Duddeston
Duddeston is an inner-city area of the Nechells ward of central Birmingham, England. It was part of the Birmingham Duddeston constituency until that ceased to exist in 1950.
Etymology
The name Duddeston comes from Dud's Town, with Dud being the Saxon proprietor, Lord of Dudley who probably had a seat in Duddeston.[1]
History
Duddeston is first mentioned in a charter granted to
One hundred years later, Thomas Holte became the
During the 18th century, many adverts for
During the Priestly Riots of 1791, the military established Duddeston Barracks in the area. The barracks remained until 1932, when they were demolished by the Birmingham Corporation for the construction of maisonettes.[3]
After sustaining heavy damage during World War II bombing raids, as a result of its close proximity to targets such as factories and gas works, the area was named as one of five regeneration areas of the city with 267 acres (1.08 km2) of land in Duddeston and the adjoining Nechells prepared for redevelopment under the Housing Act of 1936.[4] This was the first redevelopment area proposed by Herbert Manzoni and was approved in 1950. Most of the area was rebuilt in the 1950s and 1960s. This began with the construction of four tower blocks, which were the first tower blocks in the city.[5] Collectively known as the Duddeston Four, the 12-storey High, Queens, Home and South Towers, were all completed between 1954 and 1955 to a design by SN Cooke and Partners. They consist of a stretched X-shaped footprint and have brick cladding with porthole shaped windows. The design was expensive and upon their completion, they were criticised by the council over their cost, despite received positive reviews from the "Municipal Journal" and "Architectural Review".[5] In the 1990s, they were refurbished and a new security system was installed, while other multi-storey blocks in the area were demolished and replaced by low-rise housing, continuing with the theme of low-rise housing in the area which began in the 1970s.[6]
Notable people
- Samuel "John" Galton Jr. FRS, (1753–1832), was born in Duddeston.
- William Amey VC MM, (1881–1940), recipient of the Victoria Cross in World War I, was born in Duddeston.[7]
Reggae band, Musical Youth
Transport
References
- ^ Hutton, William (1836). The History of Birmingham.
- ISBN 1905124635)
- ^ "The Ashcroft Estate". William Dargue. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
- ^ New Towns for Old: The Technique of Urban Renewal, Wilfred Burns, 1963, L. Hill
- ^ a b Bigger is Better? Local authority housing and the strange attraction of high-rise, 1945-70, Phil Jones - Urban Morphology Research Group, University of Birmingham, 2002 (Accessed 28 April 2007)
- ^ "Echeles: first record c1180; Nechells 1339". William Dargue. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
- ^ "William Amey". warwickfusiliers.co.uk. Retrieved 18 November 2011.