Dorridge - Dorridge Today

Dorridge Today

The station again fulfils an important role providing easy travel to London and Birmingham, for Dorridge and for numerous local villages such as Knowle, which do not have a railway station, with Chiltern Railways having created an inter-city route out of the run-down remnants of what had become primarily a goods line. A London Midland route now terminates in Dorridge or Leamington Spa, from Birmingham.

Dorridge is neither urban nor a village. However, it sits right next to the Warwickshire countryside, with green fields being a short walk from the town centre.

It has a small shopping centre, a village hall, at least three churches and also an excellent primary school (Dorridge Junior School). It has a substantial park bordering the countryside. There are a few small restaurants, and three pubs: The Railway Inn (nowhere near the railway), the Forest Hotel (right next to the railway) and the Drum and Monkey near the Four Ashes estate.

Accommodation is available at the Forest Hotel and at Hogarths. Nearby is a golf driving range and a riding Club. It has two cricket clubs. It also has a tennis club and Ye Olde Knowle Bowling Club. Solihull is just five minutes' drive away with its modern shopping centre, cinema and variety of sports facilities.

The property prices around Dorridge are amongst the highest in the West Midlands region, in part driven by the perception of desirability of the local state schools, the easy access to the main motorway system and the airport, as well as the train links mentioned earlier, but in part it is also a reflection of the well-spaced gardens and large houses. In 2005, several houses changed hands for over £1,000,000 according to the land registry.

There are a number of notable residents who live here or very nearby, Jasper Carrott, The Office actress Lucy Davis, Sir Adrian Cadbury, Karren Brady former Managing Director of Birmingham City F.C, Steve Bruce, former manager of Birmingham City F.C, former England International Lee Hendrie alongside many other professional footballers and Musicians Bev Bevan, Harry Sutcliffe and Russell Leetch.

Dorridge is part of the Meriden constituency, MP Caroline Spelman who also lives nearby, though is due to be split from Meriden under the current boundary review, forming a separate constituency of Dorridge and Kenilworth with the nearby castle town of Kenilworth. Dorridge is regarded as a Conservative stronghold.