
and
Mayfields,
and
other
estates
were
expanded.
Batchley
Estate
was,
and
is,
an
elegant
example
of
an
estate,
with
a
lake
and
wide
grass
verges.
Pocket
Histories
of
Redditch
-
Town
Expansion
Designed
and
Produced
by
Anthony
Green
2015
1977
Town
Centre
location
map
produced
by
Chloride
Alcad
Pass
cursor
over
red
circle
for
more
information
The
main
route
through
Redditch
was
still
along
the
Birmingham
Road.
The
ring
road
had
not
yet
been
built
at
this
stage
and
the
town
centre
was
often
‘gridlocked’.
The
Kingfisher
Centre
(first
phase)
had
been
constructed.
This
removed
Evesham
Street
and
meant
that
traffic
had
to
be
diverted
around
the
town.
The
railway
line
from
Barnt
Green
had
survived
the
‘Beeching
Axe’
and
the
station
had
been
moved
from
the
Oakley
Road
side
of
Unicorn
Hill/Bromsgrove
Road
to
the
opposite
side.
In
the
area
of
the
old
railway
station
a
new
Bus
Station
was
constructed,
replacing
the
one
in
the
town
centre.
Many
of
the
old
town
centre
roads
still
existed
at
this
time.
There
was
a
complicated
one-way
system
in
placed
using
Alcester
Street,
Ipsley
Street
and
many
minor
roads.
There
had
been
a
large
extension
of
the
town
by
this
time
when
estates,
such
as
Woodrow,
were
constructed.
The
population
of
the
town
had
increased
significantly
but
had
not
yet
arrived
at
the
planned
level.
To
the
south
of
the
town
the
A441
returned
to
its
old
route
along
Mount
Pleasant
and
continued
along
the
Ridgway.
Pocket
Histories
of
Redditch
-
Town
Expansion
Designed
and
Produced
by
Anthony
Green
2015
2000
Ordnance
Survey
Pathfinder
Series
1
¼
inches
to
1
mile
Pass
cursor
over
red
circle
for
more
information
A
major
by-pass
had
been
constructed
which
freed
the
town
centre
from
through
traffic.
An
inner
ring
road
was
constructed
linking
the
town
to
the
by-pass,
which
allowed
the
town
centre
to
be
expanded
and
largely
pedestrianised.
A
major
road
network
had
been
constructed
which
allowed
easy
communication
around
the
town
and
dedicated
bus
routes
had
been
introduced.
The
population
of
the
town
had
reached
about
74,000
when
the
Development
Corporation
was
finally
wound
up
in
1985.
Thus
it
had
more
than
doubled
over
the
21
years’
lifetime
of
the
Corporation.
By
this
time,
the
town
centre
development
had
been
largely
completed.
The
Kingfisher
Centre
had
become
a
major
indoor
shopping
centre
with
many
of
the
major
stores.
By
the
end
of
the
century
it
had
increased
by
a
further
10,000
but
the
housing
development
was
not
as
well
planned.
The
Development
Corporation,
established
in
1964,
began
an
ambitious
expansion
of
the
town.
As
well
as
an
improved
road
network,
housing
and
industrial
estates
were
established.
This
was
quite
revolutionary,
with
mixed
private
and
rented
houses
next
to
the
industrial
areas.
The
housing
areas
were
designed
on
the
basis
of
villages,
with
their
own
shopping
areas.
Unfortunately,
this
design
was
overtaken
by
the
increase
in
car
usage
allowing
easy
transport
to
large
shopping
areas
and
out
of
town
supermarkets,
and
the
small
local
shopping
areas
were
underused.
However,
overall
the
design
has
been
a
success
and
better
than
the
random
unregulated
expansion
of
many
towns.
A
new
dual
carriageway
road,
the
Bromsgrove
Highway,
was
constructed
to
provide
easy
access
to
the
M5
motorway
and
other
routes
to
the
West.
Due
to
the
failure
to
obtain
agreement
on
the
initial
plans
for
a
Studley
by-pass,
the
dual
carriage
Alcester
Highway
was
returned
to
the
old
turnpike
A441
road
at
Crabbs
Cross.
Pocket
Histories
of
Redditch
-
Town
Expansion
Designed
and
Produced
by
Anthony
Green
2015
End
of
Presentation
The
expansion
of
the
town
area
using
maps
from
1675
to
the
present
time