Biddulph | |
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Biddulph High Street |
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Biddulph shown within Staffordshire | |
Population | 19,892 (2011 Census) |
OS grid reference | SJ8857 |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Stoke-on-Trent |
Postcode district | ST8 |
Dialling code | 01782 |
Police | Staffordshire |
Fire | Staffordshire |
Ambulance | West Midlands |
EU Parliament | West Midlands |
UK Parliament | |
Biddulph is a town in Staffordshire, England, 8.5 miles north of Stoke-on-Trent and 4.5 miles south east of Congleton, Cheshire.
Biddulph's name may come from Anglo-Saxon/Old English bī dylfe = "beside the pit or quarry". It may also stem from a corruption of the Saxon/Old English Bidulfe, meaning "wolf slayer", and as a result the Biddulph family crest is a wolf rampant.
In the days of coal and iron, Biddulph was actually called Bradley Green, the original site of Biddulph being the area in which the parish church, Grange House, and the ruins of Biddulph Old Hall stand. It was not until 1930 that the town was marked on Ordnance Survey maps as 'Biddulph'.
The hamlet of Brown Lees is located in the south of Biddulph civil parish.
In common with other parts of the area administered by Staffordshire LEA, the Middle School system operates in Biddulph.
Biddulph has one high school (ages 13 to 16) with a sixth form (ages 16 to 18) called Biddulph High School, it was awarded Sports College status in 2002. It has since gained Technology College status. Biddulph also has two middle schools: Woodhouse Middle School and James Bateman Junior High School (formerly Park Middle School), serving pupils aged 9–13. These are fed by several first schools, such as Kingsfield First School, Knypersley First School, Squirrel Hayes First School, Oxhey First School, and several more.
The supermarket chain Sainsbury's opened a new store in Biddulph in November 2010.
JD Wetherspoons opened The Bradley Green on Biddulph High Street on 3 September 2001.
In addition to the supermarket development, a number of derelict and semi-derelict buildings are currently being refurbished or rebuilt by the local Councils and private owners. These are in line with the intentions set out in the Town Centre Area Action Plan (2007), which aims to reverse the spiral of decline that has threatened the long-term viability of the town centre since the early 1990s.