Bedworth town centre
Bedworth Town Centre was redesigned in the 1970s. It is now a traffic-free zone, with a mix of national chain stores such as Home Bargains, Peacocks and Costa Coffee together with large Tesco and Aldi stores.
Bedworth has a permanent covered market trading Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, selling a variety of goods - from tools and vacuums to collectables and memorabilia, to haberdashery, pet supplies, handmade gifts and fresh fruit and veg. It also contains a cafe with seating area.
On Tuesday and Friday, an outside market takes place in All Saints Square.
Brief history
Originally a small market town with Saxon origins, Bedworth developed into an industrial town in the 18th and 19th centuries, due largely to coal mining and the overspill of ribbon weaving and textile industries from nearby Coventry. The opening of the Coventry Canal in 1769 and later, the railway in 1850 enhanced the town’s growth. Bedworth was for many years primarily a coal mining town, but the last colliery was closed in 1994. In the middle of the 19th century, the large number of public houses, and thirsty miners lead to the town being called ‘Black Bedworth’.
Due to its good transport links, and proximity to major cities such as Coventry, Birmingham and Leicester, Bedworth is now growing rapidly as a dormitory town.
The most notable building 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.