Bromsgrove, Worcestershire travel information
Bromsgrove Worcestershire England
As long ago as the 5th or 6th Century there was a village at Bromsgrove. It stood on the hill on the site of the present parish church. The village, of Saxon origin, was known variously as Bremesbyrig, Bremegrefa and Bremesgrave . In the Middle Ages Bromsgrove was an important Market town. Bromsgrove School was an important institution thought to have been founded by Edward VI.
The Court Leet represents the old form of government with its Lord of the Manor and Bailiff and a colourful procession on the nearest Saturday to Midsummer Day.
In 1825 salt was found at Stoke Prior and a salt works was built on both sides of the canal. Alkali, Sulphuric Acid, Salt and Soap were made and rock salt was mined for a brief period. The Stoke Prior salt works in the 1850s was the largest in the world and the owner, John Corbett, became known as the ‘Salt King’.
A E Houseman, author of ‘A Shropshire Lad’ was born in 1859 at Fockbury, west of Bromsgrove. The family home was Perry Hall, now a hotel, and there is a Houseman society, a signposted trail and a statue in the High Street.
In 1894 William Gilbert formed a Guild of Applied Arts in Bromsgrove as part of the Arts and Crafts movement. He began designing decorative ironwork in an old foundry in Bromsgrove, employing skilled workers who produced some famous work, including the gates of Buckingham Palace.
