| Fradley | |
|---|---|
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  Fradley Location within Staffordshire | |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Fradley is a village and civil parish, in the Lichfield district, in the county of Staffordshire, England. [1] [2] In 1881 the parish had a population of 380. [3]
The village is about 3 miles (5 km) north-east of the Lichfield and 1 mile south-west of Alrewas, consisting of two discrete areas, the older Fradley Village (signposted locally as simply "Fradley") and the newer Fradley South area which began development in the early 2000s and continues to be developed as of 2020. It is also located 9 miles (14 km) from Burton-on-Trent and 10 miles (16 km) from Rugeley.
Fradley first appeared in 12th-century records as 'Frodeleye', or 'Frod's lea'. [4] Fradley was formerly a township and chapelry in the parish of Alrewas, [5] from 1866 Fradley was a civil parish in its own right, [6] on 25 March 1884 the parish was abolished and merged with Alrewas, on 1 February 1996 that "Alrewas" was renamed "Alrewas and Fradley", [7] on 1 April 2009 it became part of "Fradley and Streethay". [8] [9] [10] Fradley once again became a separate parish on 1 April 2023. [11] [12] [13]
Following the completion of the Stirling Centre near Fradley South in 2009, comprising retail units, offices and food outlets, Fradley was formally re-categorised as a 'key rural settlement'. [14]
Fradley has its own village hall which was completed in the early 2000s and an additional community hall on adjacent land. The village church, St. Stephen's Church, was built in 1861 on the corner of Church Lane and Old Hall Lane. A Victorian schoolhouse, which had stood beside the church since 1875, was demolished in 2008 to make room for modern classrooms at St. Stephen's Primary School.
Fradley is close to the A38 road Ryknild Street (which became a dual-carriageway in 1958) and is served by bus services to Lichfield and Burton upon Trent. A railway line passes close to the eastern side of the village but no station exists in Fradley, the nearest passenger station is now Lichfield Trent Valley railway station serving the West Coast Main Line, the London-Crewe line and acting as the terminus for the Cross-City Line. From 1849 until 1965, Alrewas railway station on the South Staffordshire Line was the closest passenger station to Fradley but was closed on 18 January 1965 by the British Railways Board.
The Coventry Canal runs through the village and merges with the Trent and Mersey Canal at nearby Fradley Junction. Several bridges cross the Coventry Canal in Fradley, including Bell Bridge which carries the A38.
Sheasby Park, a large development in the south of the village, is under development and will introduce 624 new houses to the village. [15] Additionally further housing development is in progress to the north of the canal.
Fradley is served by Diamond bus services 12 and 12E connecting to Lichfield and Burton. These were previously operated by Midland Classic prior to the depot being sold. Since 2024, Select Bus Services have operated service 33 between Lichfield and the new Anson Gardens/Fradley Manor estate.
Construction on the Fradley Aerodrome (known as RAF Lichfield) started in 1939 and in August 1940 the Royal Air Force moved in, along with Hawker Hurricane, Airspeed Oxford and Avro Anson aircraft. Spitfire arrived in 1941 and Vickers Wellington aircraft followed in 1942. Alongside RAF personnel training in the Wellingtons, there were a large number of Australians and some Canadians and Czechs. The RAF left in 1958 and the whole site was sold by the Air Ministry in 1962.[ citation needed ]
St. Stephen's Church is home to the war graves of a number of Australian aircrew and one German Luftwaffe pilot who lost their lives during World War II. In 2000 a memorial to all who served at RAF Lichfield was constructed in Fradley.
In 1998 major redevelopment started on the former airfield, with the construction of factories, warehouses and 750 new houses. Today Fradley Park, a 300-acre warehousing and distribution development, covers most of the former airfield. Tenants of Fradley Park include Tesco, Faurecia, Hellman Worldwide Logistics, NTN Bearings (UK), Newell Rubbermaid, Caterpillar Logistics, Swish UK Zytek and Palletways Birmingham.
Fradley was first mentioned in 1768 when the Engineer James Brindley won the contract to build the canal from Coventry, to link with the Trent and Mersey Canal at Fradley. It was not until 1783 that this canal was completed, meeting the Trent and Mersey at Fradley Junction.[ citation needed ]
Staffordshire is a landlocked ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the south-east, the West Midlands county and Worcestershire to the south, and Shropshire to the west. The largest settlement is the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and the county town is Stafford.
The Trent and Mersey Canal is a 93+1⁄2-mile (150 km) canal in Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire in north-central England. It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities to the east of Burton upon Trent and north of Middlewich, it is a wide canal.
Lichfield is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated 18 miles (29 km) south-east of Stafford, 9 miles (14 km) north-east of Walsall, 8 miles (13 km) north-west of Tamworth and 13 miles (21 km) south-west of Burton upon Trent. At the time of the 2021 Census, the population was 34,738 and the population of the wider Lichfield District was 106,400.
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. In 2021, it had a population of 76,270. The demonym for residents of the town is Burtonian. Burton is located 11 miles (18 km) south-west of Derby, 27 miles (43 km) north-west of Leicester, 28 miles (45 km) west-south-west of Nottingham and 20 miles (32 km) south of the southern entrance to the Peak District National Park.
Rugeley is a market town and civil parish in the Cannock Chase District, in Staffordshire, England. It lies on the north-eastern edge of Cannock Chase next to the River Trent; it is situated 8 miles (13 km) north of Lichfield, 10 miles (16 km) south-east of Stafford, 5 miles (8.0 km) north-east of Hednesford and 11 miles (18 km) south-west of Uttoxeter. At the 2021 Census, the population was 26,156.
Mickleover is a village in the unitary authority of Derby, in Derbyshire, England. It is 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Derby, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Burton upon Trent, 13 miles (21 km) southeast of Ashbourne and 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Uttoxeter.
Lichfield District is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. The district is named after its largest settlement, the city of Lichfield, which is where the district council is based. The district also contains the towns of Burntwood and Fazeley, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas, including part of Cannock Chase, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Fradley Junction is a canal junction between Fradley and Alrewas near Lichfield, Staffordshire, England and the point at which the Coventry Canal joins the Trent and Mersey Canal. It opened in 1790, and several of the buildings around it, including The Swan public house, are grade II listed structures.
Alrewas is a village and civil parish in the Lichfield District of Staffordshire, England.
Stretton is a large village and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. It is situated on the northern outskirts of Burton upon Trent and is now a suburb. The name is Old English and means Street Town derived from its location on the Roman road called Ryknild Street. The population of the parish at the 2001 census was 8,355, increasing to 8,611 at the 2011 Census.
Alrewas and Fradley, was a large civil parish in the Lichfield district of Staffordshire, England. The parish included the villages of Alrewas, Fradley and Orgreave, and in 2001 had a population of 4,686.
Streethay is a village and civil parish, in the Lichfield district, in the county of Staffordshire, England, adjoining the city of Lichfield, on the east side of the West Coast Main Line railway. In 2001 the parish had a population of 1,111.
The South Staffordshire line is a partially mothballed and active former mainline that connects Burton-upon-Trent to Lichfield in Staffordshire and formerly then to the West Midlands towns of Walsall, Wednesbury, Dudley and Stourbridge. However, Dudley and Stourbridge were already joined to the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway's (OW&WR) line just north of Dudley Station. It in essence, continued to Stourbridge along with Wednesbury and Walsall.
Wychnor is a village and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. It is situated in the East Staffordshire local government district, adjoining Alrewas and Barton-under-Needwood. It is situated on the formerly Roman road Ryknild Street, current known as the A38, and contains the hamlet of Wychnor Bridges where the A38 crosses the River Trent. The Trent and Mersey Canal passes through the parish. There is a railway junction nearby; Wychnor Junction where the South Staffordshire Line joins the Cross Country Route.
Fazeley Junction is the name of the canal junction where the authorised Birmingham and Fazeley Canal terminates and meets the Coventry Canal at Fazeley, near Tamworth, Staffordshire, England.
Huddlesford Junction is a canal junction at the original north-eastern limit of the Wyrley and Essington Canal where it met the Coventry Canal, near Lichfield, in Staffordshire, England.
Orgreave is a hamlet and former civil parish, now in the parish of Alrewas, in the Lichfield district, in the county of Staffordshire, England. It lies in the Trent Valley some 6+1⁄2 miles (10.5 km) north-east of the city of Lichfield, the A513 road runs to the south of the hamlet. In 1881 the parish had a population of 113.
Alrewas railway station was a station on the South Staffordshire Railway, which served the village of Alrewas, Staffordshire. The station was located next to a level crossing, although the main road, now the A513, now crosses the railway line via a bridge.
All Saints Church, Alrewas is a parish church in the village of Alrewas, Staffordshire in England. The church is situated in the north west of the village on the north side of the Trent & Mersey Canal. The church is a Grade I Listed Building. A church has stood on the current site since the 10th century. The current building was mainly built during the 13th, 14th, 16th and 19th centuries.
Fradley and Streethay is a former civil parish in the district of Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. The parish contained 26 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. All the listed buildings are designated at Grade II, the lowest of the three grades, which is applied to "buildings of national importance and special interest". The parish included the villages of Fradley and Streethay and the surrounding area. The Trent and Mersey Canal and Coventry Canal met in the parish at Fradley Junction, and the listed buildings on the canals are bridges, locks, workshops, and milestones. Most of the other listed buildings are houses, cottages and farmhouse, the earlier of which are timber framed. The other listed buildings include a well head, a hotel, and a public house.
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