Duddeston
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Duddeston is an inner-city area of the
Nechells Nechells () is a district ward in central Birmingham, England, whose population in 2011 was 33,957. It is also a ward (politics), ward within the Government of Birmingham, England#Districts, formal district of Ladywood. Nechells local government ...
ward of central
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. 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.


History

Duddeston is first mentioned in a charter granted to Wulfget the Thane by Eadgar, King of the Angles in 963. There is no mention of Duddeston for another 200 years until it said that the Holte family were the residents of Duddeston Manor, a large house located next to the River Rea. This had been purchased by the family in 1365 by the family who also owned the manor of Nechells and were related to a prominent family in
Erdington Erdington is a suburb and ward of Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Warwickshire, it is located northeast of central Birmingham, bordering Sutt ...
. Their wealth of land expanded two years later when the manor of
Aston Aston is an area of inner Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Located immediately to the north-west of Birmingham city centre, Central Birmingham, Aston constitutes a wards of the United Kingdom, war ...
was bestowed upon them. One hundred years later, Thomas Holte became the Chief Justice of Wales and a close friend of
King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagreement w ...
. In 1546, Thomas died and Duddeston Hall was a sign of his wealth. His grandson, also called Thomas Holte, supplied a small army in defending
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
and for this he was knighted. He commissioned the construction of Aston Hall soon after. During the 18th century, many adverts for cock fighting at the hall appeared and in many, the name Vauxhall appeared. The first use of the name Vauxhall was in 1751 and was spelt Vaux Hall. It was referred to as another name for the hall. It is also known that the building had been refurbished, possibly rebuilt, to accommodate travellers. Large gardens had also been created and it became an attraction for the city. Travelling there was made easier with the opening of Duddeston and Vauxhall railway station. However, the owners of the hall ran into financial difficulty and the last celebrations in the gardens were held in September 1850, before the gardens were removed. Houses were built on site. 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. After sustaining heavy damage during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
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 of land in Duddeston and the adjoining
Nechells Nechells () is a district ward in central Birmingham, England, whose population in 2011 was 33,957. It is also a ward (politics), ward within the Government of Birmingham, England#Districts, formal district of Ladywood. Nechells local government ...
prepared for redevelopment under the Housing Act of 1936. After World War II, the city council compulsorily purchased of land. This was the first redevelopment area proposed by Herbert Manzoni and was approved in 1950. The area was cleared and rebuilt in the 1950s and 1960s, erasing the nineteenth century structures. Four tower blocks, the first to be built in the city,
Bigger is Better? Local authority housing and the strange attraction of high-rise, 1945-70
', Phil Jones - Urban Morphology Research Group,
University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...
, 2002 (Accessed 28 April 2007)
and collectively known as the Duddeston Four, the 12-storey High, Queens, Home and South Towers, were all completed between 1954 and 1955. The design by SN Cooke and Partners consists of a stretched X-shaped footprint, with brick cladding on a steel-frame. Porthole-shaped windows overlook grassed areas. The design was expensive and upon their completion, they were criticised by the council over their cost, despite receiving positive reviews from the "''Municipal Journal''" and "''Architectural Review''". In the 1990s, the blocks were refurbished and a new security system was installed, while other multi-storey tower blocks in the area were demolished and replaced by low-rise housing, continuing the theme of low-rise housing in the area which began in the 1970s.


Notable people

* Samuel "John" Galton Jr. FRS, (1753–1832), was born in Duddeston. * William Amey VC MM, (1881–1940), recipient of the
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
in
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, was born in Duddeston. Reggae band, Musical Youth


Transport

Duddeston railway station is served by trains on the Cross-City Line and the Walsall Line.


References


Vauxhall Gardens history
{{coord, 52.4891, -1.8826, region:GB-BIR, , display=title Areas of Birmingham, West Midlands