REDDITCH VIRTUAL MUSEUM
Redditch Lost Streets
After many years of debate, the Redditch Development Corporation, decided that the new town shopping centre should be sited in the current town centre. To do this, many of the historic streets which formed the heart of the existing town, were marked for demolition and redevelopment.
For a ten year period, from 1973 to 1983, the face of Redditch town centre was changed for ever. Town landmarks, family homes, offices, shops and factories were razed to the ground. People & business had to move. Some survived and some did not. The result is often debated as to whether it was good or bad. Loss of history & heritage is always bad and the modern shopping complex we have today is not to everybody's taste. However, ask yourself the question what would the town be like without the development? What sort of town would the run-down terraces, the higledy-pigledy shops, the narrow streets and the back-street factories have provided in the 21st century?
People under forty, and those who moved to the new town in the 1980’s, have no memories of those lost streets. People who do remember them do so with perhaps rose-tinted glasses. This site aims to help perpetuate those times so you can make up your own mind.
On these pages we have documented the main streets lost in the town Centre during the New Town development. The data, taken from census records, trades directories and other sources, is presented in two sequence.
For a ten year period, from 1973 to 1983, the face of Redditch town centre was changed for ever. Town landmarks, family homes, offices, shops and factories were razed to the ground. People & business had to move. Some survived and some did not. The result is often debated as to whether it was good or bad. Loss of history & heritage is always bad and the modern shopping complex we have today is not to everybody's taste. However, ask yourself the question what would the town be like without the development? What sort of town would the run-down terraces, the higledy-pigledy shops, the narrow streets and the back-street factories have provided in the 21st century?
People under forty, and those who moved to the new town in the 1980’s, have no memories of those lost streets. People who do remember them do so with perhaps rose-tinted glasses. This site aims to help perpetuate those times so you can make up your own mind.
On these pages we have documented the main streets lost in the town Centre during the New Town development. The data, taken from census records, trades directories and other sources, is presented in two sequence.
- The “Property” format allows you to select a specific property on a street and follow the inhabitants over the years.
- The “Year” format allows you to select a given year and see who occupies which property during that year
Walford Street with St. Stephen’s spire in the background. One of Redditch's "Lost Streets"
Please Note:
There is a considerable amount of work to re-generate the Lost Streets data into the new Virtual Museum format. Therefore whilst this work is being carried out access is being maintained to the old Remembering Lost Redditch site. Some streets are still waiting for records to be transcribed and the analysis performed. The information presented is only as complete as the records show.
There is a considerable amount of work to re-generate the Lost Streets data into the new Virtual Museum format. Therefore whilst this work is being carried out access is being maintained to the old Remembering Lost Redditch site. Some streets are still waiting for records to be transcribed and the analysis performed. The information presented is only as complete as the records show.
