Hagley
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Coordinates: 52°26′N 2°07′W / 52.43°N 2.12°W
| Hagley | |
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  Hagley shown within Worcestershire |
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| Population | 4,283 (2001) for Civil Parish; approximately 5600 for the whole village |
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| Parish | Hagley |
| District | Bromsgrove |
| Shire county | Worcestershire |
| Region | West Midlands |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | STOURBRIDGE |
| Postcode district | DY9 |
| Dialling code | 01562 |
| Police | West Mercia |
| Fire | Hereford and Worcester |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| European Parliament | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | Bromsgrove |
| List of places: UK • England • Worcestershire | |
Hagley is a large village and civil parish on the northern boundary of Worcestershire, England, near to the towns of Kidderminster and Stourbridge. The parish had a population of 4,283 in 2001,[1] but the whole village had a population of perhaps 5,600, including the part in Clent parish.[citation needed] It is in Bromsgrove District.
Strictly, Hagley refers to the area of the original village, near Hagley Hall. The majority of what is commonly known as Hagley is strictly West Hagley. This grew up in the late 19th century near the railway station and contains the shopping area and schools. The precise dividing line between the two areas is undefined and this debatable. However, only two continuously developed roads join "Top" Hagley and West Hagley, so that the line must be somewhere along these roads. Nevertheless, both settlements lie within the parish of Hagley.
Hagley is separated from Stourbridge and thus the urban Black Country by a narrow strip of green belt. It lies at the foot of the Clent Hills. The village is served by its own railway station on the Kidderminster - Birmingham line.
It is on the Birmingham to Kidderminster road, the A456, which is known as the Hagley Road in Birmingham, because it was once administered by a turnpike trust, whose responsibilities ended at the former boundary of the parish (now in Blakedown).
Despite having a population larger then some towns, Hagley lacks the essential characteristics of a market town. While it has a healthy shopping street and many local services, it is a fundamentally unbalanced community economically, in that there is little local employment (other than in local services). However, unemployment is low because of the ease of commuting to work. Accordingly Hagley is essentially a dormitory village. The population of Hagley greatly increased after the arrival of the railway in 1862, which enabled people to commute into Birmingham or the adjacent Black Country.
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[edit] Landmarks
Hagley is known for
- Hagley Hall, the home for several centuries of the Lyttelton family, whose head is Viscount Cobham, and
- Wychbury Hill with its 'monument' (an obelisk). The body of "Bella" was believed to be found in a wood on the hill, sparking the murder mystery "Who put Bella in the Witch Elm?" about which a play was written by the local drama society. However contrary to the urban myth the body was found in Hagley Wood off a lane on the side of nearby Clent Hill.[citation needed]
- St. Saviour's Church, a stonebuilt church from around 1908, near the centre of Hagley.
[edit] Tragedies
Three tragic events during the late 20th century have drawn media attention to Hagley.
[edit] Murder of a student
In June 1983, Susan Renhard who grew up in West Hagley, was a student of Graphic Art . She was murdered while taking photos in the Peak District at Cave Dale, Castleton for an arts project at Manchester Polytechnic. When Susan’s body was discovered, her hands had been tied and her face and head had been hooded by her cagoule, and lower clothing removed. Many injuries clearly indicated that she had fought violently to defend herself before being strangled.
The murder shocked the inhabitants of Castleton, and made national headlines.
Norman Hugh Smith, a 17 year old computer student from Castleton, was arrested for the murder. His defence claimed that Susan’s death had been an accident, the clumsy attempts to steal a kiss by “a stumbling, confused schoolboy”, and that she had stumbled while he chatted to her about her project. The jury heard that Smith had told detectives during interrogation: “it was an accident, I didn’t mean to do it". The judge in his summing up, said that Susan had been killed by a “very wicked man” in an act that had “fouled” the Peak District beauty spot. The jury reached their verdict of guilty in less than three hours. Smith was sentenced to be detained indefinitely “until Her Majesty’s pleasure be known”, in effect, a life sentence. As the verdict was delivered, he stood impassively in the dock and a later appeal against the sentence was refused by the Court of Appeal. Susan’s father, a retired law lecturer, became heavily involved in the Society of Compassionate Friends, and Support After Murder and Manslaughter, two charities that seek to help relatives who have lost loved ones through homicide.
[edit] Child murder
In January 1988, Stuart Gough, a 14-year-old newspaper delivery boy was found murdered some 20 miles away near Worcester. Serial paedophile Victor Miller later admitted murdering Stuart and was sentenced to life imprisonment - he is still behind bars after almost 20 years and is likely to remain in prison for another decade at least, as his trial judge said that he didn't know whether it would be safe ever to release him. An article in the Daily Telegraph listed Miller as one of 35 murderers that the Home Secretary had recently recommended never to be released from prison.
[edit] School minibus crash
In November 1993 a serious collison occurred on the M40 motorway near Warwick, approximately 30 miles from Hagley, resulting in the deaths of twelve pupils and a teacher. Only two girls survived the accident that made national headlines and caused moves for new legislation to improve safety and driving standards for school vehicles.
[edit] Famous residents
- Jon BentleyChannel Five's Fifth Gear and Gadget Show presenter currently lives in Hagley
- John Bonham Hagley one of Rock's most famous drummers used to live in Hagley.
- Adrian Chiles, presenter of The One Show and Match of the Day 2.
- Andrew Downes, composer.
- Clive Everton, snooker commentator.
- Jason Koumas lived in Hagley
- Dan O'Hagan, television football commentator.
- Lee Sharpe, former professional footballer with (among other teams) Manchester United was a former student of Hagley RC High School.
- Victoria Stanton, interior designer and co-presenter of Tommy Walsh's Eco House.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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