Dorridge
Dorridge is a sub-town in the West Midlands borough of Solihull.
Location
Dorridge is a small town in the West Midlands of England, just to the South-East of Solihull. It is to the East of the M40 and the South of the M42 which, along with a small but important green belt area, separates Dorridge and its neighbour Knowle from the greater urban area of Birmingham. It falls in the Meriden Gap and historically was part of Warkwickshire. Indeed, there are no major towns between Dorridge and Warwick.
Nearby there are the historic National Trust buildings of Packwood House and Baddersley Clinton, and the Grand Union Canal is in walking distance.
History
Dorridge did not exist as a community until the mid-nineteenth century. It was just the name given to the ridge of land running westwards from Knowle ("Dorege"). In 1852 the railway was built. The station which was originally called Knowle, (and later Knowle and Dorridge), created the focal point for a new community. In its heyday, the Great Western Railway train service ran between Paddington and and Birmingham with 4 tracks, but by the mid-1960's the passenger route was closed and it then dwindled into a single track route, with no through trains between London and Birmingham. The route was revived in the 1990's as part of the Rail Privatisation process and full dual track running was re-instated, and for a small town, Dorridge has the priviledge of being one of the stops on the express service.
The development of Dorridge is strongly linked to the Muntz family, who lived in nearby Umberslade Hall. The Muntz family were descendants of Philip Fredrick Muntz, a French immigrant of the 18th century. Through industrial wealth, founded on a steel-making process, the family acquired a considerable estate in the area. Dorridge was not considered a district in its own right until 1940.
The family built and owned the [Forest Hotel], and it is suggested that in part this was created as a stop-over for themselves and guests to allow an early morning departure to London. The Forest Hotel only recently left the Muntz family ownership.
Aside from the substantial family homes, there are a surprising number of mansions, some of which such as Parkfield near the park, have now been converted into flats.
The development of Dorridge as a select residential area appears to have been under the guidance of the Muntz family. Indeed, there are many developments with covenents restricting developments - for example, the making of bricks or beer is banned on land in Knowle Wood Road.
A gas works was developed on land that at the time of writing is known as Eveson's, a fuel merchants, but is due to be developed into flats. Much of the area that is now a Conservation Area, Station Approach, dates back to the turn of the century or before.
There was a substantial development in the 1960's around the area christened by estate agents as the "Golden Triangle" - alluding to the expensive and desirable housing of the area bounded by Dorridge Road, Avenue Road and Knowle Wood Road. In the late 1990's another substantial development was built in the area known as Four Ashes.
Dorridge Today
The station again fulfills an important role providing easy travel to London and Birmingham, for Dorridge and for numerous local villages such as Knowle, which do not have a train station, with Chiltern Railways having created an inter-city route out of the run-down remnants of what had become primarily a goods line.
Dorridge is neither urban nor a village. However, it sits right next to the Warwickshire countryside, with green fields being a short walk from the town centre.
It has a small shopping centre, a village hall, at least three churches and also an excellent primary school. It has a substantial park bordering the countryside. There are a few small restaurants, and three pubs: The Railway Arms (nowhere near the railway!), the Forest Hotel (right next to the railway!) and the Drum and Monkey near the Four Ashes estate.
Accomodation is available at the Forest Hotel and at Hogarths. Nearby is a golf driving range and the Solihull Riding Club. It has two cricket clubs: Knowle & Dorridge Cricket Club and Dorridge Cricket Club. It also has a tennis club. Solihull is just 5 minutes drive away with its modern shopping centre, cinema and variety of sports facilities.
The property prices around Dorridge are amongst the highest in the West Midlands region, in part driven by the perception of desirability of the local state schools, the easy access to the main motorway system and the Airport, as well as the train links mentioned earlier, but in part it is also a reflection of the well-spaced gardens and large houses.
There are a number of notable residents who live here or very nearby, Jasper Carrott, Sir Adrian Cadbury, Karen Brady Managing Director of Birmingham City F.C, Steve Bruce, manager of Birmingham City F.C., along with a number of other Premiership Football notables.
Dorridge is part of the Meridian constituency, MP Caroline Spelman who also lives nearby. Dorridge is regarded as a Conservative stronghold.
Community Groups
Aside from the strong Church communities, the town benefits from a strong Round Table, a Residents' Association, drama groups and youth organisations. Some of the organisations are shared with Knowle, such as the 4th Knowle Sea Scouts.
References
- Around Knowle & Dorridge. Charles Lines. Alan Sutton Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-7509-0817-3