page_title: Bedworth
section_title: Features
hierarchical_section_title: Bedworth / Features
caption_attribution_description: Our favourite winter view of Bedworth water tower from behind the willow trees. If you look carefully you can see the donkey! Grade II Listed Water Tower - built 1898 to provide the people of Bedworth with clean drinking water.
context_page_description: Bedworth is a market town in the borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth, Warwickshire, England. It is situated between Coventry, 6 miles to the south, and Nuneaton, 3.5 miles to the north. In the 2011 census the town had a population of 30,438.
context_section_description: The most notable buildings in Bedworth are the Nicholas Chamberlaine Almshouses on All Saints' Square in the town centre, which are built in Tudor style and date from 1840, having been funded by a legacy from the local benefactor Nicholas Chamberlaine (1632–1715) through his will. The almshouses were restored in the 1980s, and are now Grade II* listed.
  The majority of the town centre was redeveloped in the 1960s and early-1970s, and has the typical architecture of that period. The town centre itself contains some of the usual high street retail names as well as many charity shops, card shops and banks.
  The main venue in Bedworth is the Bedworth Civic Hall which opened in 1973 and has an attached arts centre.
  South of the town centre is the Miners' Welfare Park, which opened in 1923, originally to provide a recreation space for miners and their families. Now managed by the local council it includes playing fields, sports facilities, footpaths and gardens.
  The former Bedworth water tower is probably the most noticeable landmark building in Bedworth; built in 1898 in the then fashionable Romanesque style, at approximately 45 metres (148 ft) high, it is visible from miles around and has been Grade II listed since 1987. It originally had a 60,000 gallon water tank, but became obsolete in 1988, when a new water mains was installed into Bedworth. The tower was home to a pair of peregrine falcons in 2006. In 2015 it was sold to be converted into six luxury apartments.
  Along Mill Street until recently were rows of former weavers' cottages which were once inhabited by Huguenot weavers. Some of these were still used as shops, although most had become derelict. They have been demolished as part of the redevelopment of Tesco.
  Domestic appliance insurer Domestic & General has offices in the town centre and provides substantial employment for the community.
  Several years ago Bedworth Kwik Save (a 1960s steel reinforced concrete building with roof parking, known locally as the Hypermarket – the original name), was redeveloped into a new Aldi store. Next to it is a Home Bargains store. Tesco was in a similar type of building to Kwik Save, but in a brick-faced and arched windowed 1970s style, closed in January 2011, and was redeveloped into a steel-framed Tesco Xtra store. Parking is at ground level, the store is on the first floor, with delivery access up a ramp to the first floor. It opened on 5 December 2011.
  Bedworth has many pubs and working men's clubs: among others, the Bear and Ragged Staff, the White Horse, the Miners Arms, the Mount Pleasant, the Black Horse, the Black Bank, Saunders Hall, Collycroft Working Men's Club, Bedworth Liberal Club, Bedworth Conservative Club, the Griffin Inn, the Newdigate Arms, the Cross Keys, the Royal Oak, the Prince of Wales, JB's and Littleworks (reopened as Jack's Entertainment Club). Several others have closed.
  Bedworth also has a skate park built in the Miners' Welfare Park in 2001 after campaigning by local youngsters. Previously, most youngsters would skate in the town centre, or in the market area, much to the annoyance of residents and the local police.
  A new play area, on the site of the previous aviary and paddling pool near the cricket ground within the park, was dedicated in June 2012 to Sergeant Simon 'Val' Valentine. He was born and brought up in Bedworth, a soldier of 2nd battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers who died in August 2009 while serving his country in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The town centre was closed and thousands of townspeople paid their respects at Sergeant Valentine's funeral in 2009.
caption: Bedworth Water Tower
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