Bedworth

Bedworth is a market town in the Nuneaton and Bedworth district of Warwickshire, England. It lies 101 mi northwest of London, 19 mi east of Birmingham, and 14 mi north northeast of the county town of Warwick. It is situated between Coventry, 5.5 mi to the south, and Nuneaton, 3 mi to the north.

In the 2001 census the town had a population of 32,268. Residents are known as "Bedworthians", or occasionally "Bedites". Bedworth is often pronounced "Beduth" by many (but not all) residents of the town and inhabitants of nearby Coventry and Nuneaton, though the standard "Bed-worth" pronunciation is used virtually everywhere else.

Suburbs and districts
Bedworth has six main suburban districts, namely Collycroft, Mount Pleasant, Bedworth Heath, Coalpit Field, Goodyers End and Exhall. Exhall is a generic name for the area surrounding junction 3 of the M6 motorway, comprising parts of both Bedworth and Coventry. Much of what is now considered Exhall within south Bedworth is also referred to as Hayes Green by locals and on older maps of the area.

Features
The most notable buildings in Bedworth are the Nicholas Chamberlaine Almshouses on All Saint’s Square in the town centre, which are built in Tudor style and date from 1840, having been funded by the local benefactor Nicholas Chamberlaine (1632–1715).

The main venue in Bedworth is the Bedworth Civic Hall which has an attached arts centre.

The Town centre is dominated by All Saint's Parish Church, (Church of England), Which was rebuilt in the late 19th century of Runcorn stone in the Decorated style. The church has a square bell tower from the original Church thought to date from 1450 which houses the Town Clock (1817), and a peal of eight bells, which are rung for Morning Services and for special occasions. The church has several fine stained glass windows; of particular note the north aisle window is a rare example of the work of Mr. H. Clarke depicting St Peter, St Paul, St Luke and St John. All Saint's has been recently reordered (2000) to include a narthex, in which is held a coffee Morning on Friday mornings. The church is open for visitors each morning (Monday – Friday 10am – 12 noon). Sunday Services are 9am Holy Communion, 11am Family Worship and 6pm Evening Worship. http://www.allsaintsbedworth.org.uk/

The St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church is also a prominent building in the town centre.

The Bedworth water tower is probably the most noticed building in Bedworth, visible from miles around and built in the 19th century. It used to provide water for the houses and the mining facilities.

A new and interesting building in George Street is the martial arts academy with a Chinese Canopy at the front, which is now un-used due to the academy relocating to new premises.

Along Mill Street can be seen rows of former weavers' cottages which were once inhabited by Huguenot weavers. Some of these are still used as shops, although most have fallen into a derelict state.

The majority of the town centre was built in the postwar period, and has all the hallmarks of such a development. The town centre itself contains some of the usual high street retail names as well as many charity, card shops and banks. Domestic appliance insurer Domestic & General has offices in the town centre and provides substantial employment for the community.

After the recent closure of the Bedworth Kwik Save (known locally as the Hypermarket), the site has been regenerated into a new Aldi store. Also, the local Woolworths has been closed down because of the credit crunch, leaving some Bedworth residents unemployed.

Bedworth has a large range of pubs and working men's clubs. These include, but are not limited to: The Bear and Ragged Staff (a Wetherspoon pub), The Swan, The White Horse, The Miners Arms, The Mountpleasent, The Black Horse, The Lord Raglan, The Black Bank, Saunders Hall, Collycroft Working Men's Club, The Bedworth Liberal Club, Bedworth Conservative Club, The Griffin Inn, The Collycroft Goose, The Royal Oak, The Prince Of Wales, JB'S, Littleworks (Re-Opened as Jack's Entertainment Club) and The Cricketers Arms in Collycroft.

Bedworth also has a skate park built in the Miners Welfare Park in 2001 after campaigning by local youngsters. Previous to this, most youngsters would skate in the town centre, or in the market area, much to the annoyance of residents and the local police.

History
Originally a small market town with Saxon origin, Bedworth developed into an industrial town in the 18th and 19th centuries, due largely to coal mining and the overspill of ribbon weaving and textile industries from nearby Coventry. The opening of the Coventry Canal in 1769 and later, the railway in 1850 enhanced the town's growth. Until quite recently Bedworth was primarily a coal mining town, but the last colliery was closed in 1994.

Due to its good transport links, and proximity to major cities such as Coventry, Birmingham and Leicester, Bedworth is now growing rapidly as a dormitory town.

From 1894 Bedworth was a civil parish within the Foleshill Rural District. In 1928 Bedworth was incorporated as an urban district in its own right In 1974 the Bedworth Urban District was merged with the borough of Nuneaton to create the borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth.

Every year on Remembrance day 11 November many of the "bedites" gather in the town to watch a remembrance parade. There are groups such as the local Girls Brigade who march through the town and bands playing commemorative music. There is also a wartime plane that scatters poppies over the town.

Transport
Bedworth has good transport links being situated immediate north of the M6 motorway at junction 3, and being served by the Coventry to Nuneaton railway line. The current Bedworth railway station was opened in 1988 after the original station was closed in the 1960s as part of the Beeching Axe.

The Coventry Canal also runs through the town.

Bus services to the city centre of Coventry are operated competitively by Stagecoach in Warwickshire and National Express Coventry. Stagecoach also provides direct services to Nuneaton, Bulkington, Keresley, Atherstone, Hinckley & Leicester and a direct service to the University Hospital in Walsgrave, Coventry is provided by Travel de Courcey.

Schools

 * Nicholas Chamberlaine Technology College
 * St Michael's Primary School
 * Canon Maggs
 * Canon Evans
 * All Saints School
 * Race Leys Infant School
 * Race Leys Junior School
 * St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School
 * Goodyers End Primary School

Notable people
The locally born author George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans) lived at "Griff House" just south of Nuneaton between 1819 and 1841. "Griff House" still stands today as a Premier Travel Inn Hotel and Beefeater Restaurant.

Other notable people associated with the town are:
 * Former The Libertines front-man Pete Doherty, attended Nicholas Chamberlaine Technology College.
 * Lee Hurst, a Coventry City F.C. footballer in the 1990s, used to reside in Leas Close in the Mount Pleasant area. He retired due to injury caused during a training exercise at an assault course, organised by then manager Bobby Gould. He also appeared on They think its all over as the mystery guest as a joke due to one of the show residents of the same name, Lee Hurst, the comedian. He was an unsung local hero on the terraces of the Highfield Road stadium, who lined up alongside the likes of Roy Wegerle, Peter Ndlovu, Steve Ogrizovic, Brian Borrows, Kenny Sansom, Micky Quinn, Robert Rosario, and many famous Coventry City footballers.
 * Nick Skelton, winner of the Hickstead Derby and European showjumping championships. Also competed in a large scale of international showjumping being placed many times. most recently in Canada and Dublin. Also competed in Olympic teams.
 * Conrad Keely of American rock group ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead was a resident of Bedworth.