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Woodmans Close, DROITWICH, WR9 9EW

A housing development on the western edge of Droitwich Spa.

Farmers Way connects the main road through the Westlands estate, Westwood Road, with the estate's centre. However there is not a great deal to get excited about at the centre, as the number of facilities it offers are surprisingly limited for an estate of this size. It does however have two fish & chip shops, both of which were closed despite it being a Saturday lunchtime. The only places open at that time appeared to be the local pub, and the Costcutters supermarket. The estate originally housed many people who worked for the former British Leyland, later Rover Group etc, motor car works at Longbridge, Birmingham. Access to this was relatively easy by using the nearby A38 road. The declining factory finally closed in 2005. The estate was originally called Boycott after a local land-owning family but later was renamed Westlands.

WANDS Children's Centre was opened in May 2003. It is run by Worcestershire County Council, who run most of their local groups at the Children's Centre, which is based on the campus of Westlands First School. The Centre provides support to parents as well as children.

Westlands First School:- Image

Currently closed (October 2019). See:- Image

A typical estate pub, the Fox & Goose has changed hands a number of times over the years. After a period of closure, it was acquired by Samuel Smith's Brewery, of Tadcaster, in Yorkshire. A surprising development as their pubs are usually in the north of England. Samuel Smiths re-opened it in August 2019 but closed it again about seven weeks later in early October. It seems the senior director visited the pub and overheard a patron swearing. This is apparently an absolute taboo in Samuel Smiths pubs and previously the Cheshire Midland pub in Manchester suffered the same fate in July 2019. The Fox & Goose is now boarded up and its future appears unclear. Image A fuller version of the story can be found in the Worcester News of the 10th October 2019. The pub in happier times:- Image

The paint is flaking off the sign, as it is on the exterior of the pub itself. However it is one of the few amenities on the large Westlands estate. Image

This is the local community pub for the large Westlands Estate, which is on the north west side of Droitwich. The pub is at the end of Farmers Way, and forms part of the estate's centre, although there are not that many facilities in the centre. The pub is an Oakwell Brewery house. They were formed in 1994 and are based at Barnsley in West Yorkshire. Previously it was apparently a Greenalls pub. Image

Westlands First School is a local authority (Worcestershire County Council) maintained community school. It currently has over 250 pupils and caters for the 3 to 9 years age range. The school opened in 1969. At that time, a large number of the residents of Westlands, which was then known as the Boycott Estate (after a local landowner), were working at the former Longbridge car plant in Birmingham.

Also WANDS Children Centre.