street for forty years!

The old road surface and pavements were dug up and paving bricks laid in early in 1982 as part of a £160,000 scheme to make the High Street more attractive for pedestrians. By May, the surface was crumbling so further work was stopped whilst an investigation was carried out by the District Council and the supplier.

The official opening of the trafficfree area was attended by Miss United Kingdom Della Dolan who arrived in a vintage Rolls Royce accompanied by the Chairman of the Council Tom Dilkes and the Chief Executive George Badham.

During the morning Ms Dolan unveiled the ‘Dyrad and Boar’ statue created in fibreglass by Terry Simons using moulds used by the Bromsgrove Guild to create the original work. The statue originally stood outside the Post Office at 117 High Street. It moved to its present location at the junction of High Street and Church Street in 2014 during public realm works in the High Street and the Townscape Heritage Initiative Project. The Bromsgrove Society have supported the restoration project by the District Council and are working on new information boards to celebrate the Bromsgrove Guild and detail the history of the statue.

A collection of photos and history of High Street shops can be found on the Bromsgrove Society website at www.bsoc.co.uk and in the Society’s recent book Bromsgrove: The Story of a Market Town.