Meriden, West Midlands
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Meriden is a village in the Solihull borough of the West Midlands in England. It is located midway between Birmingham and Coventry, approximately 5 miles away from Birmingham International Airport. The surrounding countryside, known as the "Meriden Gap", forms a narrow green belt between the two cities.
The village claims to be at the very centre of England, and a 500-year-old (some sources say 200-year-old) sandstone pillar-shaped monument to that effect stands in the village green. The monument is a listed artifact. Recent analysis by the Ordnance Survey [1] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2271925.stm) has suggested that the true geographical centre of England is a farm situated some 18 kilometres to the northeast, in Leicestershire, though most people still credit Meriden with the honour. Here the Heart of England Way long distance path wends its way and fittingly brings the Staffordshire Heathlands together with the Cotswolds and Arden Forest.
Meriden is also home to a memorial to all the cyclists who died in the First World War. An annual event commemorating these deaths is held in the village. The memorial was unveiled on 21 May 1921, in the presence of over 20,000 cyclists.
The village was the location of a fatal dangerous driving incident involving footballer Lee Hughes, and was at one time home to the largest British advertising agency outside of London.
External links
- Cyclists' memorial (http://www.knutthouse.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Page16(Meriden).htm)
- The Heart of England Way Association (http://www.heartofenglandway.org)