Digital Hearing Tamworth – Digital Hearing Staffordshire

Digital Hearing Tamworth – Digital Hearing Staffordshire

The market town of Tamworth in Staffordshire is the second largest town in the county after Stoke-on-Trent.  It takes its name from the River Tame which runs through the town.  Tamworth is very proud of its heritage as the ancient capital of Mercia, home to the King of Mercia.  Mercia was one of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms covering a vast area which is now known as the Midlands.

Losing not your marbles, just your hearing
If you’re a local with a hearing problem, why not contact Castle Hearing Aids.  Our HQ is just up the road in Stoke-on-Trent.  In fact we can help wherever you are with home visits from a professional audiologist to test your hearing.

Hearing loss can have many causes from a build up of earwax which is easily removed with the right treatment to long-term damage or deterioration.

A hearing test to asses your problem is simple – you just wear a set of headphones and are played a number of quiet sounds so that your hearing ability can be tested.  If the test shows that you have a problem be it mild, moderate or severe, we can take a mould of your ear on the spot to equip you with a hearing aid.

Why not give us a call on 01782 698090 or send us a message here for more information.

Back to Tamworth
Tamworth has several claims to fame from infamous pigs to its castle’s ghostly activities featuring in TV’s Most Haunted Series 3.

The ‘Tamworth Two’
Technically the infamous ‘Tamworth Two’ were not actually from Tamworth, but in fact from Malmesbury in Wiltshire.  The brother and sister duo were of course Tamworth pigs, a breed that originated in Sir Robert Peel's Drayton Manor Estate at Tamworth, but more about him later.
The Tamworth breed was a result of interbreeding of Sir Robert’s original herd with 'Irish Grazers' from Ireland in 1812.  It took until 1865 for the Tamworth breed to achieve English breed recognition.  By 1882 Thomas Bennett of Rossville, Illinois imported Tamworths into the USA; the breed now exists in the UK, USA and Canada.

Back to the ‘Tamworth Two’.  These cunning little piggies made a name or should we say two names for themselves – Butch and Sundance – by escaping a grizzly end at an abattoir in 1998.  On being unloaded from their owner Arnoldo Dijulio’s lorry, the 5 month-old piglets squeezed through a fence and swam across the River Avon to freedom.  Whilst they spent the week on the run, the media and public interest grew.  Reporters arrived from Japan and the American NBC Network to cover the story.  Once the public and media learned the owner still intended to take Butch and Sundance to the abattoir on recapture, they offered huge financial payouts to save the pigs.

We think you’ll agree this is the stuff movies are made of.  In fact the Daily Mail had the foresight to gain exclusive rights to their story by buying the piglets.  They were believed to be worth £40-£50 each.

Thanks to the Daily Mail’s intervention, Butch lived to the ripe old age of 13, dying in 2010 and Sundance to the age of 14, dying in 2011.  They spent the rest of their less eventful lives at the Rare Breeds Centre in Ashford, Kent.  But their memories will live on if the staff has anything to do with it, as they hope to put up a plaque in Butch and Sundance’s honour.

Tamworth Castle
The castle has seen a lot of action over the centuries and played home to many royal families too.  It is now recognised as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, with its buildings being of much historical, archaeological and architectural importance.  Tamworth Castle has what is believed to be the largest and oldest Norman Mottes.  It has a very rare integral square tower and polygonal shell keep, containing a 15th Century open hall with a wide-span tie beam roof.

In Anglo Saxon times covering the period 401 to 1066, there is evidence of a Buhr – a fortified Anglo-Saxon town - containing a site that is thought to be where the reigning King’s palace was built.

During the Medieval times which spanned 1066 to 1485, Robert le Dsipenser, The Lords Marmion and The Freville family lived in Tamworth Castle.  It is thought the original motte and bailey castle was built in 1070 during the period when Robert le Dispenser inhabited the Castle.

In Tudor times dating from 1485 to 1603, Tamworth Castle was the Ferrers’ family abode.  They transformed the castle into a Tudor home, complete with a timber tie-beamed great hall in 1437.  In 1576 during the Stuart period, Lord Humphrey II removed medieval structures from the castle and generally remodelled it to reflect his wealthy status.

When the English Civil War of 1642 to 1649 broke, the castle was garrisoned for King Charles.  However in 1643 the Parliamentarians led by Cromwell laid siege to the castle; after two days it was captured.
Quieter times were in store for Tamworth Castle from 1688 to 1754 with 2 noble families responsible for its keep.  Firstly the Shirleys, followed by the Comptons.  Ironically neither family modified its design or structure in any way or lived at the castle, choosing to rent it out to tenants instead.

The Georgian period from 1714 to 1837 saw George Townshend I inherit the property.  A survey revealed it was in a state of bad disrepair, but it wasn’t until his son George II inherited it that substantial repair and renovation was undertaken.  This included replacing the Tudor windows with Gothic ones and removing the top attic floor of the Elizabethan wing.  As with all castles, the work was not cheap and his estate was declared bankrupt on his death, with the renovation incomplete.

From 1837 to 1901 during Victorian times tenants Miss Hester Wolfestan and later Thomas Cook resided at Tamworth Castle before the Townsend family sold it in 1897.  It was bought by Tamworth Corporation, later known as Tamworth Borough Council for £3,000 and became a museum in 1899.

Today the castle is renowned for its paranormal activity, attracting groups of curious overnight guests and featuring in series 3 of the Most Haunted television show.

The Robin Reliant
Tamworth is also famously the home of the Reliant Motor Company formed in 1935.  The company concentrated initially on building three-wheeled cars.  Later they progressed to the four-2wheeled Scimitar racing cars.  The company closed in 2002.

However, the Robin Reliant has an unenviable place in British culture where it has been the butt of many jokes including those of Jasper Carrott.  Two of the best known Reliants appeared in Only Fools and Horses – the ‘dirty yellow van owned by the Trott brothers’ - and the light blue van which seemed to literally be the ‘butt’ for Mr Bean getting crashed into or tipped over by a mini!

One has appeared in Fifth Gear and Top Gear and reference is made to it in Cars 2.

Notable people from Tamworth
Tamworth isn’t short of the rich and famous through history as we’ve seen.  Here’s a few more:

Thomas Guy though born in London lived here with his mother after his father’s death.  He went onto open a London bookshop and became a bit of an entrepreneur for Tamworth, building Alms Houses and a Town Hall when representing them as MP.  Later he built extra wards for St Thomas’ Hospital in London and acquired some land where Guys Hospital, named after him, was founded and built at the beginning of the 18th Century.

Sir Robert Peel who we already know bred the Tamworth pig is far better known for serving as Britain’s Prime Minister for two periods in the 19th century and even more famously for founding the ‘Peelers’.

Actually the 1,000 strong police constables were also known as ‘Bobbies’ and were employed by Peel when he established the Metropolitan Police Force in 1829 to cut down crime.  This initiative wasn’t popular at the time but within 50 years all cities in Britain had their own Police Forces.  Peel developed the principles by which today’s police force operate.

Julian Cope who was brought up in Tamworth was lead singer with Teardrop Explodes and has continued to make music ever since.  He is also an author of books on archaeology and antiquarianism and has written his autobiography too.

The band Wolfsbane was formed in Tamworth with lead singer Blaze Bayley who went on to form Iron Maiden.

·         Tony Coton, a former Manchester City goalkeeper came from Tamworth

·         Former West Brom player Bob Taylor and Paul Merson (Aresenal and Aston Villa) played for Tamworth FC for a short time.  Other players from Tamworth include Wales International star Ashley Williams, Derby County’s Martin Taylor and Aston Villa’s Marc Albrighton

·         Nuclear physicist Ernest William Titterton was born nearby

·         Children’s book author Julia Suzuki also comes from here

·         Local seaman Colin Grazier rescued important documentation about the German Enigma code and was posthumously awarded a George Cross in WWII

·         The Black Lady, a 9th Century nun, was said to haunt The Lady’s Chamber at Tamworth Castle

Don’t forget
We are here to make life easier for you, to help you hear all about great Staffordshire towns like Tamworth.

If you think we can help your ‘mutt and jeff’ condition, just contact us on 01782 698090 or see here for more information.