Bromsgrove

Bromsgrove is a dormitory town in Worcestershire. Bromsgrove is not much of a tourist destination, but it hosts a well regarded annual music festival.

Understand
Bromsgrove was a market town, with a long history of water mills, nail making and a railway wagon works. It is best known now for Bromsgrove School, a private residential school, and for being the town where the poet AE Houseman and his radical brother and sister lived. His house and some connected sites can be seen, and a statue has been placed on the pedestrianised high street.

Bromsgrove was also the home to a group of artists and craftsmen working at the Bromsgrove Guild, who created a number of famous works, including the Liver Birds and parts of Buckingham Palace's gates. Some of their work can be found in local churches.

It is close to major motorway junctions, so it has some large hotels. It is also close to some better known leisure spots, such as the Lickey Hills.

By car
Bromsgrove is located at the intersection between the M5 and M42 motorways, and is well signposted. The main A38 runs through the town.

There is plenty of car parking, although few places are free of charge.

Get around
The town is quite compact, so the best way to get about is on foot. For travelling slightly further afield, regular buses depart from a bus loop in the town centre (next to the ASDA supermarket) to surrounding areas as well as a few local circular routes around the town estates. Other than the two axial routes (Birmingham-Bromsgrove-Worcester and Redditch-Bromsgrove-Kidderminster) most services aren't terribly regular or logical. However, the BusTimes website provides well organised and accessible timetables and route guides.

See
Most people do not visit Bromsgrove as tourists, as there is little of interest to see. However, St John's Church, near the town centre is worth a look. Sanders Park is also quite pleasant during the day, but is best avoided at night.



Stay safe
As with the rest of the UK, in any emergency call 999 or 112 (from a landline if you can) and ask for ambulance, fire or police when connected.

Bromsgrove is a reasonably safe place. Some trouble can occur with drunk people late at night on weekends around the main pubs and club. However, it is no worse than any other UK town or city, and the police are fairly effective in the area. Sanders Park is best avoided at night, as is the area around Charford.

Go next
Map of places with Wikivoyage articles nearby