Kidderminster

Kidderminster is a Primary Destination in the north west of Worcestershire.

History

Kidderminster in 1924

Inner Ring Road

Stage 1 – St. Mary’s Ringway and St. George’s Ringway

The section between Mill Street and Coventry Street was opened on 12 May 1967 by Sir Tatton Brinton, MP for Kidderminster. Undercarriageway electrical heating was installed on the gradients to keep them clear of snow and ice in winter. Cost £435,000.

Stage 2 – Worcester Cross Ringway

The section between Coventry Street and Comberton Hill was opened on 15 June 1970. It ran through one of the most densely populated areas of the town centre and involved the demolition of tightly packed 19th Century cottages. Of the £814,000 forecast cost, £400,000 was for land purchase and compensation. The local playhouse was demolished and Kidderminster amateur theatre group won their compensation claim case at the Lands Tribunal for the present day cost of building a new theatre of £167,000.

Stage 3 – Constitution Hill Ringway

The section between Comberton Hill and Worcester Road was opened on 17 August 1973 by Keith Speed, Parliamentary Under-secretary at Department of Environment. Contractor was Wrekin Construction Ltd., cost £1.7 million. It included a 320m sculptoral concrete retaining wall designed by the sculptor William Mitchell, which is visible from the town. The water cascade which ran dry and was switched off in 1986 was restored and opened again in March 2021 as a memorial to those who died during the Covid pandemic.

Hoobrook Link Road

Silverwood Way opened to the public on 19 February 2016. The official opening was on 17 February 2016 by Mark Garnier MP. Cost was £16 million. It connected A451 Stourport Road to A442 Worcester Road and the South Worcestershire Enterprise Park. It included a bridge across the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal and the River Stour. It was initially unclassified but then numbered A4420.

Routes

Several routes radiate from Kidderminster.

Route	To	Notes
A442	Telford
A448	Bromsgrove
A449	Worcester (M5)
A449	Wolverhampton
A456	Birmingham
A456	Leominster
A451	Stourbridge
A451	Stourport
A442	Worcester	now part of A449
A4040	Wolverhampton	now part of A449
A4041	Wolverhampton, Worcester	now part of A449
B4188	Belbroughton
B4189	Wolverley
B4190	Wolverley
B4549	Sutton Park Road