88-446: William Brinton (20 November 1823 – 17 January 1867) was an English physician. He was born at Kidderminster , where his father was a carpet manufacturer. After education at private schools and as apprentice to a Kidderminster surgeon he matriculated at London University in 1843, and began medical studies at King's College, London . He won several prizes, and graduated M.B. from London University in 1847, M.D. in 1848. In 1849 he became
176-575: A twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of international links between municipalities akin to what are known as sister cities or twin towns today dating back to the 9th century, the modern concept was first established and adopted worldwide during World War II . Throughout history, many cities have participated in various cultural exchanges and similar activities that might resemble
264-569: A "parcel of land of ten hides" to Cyneberht. This developed as the settlement of Stour-in-Usmere, which was later the subject of a territorial dispute settled by Offa of Mercia in 781, when he restored certain rights to Bishop Heathored . This allowed for the founding of a monastery or minstre in the area. The earliest written form of the name Kidderminster was first documented in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Chideminstre , meaning 'Cydda or Cydela's minster or monastery'. It
352-483: A "similar attitude towards food," whereas Chicago 's link with Warsaw , Poland began with Chicago's historic Polish community . The twinning of Indianapolis with Monza , Italy, is due to both cities' long association with auto racing . A twin towns program was instituted in the United States in 1956 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed a citizen diplomacy initiative. Sister Cities International (SCI)
440-512: A "tuning" partnership based on a shared musical heritage and culture offer, at the initiative of Bristol Mayor George Ferguson . Annecy , France and Nerima , Tokyo have for several years shared a partnership based on their "co-existent animation industry". Toledo, United States twinned with Toledo, Spain in 1931, and was the first city in North America to engage in town twinning. Vancouver, Canada twinned with Odesa, Ukraine in 1944,
528-528: A common etymology . These similarities usually arise from sharing the same or related language or having been a colony or previously conquered. The twinning of towns and cities is sometimes done for political purposes. The Hungarian city Gyöngyös was twinned with the Azerbaijani city of Shusha in 2013, signing the twinning agreement with representatives from the Azerbaijani government; Hungary recognised Shusha as de jure part of Azerbaijan , even though it
616-559: A factory in the Republic of Karelia in Russia and offered the same profit-sharing plan to its Russian employees. China's sister city relationships are managed by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries , a united front organization. Sister city initiatives are an increasingly widespread mechanism for Chinese public diplomacy . From the early 2000s until 2024,
704-499: A gift of timber from his native country for use in the new Civic Theatre, which when finished was named Belgrade Theatre . The purpose of twinnings was then expanded to encourage trade and tourism or to reflect other links, such as towns sharing the same name or migration links. By the 2000s, town twinning became increasingly used to form strategic international business links among member cities, and may include localities of any scope such as villages, prefectures, or countries. In
792-401: A hierarchical relationship. In the 2010s, Tokyo began to actively promote 'city diplomacy' with other global cities at the initiative of governor Yoichi Masuzoe . Relationships between communities can also arise because of shared names; they may be named after one community (as in the case of Córdoba ), they may share names (as in the case of Santiago de Compostela ), or their names may have
880-600: A link that still exists. Since 9 April 1956 Rome and Paris have been exclusively and reciprocally twinned with each other, following the motto: "Only Paris is worthy of Rome; only Rome is worthy of Paris." Within Europe, town twinning is supported by the European Union. The support scheme was established in 1989. In 2003 an annual budget of about € 12 million was allocated to about 1,300 projects. The Council of European Municipalities and Regions also works closely with
968-671: A member of the College of Physicians , and in 1854 a fellow. After holding some minor appointments at his own medical school he was elected lecturer on forensic medicine at St. Thomas's Hospital . He early acquired a considerable practic, became physician to St. Thomas's Hospital, and in addition to his other lectureship was made lecturer on physiology there. He married in 1854 Mary Danvers, daughter of Frederick Danvers of London, and lived in Brook Street, Grosvenor Square, and his practice steadily increased. Intestinal obstruction and diseases of
SECTION 10
#17330851115751056-543: A sister-city or twin-city relationship, but the first officially documented case of such a relationship was a signed agreement between the leaders of the cities of Toledo, Ohio and Toledo, Spain in 1931. However, the modern concept of town twinning appeared during the Second World War. More specifically, it was inspired by the bombing of Coventry on 14 November 1940, known as the Coventry Blitz . First conceived by
1144-409: A sort of international relations that works in parallel to the conventional system involving embassies, ambassadors, and treaties negotiated at the level of nation states . According to Rodrigo Tavares , the earliest formal attempts to establish city diplomacy across national boundaries took place in the 19th century. Only a handful of cities were involved in the 19th-century efforts; it was not until
1232-630: A state-funded free school in 2014. Kidderminster College is located in Market Street in the town centre, having moved from older premises in Hoo Road in 2003. Other local secondary schools include The Stourport High School & VIth Form Centre and The Bewdley School . Kidderminster CC is a local cricket club at whose home ground of Chester Road North Ground Worcestershire County Cricket Club play occasional County Championship and county 2nd XI games. Formed in 1886, Kidderminster Harriers F.C.
1320-537: A twin town. Twinned towns are often chosen because of similarities between them; thus about 15 towns in Wales are twinned with towns in Brittany , and Oxford is with Bonn , Leiden , Grenoble and other university cities. In Italy, two sets of twins are Rovigo with Viernheim , and Bedford with Tulcea . Many former West German cities are twinned with former East German cities; these twinning links were established before
1408-568: A women's team and a junior team. Located in Kidderminster is the Severn Valley Railway a heritage railway . The Museum of Carpet , opened in 2012, showcases the town's contribution to the carpet industry. Brinton Park is an urban park to the south of the town centre, comprising 30 acres (12 ha) of land donated by John Brinton in the 1880s. Another green space is Wilden Marsh , a nature reserve covering 94 acres (38 ha) to
1496-542: Is a grade I listed building dating mostly from the 15th and 16th centuries. Another notable church is St John's Church , which is grade II listed, and dates from 1843. Other listed buildings of note in the town include the Town Hall of 1877. The Shrubbery , a 19th-century mansion, and the Kidderminster Register Office . Many of Kidderminster's historic buildings were lost from the 1960s onwards, this led to
1584-594: Is a market town and civil parish in Worcestershire , England, 20 miles (32 km) south-west of Birmingham and 12 miles (19 km) north of Worcester . Located north of the River Stour and east of the River Severn , in the 2021 census , it had a population of 57,400. The town is twinned with Husum, Germany . Situated in the far north of Worcestershire (and with its northern suburbs only 3 and 4 miles from
1672-509: Is a local rugby union club, currently playing at level 7 in Counties 1 Midlands West (North) at First XV Level and Counties 4 Midlands West (South) at 2nd XV level. Regularly putting out three senior teams including veterans, the club also has a thriving Colts (U18s) age group, a developing women's team since 2021, and a large minis and juniors section. Kidderminster Hockey club was founded in 1892 and in 2010 there were five men's hockey teams,
1760-415: Is in a separate smaller painting (above its main one) showing a beech tree, intended as a symbol of prosperity and from which Carshalton Beeches in the borough derives its name. Another example of the use of public art is the wall sculpture of the partner cities of Munich , Germany. A recent study has concluded that geographical distance has very little, if any, influence upon communities' selections of
1848-580: Is the town's professional football club. Local rivals of the Harriers were traditionally Worcester City and Bromsgrove Rovers , and in recent years also Cheltenham Town and Hereford United . As of 2023 Cheltenham are in League One , two divisions above Kidderminster, with Hereford being the division below Kidderminster. In 2005 the Harriers were relegated to the Conference Premier after five years in
SECTION 20
#17330851115751936-447: Is twinned with Dorval, Quebec ; Huai'an, China , and Neyagawa, Osaka , Japan. Town twinning begins for a variety of reasons. Generally, partner towns have similar demographics and size. They may arise from business connections, travel, similar industries, diaspora communities, or shared history. For example, the partnership between Portland, Oregon and Bologna , Italy arose from shared industries in biotechnology and education, and
2024-464: The 2001 United Kingdom general election , the town returned Dr Richard Taylor as an independent MP for the Wyre Forest parliamentary constituency. Taylor had fought the election to protest against the proposed reduction in services at Kidderminster Hospital . He held his seat at the 2005 election , the first independent MP to do so since 1949. Mark Garnier has held the seat of Wyre Forest since
2112-703: The 2010 election increasing his majority each time. At the 2011 census there were 55,530 residents in Kidderminster in 24,869 households, the median age of Kidderminster residents was 41. Kidderminster's population at the 2011 census was predominantly White (96.8%). The largest non-white groups were Asian at 1.7%, and mixed race at 1.2%. 67% of Kidderminster residents identified as Christian , with 24.7% stating they had no religion , and 6.6% not stating any religion. The largest non-Christian group were Muslims at 0.8%, followed by Buddhists at 0.2% and Hindus and Sikhs at 0.1% each, with others at 0.4%. Kidderminster's parish church of St Mary and All Saints'
2200-507: The Conservatives lost their majority and the council was taken over by a 'Progressive Alliance' formed of independents and councillors from other parties. However, in May 2022 Health Concern announced they would not be standing at the next election, instead favouring a unified independent offering. At the following election in 2023 the Conservatives regained majority control after a collapse in
2288-574: The Football League Two division. They had reached the Football League as Conference champions in 2000, and are Worcestershire's only representative in the league. They had won the title in 1994 but were denied promotion then as their stadium did not meet Football League capacity requirements. That same year they eliminated Birmingham City from the FA Cup ; they eventually reached the fifth round of
2376-683: The Kidderminster Standard . Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central . Television signals are received from the Sutton Coldfield and local relay transmitters. The Wyre was the town's first local commercial radio station; it began broadcasting on 12 September 2005 from studios in Kidderminster. Other radio stations providing local coverage are Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire , Sunshine Radio and BBC Hereford & Worcester . The Wyre ceased broadcasting in 2012, and Signal 107
2464-596: The Staffordshire and Shropshire borders respectively), the town is the main administration centre for the wider Wyre Forest District , which includes the towns of Stourport-on-Severn and Bewdley , along with other outlying settlements. The land around Kidderminster may have been first populated by the Husmerae , an Anglo-Saxon tribe first mentioned in the Ismere Diploma , a document in which Ethelbald of Mercia granted
2552-684: The World Economic Forum . In addition to C40, other organisations facilitating city diplomacy include the World Cities Summit , City Mayors Foundation , the Smart City Expo World Congress , the Strong City Network and 100 Resilient Cities. As of 2016, there were over 125 such multilateral networks and forums to facilitate international collaboration between different municipal authorities. A Bill introduced in
2640-563: The 1990s, when the Nottingham City Council in the UK considered installing a tram network, it consulted experts from its twin city of Karlsruhe , which has one of the most extensive and efficient tram networks in Germany. With assistance from Karlsruhe's specialist engineers, Nottingham completed its second tram line in 2013. In 2014, Bristol and New Orleans announced their intention to form
2728-521: The 2019 session of the US Congress would have legislated for a City and State Diplomacy Act to create a new Office of Subnational Diplomacy at the Department of State . H.R.3571 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): City and State Diplomacy Act. Recently, the field of city diplomacy has taken a step beyond city-to-city exchanges to target the facilitation of dialogue between cities and multilateral organs, such as
William Brinton - Misplaced Pages Continue
2816-488: The 2021–2022 season led to the Harriers facing Premier League side West Ham in, as they had done in 1994. The affair ended in a 1–2 defeat, yet the game led to major economic benefit for the club, with TV money and ticket sales generating large amounts of income. Harriers further went into the Play-Offs that same season, but were eliminated in their first game to Boston United . In the 2022–2023 season, Kidderminster again reached
2904-600: The A456 at the Land Oak; and the A448 road which starts in the town and goes to Studley in Warwickshire , via Bromsgrove and Redditch . A major change in the town centre road infrastructure was the construction of the ring road in the 1970s and 1980s. This relieved the town's growing congestion but diverted traffic outside the centre, drawing off customers for businesses. The final phase of
2992-502: The Dutch city was still occupied by the German Army in the final months of the war, and children from each city took part in exchanges in 1945 and 1946. Similarly, in 1947, Bristol Corporation (later Bristol City Council) sent five "leading citizens" on a goodwill mission to Hanover . Reading in 1947 was the first British town to form links with a former "enemy" city – Düsseldorf ,
3080-576: The French town; formal twinning charters were not exchanged until 1986. The practice was continued after the Second World War as a way to promote mutual understanding and cross-border projects of mutual benefit. For example, Coventry twinned with Stalingrad and later with Dresden as an act of peace and reconciliation, all three cities having been heavily bombed during the war. The city of Bath formed an " Alkmaar Adoption committee" in March 1945, when
3168-622: The Netherlands, the term is jumelage , partnerstad or stedenband ("city bond" when providing mutual support). In Greece, the word αδελφοποίηση ( adelphopiisi – fraternisation) has been adopted. In Iceland, the terms vinabæir (friend towns) and vinaborgir (friend cities) are used. In the former Soviet Bloc , "twin towns" and "twin cities" were used, and in Russian, they use города-побратимы (sworn brother cities). The Americas, South Asia, and Australasia use
3256-456: The Play-Offs, achieving the feat on the last game of the season after an excellent late run of league form. Harriers beat Alfreton , Kings Lynn and finally Brackley in the Play-Offs and regained promotion to the National League . The Kidderminster & District League has operated since 1984 and draws teams from Worcestershire and South Staffordshire . Kidderminster Carolians RFC
3344-828: The Royal Society a paper, 'Contributions to the Physiology of the Alimentary Canal.' He published a series of 'clinical remarks' in The Lancet . In 1857 he published the Pathology, Symptoms, and Treatment of Ulcer of the Stomach , the first complete treatise on that subject which had appeared in England, and in 1859 he brought out 'Lectures on the Diseases of the Stomach,' of which a second edition
3432-618: The Royal Society. After his death a treatise on 'Intestinal Obstruction,' based on his Croonian lectures, was edited by his friend Dr. Buzzard. In all his books assertions rest on a basis of observation. A memoir of Brinton by Dr. Thomas Buzzard appeared in the Lancet for 26 January 1867, and was reprinted. [REDACTED] This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : " Brinton, William ". Dictionary of National Biography . London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. Kidderminster Kidderminster
3520-566: The Scottish village of Dull and the US town of Boring, Oregon , agreed to twin their municipalities to promote tourism in both places, playing on their names. Recently some towns have made novelty twinning arrangements with fictional or virtual locations. Wincanton , England is partnered with Ankh-Morpork from Terry Pratchett 's Discworld books . Town twinning has increasingly been used to form strategic international business links. For example, in
3608-540: The US). In Japan, the international city relations may be split into multiple terms, such as Sister Cities, Friendship Cooperation Cities, Business Partner Cities (BPC), Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Sister Ports / Friendship Ports, etc. China mostly uses the term "friendship cooperation cities" rather than "sister cities", as the Chinese words for sisters, "姐妹" (reading: jiěmèi, literally elder sister and younger sister), could imply
William Brinton - Misplaced Pages Continue
3696-515: The United Kingdom, the term "twin towns" is most commonly used; the term "sister cities" is generally used for agreements with towns and cities in the Americas. In mainland Europe, the most commonly used terms are "twin towns", "partnership towns", "partner towns", and "friendship towns". The European Commission uses the term "twinned towns" and refers to the process as "town twinning". Spain uses
3784-813: The United Nations. Not only cities and towns, but also provinces, states, territories, and regions enter into twinning agreements. For example, the Canadian province of Alberta has "sister province" agreements with Gangwon, South Korea (since 1974), Hokkaido, Japan (since 1980), Heilongjiang, China (1981), Jalisco, Mexico (1999), Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine (2004), Lviv, Ukraine (2005), Guangdong, China (2017), and California, United States (2018), as well as policy-oriented (as opposed to economic and cultural) agreements with Nevada, United States (since 2013), Missouri, United States (2015), and Texas, United States (2018). The earliest known town twinning in Europe
3872-779: The alimentary canal in general were subjects to which he had paid special attention, and on which he was often consulted. His Croonian lectures at the College of Physicians in 1859 were on intestinal obstruction. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1864. His vacations were often spent in the Tyrol, where he was an active member of the Alpine Club. Two papers by him appear in 'Peaks, Passes, and Glaciers' (series ii. vol. i.) In 1863 Brinton had symptoms of renal disease , and he died on 17 January 1867. He left six children, and one of his sons graduated in medicine at Cambridge. In 1848 he sent to
3960-466: The architectural interest in a town otherwise uncommonly lacking in visual pleasures." Two railway stations in the town share the same approach road and are located less than fifty metres apart. The main National Rail station, operated by West Midlands Trains , is Kidderminster , from where trains run to Birmingham , Worcester and London. The other station, Kidderminster Town , is the terminus of
4048-491: The benefits of skilled artisans, merchants and manufacturers to Britain. They contributed to a preexisting but basic cloth weaving industry in towns and cities throughout England, in some cases establishing new businesses. In Worcestershire, the Huguenots established themselves at Worcester, Evesham , Droitwich and Kidderminster. In the early 18th century, carpet weaving was introduced to Kidderminster, and this rapidly became
4136-470: The commission (DG Education and Culture) to promote modern, high quality twinning initiatives and exchanges that involve all sections of the community. It has launched a website dedicated to town twinning. As of 1995, the European Union had more than 7,000 bilateral relationships involving almost 10,000 European municipalities, primarily French (2837 twinnings) and German (2485 twinnings). Public art has been used to celebrate twin town links, for instance in
4224-574: The competition (just missing the quarter-finals), where they hosted Premier League side West Ham United , narrowly losing 0–1. Prior to Lincoln City's run in the competition in 2017, Harriers were the last non-league side to reach round five of the FA Cup. Harriers were relegated to the National League North in 2016. In recent years, Kidderminster have seen some success under manager and former Harriers player Russell Penn . A strong FA Cup run in
4312-512: The creation of the Kidderminster Civic Society in 1993 to promote preservation of the town's heritage. There are some former factory buildings of note in Kidderminster, which have mostly been converted to other uses. A notable one is the former Slingfield Mill, dating from 1864 to 1870, which is grade II listed, and has been converted for retail use. In the 1968 Buildings of England volume on Worcestershire, Pevsner described
4400-532: The early development of the cloth industry, which was aided by its position upon the River Stour, and its location at the confluence of four main roads to Birmingham , Dudley , Worcester , Bewdley and Bridgnorth . In a visit to the town sometime around 1540, King's Antiquary John Leland noted that Kidderminster "standeth most by clothing". Over the following centuries the town specialised in textile trades such as weaving, fulling, cloth working and milling, and
4488-464: The fall of the Iron Curtain . Famous examples are the partnerships of Hanover and Leipzig , both of which have important trade fair grounds , or between Hamburg and Dresden. The first US-German town twinning was in 1947 between Worthington, Minnesota and Crailsheim . St Petersburg in Russia holds the record for the largest number of partnership arrangements with other communities. In June 2012,
SECTION 50
#17330851115754576-459: The form of seven mural paintings in the centre of the town of Sutton , Greater London. The five main paintings show a number of the main features of the London Borough of Sutton and its four twin towns, along with the heraldic shield of each above the other images. Each painting also features a plant as a visual representation of its town's environmental awareness . In the case of Sutton this
4664-553: The genocide in 2016, some twin agreements such as Edirne – Haskovo were terminated by Turkey. China manages sister city relationships through the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC). In April 2019, CPAFFC president Li Xiaolin said, “Friendship city relations have become one of the important channels to implement the Belt and Road Initiative .” In January 2020, Shanghai canceled its sister city relationship with Prague after Prague's mayor signed
4752-460: The independent and former Health Concern vote, one of only two council gains nationally. The area (initially as Kidderminster , then after 1983 as the Wyre Forest constituency ) has been represented by Conservative Members of Parliament (MPs) Gerald Nabarro 1950–1964, Tatton Brinton 1964–1974, Esmond Bulmer 1974–1987, Anthony Coombs 1987–1997, and Labour MP David Lock 1997–2001. In
4840-569: The number of China's sister city relationships doubled. More than one-third of Chinese sister city relationships are with sister cities in the east Asia Pacific region. Town twinning is supported in Japan by the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations , a joint agency of local governments established by the Japanese government in 1988 (similar to Sister Cities International , its counterpart in
4928-650: The preserved Heritage Railway line, Severn Valley Railway , from where trains run to Bridgnorth . Several major routes run through the town, including the A456 which runs from Birmingham to just south of Woofferton , Shropshire ; the A451 which runs from Stourbridge to Abberley ; the A442 which runs from Droitwich to Hodnet , Shropshire, a few miles north of Telford ; the A449 which runs from Newport in south Wales to Stafford and crosses
5016-592: The ring road was never completed, which results in the town having a ring road that does not form a complete ring. The nearest motorway is the M5 , which signs Kidderminster from junction 3 ( Halesowen ) with the A456, and junction 6 (Worcester North) with the A449. The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal passes through the town. There are direct bus links with towns including Worcester , Halesowen , Bewdley , Stourport , Bridgnorth , Bromsgrove and Redditch . The majority of
5104-610: The services in Kidderminster are operated by Diamond West Midlands (previously First Midland Red ) while the rest is operated by Select Bus Services (297), Finesse and Yarranton Brothers. Services 291 and 292 were operated by R & B Travel prior to the company surrendering its licence in January 2020. Services 15A/C, S15, 294, 580 and 133were operated by Coniston Coaches prior to surrendering its licence in October 2020. 15A/C, S15 & 294 were passed onto Astons until 2021 and 2022. Service 297
5192-446: The south of Kidderminster. Places of interest near Kidderminster include the West Midlands Safari Park to the west of Kidderminster towards Bewdley . A few miles south of the town is Hartlebury Castle , which houses the Worcestershire County Museum . A few miles north are the Drakelow Tunnels , a former underground military complex, which has an attached museum. The local newspapers covering Kidderminster are The Shuttle . and
5280-402: The staple trade of the town. Its growth was aided by the opening of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal in 1771, and later the arrival of the railway to the town in 1852. The carpet industry went into decline in the 1970s, but still continues on a reduced scale. Poor trade conditions in 1828, when 2,000 looms were not working for an 18-week period, led to riots where £3,000 of damage
5368-446: The stomach". Brinton published many papers in the medical periodicals of his time. He translated Gabriel Valentin 's 'Text Book of Physiology' from the German in 1853; wrote a short treatise 'On the Medical Selection of Lives for Assurance' in 1856, and in 1861 'On Food and its Digestion, being an Introduction to Dietetics,' besides six articles in Robert Bentley Todd 's Cyclopædia of Anatomy and Physiology , and some papers read before
SECTION 60
#17330851115755456-408: The subsequent Mayor Emily Smith – had their names embroidered on a tablecloth along with the words "Little help is better than a lot of pity" and sent it, along with money (each donated six pence), to the people of Stalingrad. The tablecloth can now be seen at the Panorama Museum of the Battle of Stalingrad. The twinning between Coventry and Stalingrad was formalized in 1944 and, after the end of
5544-419: The term "ciudades hermanadas", which means "sister cities". Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic each use Partnerstadt (German), miasto partnerskie (Polish) and partnerské město (Czech), which translate as "partner town" or "partner city". France uses ville jumelée (jumelage, twinned town or city), and Italy has gemellaggio (twinning) and comune gemellato (twinned municipality). In
5632-411: The term "sister cities" or "twin cities". In China, the term is 友好城市 (yǒuhǎo chéngshì – friendly cities). Sometimes, other government bodies enter into a twinning relationship, such as the agreement between the provinces of Hainan in China and Jeju in South Korea. The Douzelage is a town twinning association with one town from each of the member states of the European Union. Though
5720-454: The term is often used interchangeably with the term "friendship city", this may mean a relationship with a more limited scope in comparison to a sister city relationship, and friendship city relationships are mayor-to-mayor agreements. City diplomacy is a form of paradiplomacy that involves discussions between officials and residents of different cities. Often these cities will be located in different countries. As such, city diplomacy involves
5808-431: The then Mayor of Coventry , Alfred Robert Grindlay , culminating in his renowned telegram to the people of Stalingrad (now Volgograd ) in 1942, the idea emerged as a way of establishing solidarity links between cities in allied countries that went through similar devastating events. The comradeship between the two cities continued, when again in response to the Battle of Stalingrad , 830 women in Coventry – led by
5896-428: The town as: "uncommonly devoid of visual pleasure and architectural interest." Crown House, an early 1970s office block was particularly criticised, and was once rated among the top 10 ugliest buildings in Britain. Demolition was completed in April 2020, improving the Kidderminster skyline. In the 2007 revision of this volume, Alan Brooks wrote: "the 19th century mill buildings, together with the churches, provide most of
5984-444: The town. In 1670–1 Kidderminster's cloth industry obtained a guild by act of parliament and by 1677, the town had as many as 459 weavers and perhaps 3,000 spinners. Following King Louis XIV 's revocation of the Edict of Nantes in October 1685 and the subsequent renewed persecution of French Protestants in France, many Huguenots emigrated to Britain. The immigration and settlement of waves of industrious Huguenots brought
6072-418: The turn of the millennium that it became much more common. The first priority of those carrying out city diplomacy typically overlaps with the core aims of municipal government – improving the lives of local residents. Yet they will often collaborate with peers in other cities to work on issues of planet-wide concern, such as efforts to address climate change . The phrase "city diplomacy" is formally used in
6160-412: The two faces, and was popular from the 18th to early 20th centuries. By 1951 there were over thirty carpet manufacturers in the town, including, for example, Quayle & Tranter (now defunct). They commissioned such notable artists as George Bain to create their traditional Celtic designs. Aided by a 2004 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund , a museum dedicated to the Kidderminster carpet industry
6248-407: The war, similar links were established to foster friendship and understanding among former foes as an act of peace and reconciliation, with new twinnings between Coventry and German cities: Kiel as early as in 1947 and Dresden in 1956. In 1957, Coventry was officially twinned with Belgrade, even though the link actually dates back to 1953 when then Yugoslav Ambassador visited Coventry and offered
6336-792: The workings of the United Cities and Local Governments and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group , and is recognised by the USC Center on Public Diplomacy . A March 2014 debate in the British House of Lords acknowledged the evolution of town twinning into city diplomacy, particularly in matters of trade and tourism, but also in culture and post-conflict reconciliation. The importance of cities developing "their own foreign economic policies on trade, foreign investment, tourism and attracting foreign talent" has also been highlighted by
6424-540: Was St George's Church , on Radford Avenue. This was designed by Francis Goodwin and built in 1821–1824, finally being consecrated in April 1824. Its grant of just over £17,000.00, was the third-largest given by the commission to any church outside London. The second church was St John's Church , on the Bewdley Road. This was built in 1843 and the architect was Matthew Steele ; its grant was just over £4,000. The Shrubbery
6512-455: Was a large manor held by William the Conqueror , with 16 outlying settlements (Bristitune, Fastochesfeld, Franche, Habberley, Hurcott, Mitton, Oldington, Ribbesford, Sudwale, Sutton, Teulesberge, Trimpley, Wannerton and Wribbenhall). Various spellings were in use – Kedeleministre or Kideministre (in the 12th and 13th centuries), Kyderemunstre (13th–15th centuries) – until the name of the town
6600-564: Was also home to numerous other trades including shoemaking, haberdashery, saddle making, dyers, tailors, tanners and glovers. King Charles I granted the Borough of Kidderminster a Charter in 1636. the original charter can be viewed at Kidderminster Town Hall. Kidderminster's position at the junction of several main roads made it a place of strategic importance during the English Civil War , with several skirmishes taking place in and around
6688-560: Was between Paderborn , Germany, and Le Mans , France, in 836. Starting in 1905, Keighley in West Yorkshire, England, had a twinning arrangement with French communities Suresnes and Puteaux . The first recorded modern twinning agreement was between Keighley and Poix-du-Nord in Nord, France, in 1920 following the end of the World War I . This was initially referred to as an adoption of
6776-508: Was controlled at the time and until 2020 by the military forces of Armenia and the unrecognised Republic of Artsakh . An attempt was made in 2003 by Preston city councillors in England to twin with the Palestinian town of Nablus in the name of solidarity. Turkey bans partnerships with any city in a country that recognizes the Armenian genocide . As a result, when Bulgaria recognized
6864-455: Was converted into a military headquarters towards the end of the 19th century. In 1974 the old borough of Kidderminster was abolished and merged into the new Wyre Forest District . In December 2015 Kidderminster was established as a civil parish with a new Town Council , following a public referendum. The River Stour and the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal both flow through Kidderminster town centre. The modern carpet industry
6952-526: Was done during one night. The town's local government was reformed by the Municipal Reform Act 1835 , which incorporated Kidderminster as a municipal borough . This superseded the charter of 1636, and divided the borough into three wards represented by six aldermen and eighteen councillors, the number of wards was doubled in the 1880s. The current Town Hall on Vicar Street was built in 1877. Kidderminster has two Commissioners' churches . The first
7040-418: Was founded in the area in 1785 by Brintons . The carpet industry became extremely important to the local economy, so much so that the local newspaper is still named The Shuttle after the shuttles used on the carpet looms . A type of carpet was known as Kidderminster carpet or, in the United States, Ingrain carpet : this was a reversible carpet with no pile, with the pattern showing in opposite colours on
7128-401: Was launched on 26 March 2012; it now broadcasts as Greatest Hits Radio Herefordshire and Worcestershire . The town is noted for its particularly high record lows. Despite an average July low of 11.7 °C, the temperature has never fallen below 5 °C in that month. The coldest and warmest July nights were both recorded in 2015. Twin towns and sister cities A sister city or
7216-486: Was officially opened by Lord Cobham in 2012. Kidderminster Town is a civil parish within Wyre Forest District , with Kidderminster Town Council created in the early 21st century to take on the duties of a parish council , following a referendum in May 2015. Prior to this, Charter Trustees maintained the traditions of the town and elected a Mayor. At the 2019 local elections to Wyre Forest District Council,
7304-846: Was operated by Arriva Midlands until 4 September 2023 when Select won the contract for the service. As part of educational restructuring in the Wyre Forest district , Kidderminster's schools were reorganised from a three-tier system of first, middle and high schools to the two-tier system more common in the UK as a whole, featuring primary schools and secondary schools . In this process, several first and middle schools were closed or merged into new primaries. The three high schools of King Charles I School , Wolverley C E Secondary School , and Baxter College (formerly Harry Cheshire High School) became secondary schools that included sixth forms . Independent schools include Heathfield Knoll School in Wolverley . Formerly independent, Holy Trinity School became
7392-510: Was originally a program of the National League of Cities , but it became a separate corporation in 1967 due to the growth and popularity of the program. Twin town cultural events include the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., honoring Washington's twin relationship with Tokyo City . Many twinned towns developed business agreements with their partners. For example, Vermont 's Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream company opened
7480-415: Was published in 1864. This book contains an account of the existing knowledge of the subject, with many notes of cases and a few observations new to medicine, for example the description (p. 87, ed. 1864) of the condition of stomach sometimes discovered after death in cases of scarlet fever . In the last chapter Brinton demonstrates the absence of pathological ground for the affection often named "gout in
7568-437: Was settled as Kidderminster by the 16th century. Between 1156 and 1162 Henry II granted the manor to his steward, Manasser Biset . By six decades later, the settlement grew and a fair (1228) and later a market (1240) were established there. To the south by the River Stour , dating from the 15th century, is a single surviving tower of Caldwall (or Caldwell) Castle, a fortified manor house. Kidderminster owes its growth to
7656-464: Was the first twinned city in Canada and the second in North America, while Denver, United States , twinned with Brest, France , was the second twinned city in the United States. Liberal, Kansas was twinned with Olney, United Kingdom in 1950, and the cities have run a joint Pancake Day race ever since. Littleton, Colorado, twinned with Bega, Australia, in 1961. Tashkent , the capital city of Uzbekistan,
7744-458: Was twinned with Seattle , Washington, in 1973. Rochester, Minnesota , and Knebworth , UK, both centers for primary medical research, twinned in 1967. Ontario, California , has five sister cities around the world. They are Brockville, Ontario, Canada (since 1977); Guamúchil, Sinaloa, Mexico (since 1982); Mocorito, Sinaloa, Mexico (since 1982); Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico (since 1988); and Winterthur, Canton of Zürich, Switzerland. Oakville, Ontario
#574425