Fordbridge

Civil Parish in Warwickshire Solihull

England

Fordbridge

Sandra Croft off Auckland Drive, Castle Bromwich Credit: Ian S

Fordbridge is a civil parish located in Warwickshire, England. It is situated on the outskirts of the town of Warwick, approximately 2 miles northwest of its center. The parish covers an area of about 3 square miles and is bordered by the River Avon to the south.

The area is primarily residential, with a mix of housing types ranging from modern developments to traditional cottages. The population of Fordbridge is relatively small, with around 1,000 residents according to the latest census data.

The landscape of Fordbridge is characterized by its rural charm, with open fields and green spaces surrounding the parish. There are several footpaths and bridleways that provide opportunities for outdoor activities such as walking and cycling.

The parish is well-connected in terms of transportation, with easy access to major roads including the A46 and A4177. Warwick Parkway railway station is also nearby, offering direct train services to Birmingham, London, and other major cities.

Fordbridge is home to a few local amenities, including a primary school, a village hall, and a pub. Residents also benefit from the proximity to Warwick, which offers a wider range of services and amenities including shops, restaurants, and leisure facilities.

Overall, Fordbridge is a quiet and picturesque civil parish that offers a rural lifestyle while still being conveniently located near larger towns and transportation links.

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Fordbridge Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 52.482269/-1.746813 or Grid Reference SP1787. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Sandra Croft off Auckland Drive, Castle Bromwich

Ian S

The Centurion public house

On Forth Drive, Fordbridge.

Ian S

The Centurion public house

On Forth Drive, Fordbridge.

Ian S

Hedgetree Croft off Chelmsley Road, Chelmsley Wood

Ian S

Frensham Close off Chelmsley Road, Chelmsley Wood

Ian S

Picton Croft off Dunster Road, Chelmsley Wood

Ian S

Peacock Butterfly at Sheldon Hall School

Aglais io, the peacock butterfly, with its distinctive four eyespots, is seen here on the site of the former Sheldon Hall School in Tile Cross.

A J Paxton

Marston Green station looking towards Birmingham

Roy Hughes

Marston Green station

Roy Hughes

Reflections in the Lake

Shard End Lake from beside Pithall Road

Michael Westley

Gateway into Sheldon Country Park

The park around the northern area of the airport is popular with plane spotters and families; this is one of the paths leading into the country park.

Richard Law

A Brutalist Pilgrimage

Admirers of Modernist architecture have come to see Our Lady Help of Christians, a Catholic church in Kitts Green, Birmingham, that was completed in 1967 to designs by Richard Gilbert Scott, of the famous Scott dynasty of architects. The tour was led by members of Brutiful Birmingham, which defends and promotes the city's much-maligned Modernist and Brutalist architecture. On Brutiful Birmingham see Joe Holyoak at Building Design Link

A J Paxton

Our Lady Help of Christians, Kitts Green

This is a Catholic church built in 1966-7 to designs by Richard Gilbert Scott of Giles Scott, Son and Partners. The building is T-shaped in plan; each arm of the T is roofed with an upward-sweeping curve of reinforced concrete with serrated ribbed trusses. The roof is of felt coated with copper. A pair of side chapels nestle in the corners of the T, each with a bell-shaped roof; the Lady Chapel can be seen here. The church is Grade II* listed: see the listing at Historic England Link

and the entry at the Gilbert Scott Dynasty site Link

A J Paxton

Our Lady Help of Christians with Baptistery, Kitts Green

This is a view of the church from the southeast (liturgically north), showing one of its sweeps of zigzag copper-coated concrete roofing and the bell-shaped lantern of the baptistery. The architect, Richard Gilbert Scott, achieved astonishing results on a tight budget and at a time of experimentation and uncertainty - but also opportunity - in Catholic church design following the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and its reforms. The building is Grade II* listed - see the listing at the Historic England site Link

A J Paxton

Altar, Our Lady Help of Christians, Kitts Green

The altar stands on marble steps under the crossing of this T-shaped Catholic church, below the high ceiling where the three upward-sweeping vaults of reinforced concrete meet. The architect, Richard Gilbert Scott, was responding to the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, which emphasised the participation of the whole people of God in worship. The altar no longer stood against the east wall of the church but was brought forward, with the priest facing the congregation while celebrating mass, not away from them as had been the case before Vatican II. This church, completed in 1967, embodied the new arrangements from the start. The stained glass in the clerestory is by John Chrestien. See the listing (it is a Grade II* listed building) at the Historic England site Link

A J Paxton

North transept, Our Lady Help of Christians, Kitts Green

The vault of ribbed reinforced concrete soars upward like the concave side of a tent. The stained glass is by John Chrestien, an artist so obscure that a Google search brings up results relating mostly to this church and another nearby, St Thomas More in Sheldon, also designed by Richard Gilbert Scott and also with glass by his friend Chrestien, who studied in Paris and lived in India, according to the listing for this church at the Historic England site Link

. The windows and doors under the zigzag ceiling are for confessionals; the doors have diagonal timbers of a design seen elsewhere in this building. The transept is north, liturgically speaking, but actually points more towards the east.

A J Paxton

Interior of Church of Our Lady Help of Christians, Kitts Green

This is a view from the south transept across the sanctuary towards the north transept, with the nave off to the left - if such traditional terms make any sense here. The three arms of this T-shaped church have equal status really, and were intended by the architect, Richard Gilbert Scott, to bring all worshippers close to the altar. The church was completed in 1967 and embodies the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, which had ended two years previously. The three concave vaults of reinforced concrete resemble the sides of a tent, suggesting perhaps the People of God on the move, on pilgrimage in a time of great change within the Catholic Church and without. See the listing at the Historic England site Link

A J Paxton

Baptistery, Our Lady Help of Christians, Kitts Green

The architect, Richard Gilbert Scott, designed a pair of octagonal structures to fit into the corners of this T-shaped church: the Lady Chapel and this Baptistery, with a font in the form of an inverted truncated cone. The stained glass is by Scott's friend John Chrestien and depicts a fish, an ancient symbol of the Christian faith, and a more abstract design above it, suggesting the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, as it appeared above Jesus as he was baptised in the River Jordan by John the Baptist according to the Gospels. See the Grade II* listing of this church at the Historic England site Link

A J Paxton

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Fordbridge is located at Grid Ref: SP1787 (Lat: 52.482269, Lng: -1.746813)

Administrative County: West Midlands

District: Solihull

Police Authority: West Midlands