Redditch History Overviews History of Redditch Part 1 the early area: This covers the period of settlement and landscape in our local area from glaciers to the emergence of Redditch as a town. History of Redditch Part 2 beginning to today: Following from Part 1, this overlaps with the medieval period and continues until the present time, covering industry, transport, and the evolution of the area. Redditch History Redditch History 1 Bordesley Abbey: The origins and expansion of the Cistercian Order, the story of Bordesley Abbey 1138 to 1538, the Dissolution of the Abbey under Henry VIII and an illustrated tour around Bordesley precinct today, including videos of the existing site. Redditch History 2 Contribution in WW2.: Showing the important contribution Redditch made to the war effort and the sacrifices made by the town. Concludes with a video of a post war carnival. The following talk is only availavle under special request and has not been updated… Redditch History 3 Queen Elizabeth II: Subtitled Queen Elizabeth II, the Royal Family, and Redditch, this talk covers the period from the birth of our Queen to today including visits by the Queen and the Royal Family to the town. Includes video of Queen Elizabeth’s visit in 1983 and Princess Margaret’s visit in 1962. Redditch History 4 Farming Heritage: Using maps, photographs, drawings, sales documents, and other information the presentation describes the farming heritage of Redditch over the past one hundred years. Concludes with a video of farming in the 1930s in the Redditch area. Redditch History 5 The River Arrow – flowing through Redditch history: The story of the river Arrow from the earliest times and its importance to the history of the town. Includes short videos to support the narrative. Redditch History 6 Bordesley Abbey Gateway Chapel: Our little chapel has had a fascinating history as originally it was St Stephens chapel at the gatehouse of Bordesley Abbey, for local people, artisans, and passers-by to worship, and it was built around 1200. Redditch Industry Redditch Industry 1 Fishhook History: Covering the History of the Fishhook and the predominance of the Redditch Manufacturers in modern developments. I have a personal interest in this as my father, Ted Green, ran the fishhook department at Allcocks and my brother, Vincent Green, was the last fishhook maker in Redditch and, probably, Europe. Redditch Industry 2 Battery History: This covers the period from 1918 to 1993 when Redditch had one, then two, sites manufacturing industrial nickel cadmium batteries at Hunt End and Union Street This is a personal expertise, and much can be found at my site http://www.alcadhistory.org.uk/ Redditch Industry 3 Needle Industry: The Needle – its history and how the Redditch area became the manufacturing centre for the world. I am a volunteer at Forge Mill Needle Industry and the presentation contains videos of the water mill and scouring process. Redditch Tours Redditch History Walk 1 – West: A 3 mile walk around the Western part of historic Redditch based on a 1903 OS map. This has a short video of each section of the route today, followed by historic images of how it looked in the past. Redditch History Walk 2 – East: A 3 mile walk around the Eastern part of historic Redditch based on a 1903 OS map. This is the companion to the history walk west. Redditch in the Snow – the winter of 1962/3: The winter of 1962–63, known as the Big Freeze of 1963, was one of the coldest winters on record in the United Kingdom. When the snow hit Redditch, my brother and I walked and drove around the town, and I took numerous photographs. These images are not only of interest because of the snow, but, also, because they show an image of Redditch before the Development Corporation changed much of our town centre and surrounding area.