Hednesford
Encyclopedia
Hednesford is a small town and civil parish in Staffordshire
, England
, within Cannock Chase District
. It adjoins Cannock Chase
to the north, and the town of Cannock
to the south. It had a 2010 mid-year estimated population of 16,928.
community for over a century. This is commemorated in the town centre, where a Miner's Lamp has been erected, surrounded by a wall with individual bricks giving the names of former miners. The oldest sections of the town surround the hilltop areas of the existing town; however, the lower part of the town became the focal point as the community grew with the mining industry.
Between 1914 and 1918 two huge army training camps were built in the area and over a quarter of a million British and Commonwealth
troops passed through destined for the Western Front
. In 1938 a Royal Air Force
training camp was established to train technicians in maintenance and repair of airframes and engines. No. 6 School of Technical training became better known as RAF Hednesford
. The camp was later used for resettlement of Hungarian
refugees fleeing from the Russian invasion of Budapest
, in 1956. The site is now a part of Cannock Chase Country Park.
The urban area of Hednesford now spreads across a swathe of the northern fringe of Cannock, from Pye Green
across to Heath Hayes, and is the southern gateway to Cannock Chase AONB
. Economically Hednesford has suffered since the 1980s as more people travel to the larger towns and cities nearby and due to the absence of redevelopment it retains a traditional street scene with many sole traders operating speciality shops. However, the area around Anglesey Square has been landscaped to provide a pleasant public space with a public clock as a central feature. There are plans currently in the pipeline to carry out a major £5 million redevelopment of the town.
is a specialist school
in technology, with around 1300 pupils aged 11–18.
Blake Valley Technology College
is also a specialist school in technology, with around 750 pupils aged 11–18.
, the stock car track built on the site of a disused reservoir, which has brought tens of thousands of race fans to the area since the mid 1950s and still attracts crowds of several thousand to its major events.
The town's semi-professional football
team, Hednesford Town F.C.
, currently play in the Southern League Premier Division and won the FA Trophy
in 2004.
The town's most prominent sportsperson is that of former footballer Brian Horton
, who played for the Pitmen in the late sixties and early seventies. After a long professional career, he went on to manage Manchester City
, Macclesfield Town
and Port Vale
amongst others, and is currently assistant manager of Championship side Preston North End
Sport
See also :Category:Hednesford Town F.C. players.
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, within Cannock Chase District
Cannock Chase (district)
Cannock Chase is a local government district in England. It covers a large part of Cannock Chase forest and the towns of Cannock, Rugeley and Hednesford.There are several parish and town councils in the district:* Rugeley* Hednesford...
. It adjoins Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Chase gives its name to the Cannock Chase local government district....
to the north, and the town of Cannock
Cannock
Cannock is the most populous of three towns in the district of Cannock Chase in the central southern part of the county of Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England....
to the south. It had a 2010 mid-year estimated population of 16,928.
History
Hednesford was an important coal miningCoal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
community for over a century. This is commemorated in the town centre, where a Miner's Lamp has been erected, surrounded by a wall with individual bricks giving the names of former miners. The oldest sections of the town surround the hilltop areas of the existing town; however, the lower part of the town became the focal point as the community grew with the mining industry.
Between 1914 and 1918 two huge army training camps were built in the area and over a quarter of a million British and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
troops passed through destined for the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
. In 1938 a Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
training camp was established to train technicians in maintenance and repair of airframes and engines. No. 6 School of Technical training became better known as RAF Hednesford
RAF Hednesford
RAF Hednesford was an RAF base situated near Hednesford, Staffordshire, England.During the post-World War II years of compulsory National Service, it was used as a Basic Training Camp...
. The camp was later used for resettlement of Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
refugees fleeing from the Russian invasion of Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, in 1956. The site is now a part of Cannock Chase Country Park.
The urban area of Hednesford now spreads across a swathe of the northern fringe of Cannock, from Pye Green
Pye Green
Pye Green is part of Hednesford, running from Chadsmoor and Hednesford, across the Pye Green valley and to the edge of Cannock Chase. Like Cannock, it is situated between the A34 and A460 roads....
across to Heath Hayes, and is the southern gateway to Cannock Chase AONB
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
. Economically Hednesford has suffered since the 1980s as more people travel to the larger towns and cities nearby and due to the absence of redevelopment it retains a traditional street scene with many sole traders operating speciality shops. However, the area around Anglesey Square has been landscaped to provide a pleasant public space with a public clock as a central feature. There are plans currently in the pipeline to carry out a major £5 million redevelopment of the town.
Education
Kingsmead Technology CollegeKingsmead Technology College
Kingsmead Technology College is a specialist school in technology. Established in 1938, it is located in Hednesford, Staffordshire, England. The head teacher is Ian Bryant....
is a specialist school
Specialist school
The specialist schools programme was a UK government initiative which encouraged secondary schools in England to specialise in certain areas of the curriculum to boost achievement. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust was responsible for the delivery of the programme...
in technology, with around 1300 pupils aged 11–18.
Blake Valley Technology College
Blake Valley Technology College
Blake Valley Technology College is a co-educational comprehensive school in Marston Road, Hednesford, Staffordshire, England....
is also a specialist school in technology, with around 750 pupils aged 11–18.
Sport
The town is best known for Hednesford Hills RacewayHednesford Hills Raceway
Hednesford Hills Raceway is an oval, short-circuit motor racing venue, situated on the Hednesford Hills, Cannock Chase, approximately from the town of Hednesford, Staffordshire, England.-About the circuit :...
, the stock car track built on the site of a disused reservoir, which has brought tens of thousands of race fans to the area since the mid 1950s and still attracts crowds of several thousand to its major events.
The town's semi-professional football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
team, Hednesford Town F.C.
Hednesford Town F.C.
Hednesford Town Football Club are an association football team based in Hednesford, Staffordshire, England. They play at Keys Park.-History:...
, currently play in the Southern League Premier Division and won the FA Trophy
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams...
in 2004.
The town's most prominent sportsperson is that of former footballer Brian Horton
Brian Horton
Brian Horton is an English former footballer and manager, who is working as Phil Brown's assistant at Preston North End.Horton played for Hednesford Town, Port Vale, Brighton & Hove Albion, Luton Town and Hull City as a midfielder...
, who played for the Pitmen in the late sixties and early seventies. After a long professional career, he went on to manage Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
, Macclesfield Town
Macclesfield Town F.C.
Macclesfield Town Football Club is an English football team. The club was formed in 1874 and is based in the town of Macclesfield in Cheshire. The team play its home games at the 6,355 capacity Moss Rose stadium...
and Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
amongst others, and is currently assistant manager of Championship side Preston North End
Notable people
Television- Kate WalshKate Walsh (The Apprentice)Kate Walsh is an English television presenter and former licensing development manager who came to the public's attention in March 2009 whilst appearing as a candidate in the fifth series of The Apprentice. She co-hosted the Channel 5 evening entertainment show Live from Studio Five from its...
(born 1982), runner-upRunner-upRunner-up is a term used to denote a participant which finishes in second place in any of a variety of competitive endeavors, most notably sporting events and beauty pageants; in the latter instance, the term is applied to more than one of the highest-ranked non-winning contestants, the...
in BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's 'The ApprenticeThe Apprentice (UK series five)Series Five of The Apprentice was a British reality television series which was won by Yasmina Siadatan. The series began airing on BBC One on 25 March 2009 and ran for twelve weekly hour-long episodes, as in all previous years. Auditions and interviews took place during July 2008 in London,...
' (2009), co-presenter of Five's 'Live From Studio Five' (from 14 September 2009)
Sport
See also :Category:Hednesford Town F.C. players.
- Joe BirchJoe BirchJoseph "Joe" Birch was an English professional footballer who made more than 200 appearances in the Football League playing for Birmingham, Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic and Fulham. He played as a full back....
(1904–1980), professional footballer - George Forrester (1927–1981), professional footballer
- Tom GalleyTom GalleyThomas "Tom" Galley was an English international footballer, who spent the majority of his league career with Wolverhampton Wanderers.-Career:...
(1915–2000), professional and England international footballer - Brian HortonBrian HortonBrian Horton is an English former footballer and manager, who is working as Phil Brown's assistant at Preston North End.Horton played for Hednesford Town, Port Vale, Brighton & Hove Albion, Luton Town and Hull City as a midfielder...
(born 1949), football manager (former professional player) - Harry LaneHarry LaneHarry Lane was an American physician and politician in the state of Oregon. A native of the state, he worked as the head of the state insane asylum before entering local politics and served as mayor of Portland...
(1909–1977), professional footballer - Tom LyonsTom LyonsAlfred Thomas Lyons was an English footballer and cricketer.-Playing career:Lyons played for Hednesford Town, Bridgtown Amateurs and Aston Villa before he joined Port Vale, initially on guest terms, in January 1917. He was a member of the side that lifted the Staffordshire Senior Cup and shared...
(1885–1938), professional footballer - Jack MillerJack Miller (footballer)Thomas John "Jack" Miller was an English footballer, who played for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Stoke.-Career:Miller started with Hednesford Town before joining League side Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1896. He went on to play in over 250 games for Wolves scoring 47 goals...
(1875–1944), professional footballer - Harry RogersHarry RogersHarry Oliver Rogers was an English cricketer: a left-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler who played for Worcestershire County Cricket Club in the 1920s....
(1889–1956), cricketer who played for WorcestershireWorcestershire County Cricket ClubWorcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire... - Harry Shaw (born 1905), footballer who played for SunderlandSunderland A.F.C.Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
- Mark SmithMark Smith (racing driver)Mark Smith is a British auto racing driver.In 2006 he competed in the British Touring Car Championship for the family-run In-Front team in an Alfa Romeo 156. Their preparations were hampered pre-season, when a gearbox which was supposed to come ready-to-run was supplied in kit form and not until...
, racecar driver - Les TalbotLes TalbotFrank Leslie "Les" Talbot was an English professional footballer. He was born in Hednesford, Staffordshire.-Career:...
(born 1910), professional footballer - Tony Turner (born 1953), semi-professional and England international footballer