Coordinates: 51°48′22″N 0°11′36″W / 51.8062°N 0.1932°W / 51.8062; -0.1932

Welwyn Garden City
View to the northwest from the Parkway Fountain
Welwyn Garden City  Welwyn Garden City shown within Hertfordshire
Population	43,252 [1]
OS grid reference	TL245135
- London	20 mi (32 km)
District	Welwyn Hatfield
Shire county	Hertfordshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WELWYN GARDEN CITY
Postcode district	AL7, AL8
Dialling code	01707
Police	Hertfordshire
Fire	Hertfordshire
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	Welwyn Hatfield
List of places: UK • England • Hertfordshire

Welwyn Garden City ( /ˈwɛlɪn/) is a town within the Welwyn Hatfield borough of Hertfordshire, England. It is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) from Kings Cross. Welwyn Garden City was the second garden city in England (founded 1920) and one of the first new towns (designated 1948).

It is unique in being both a garden city and a new town and exemplifies the physical, social and cultural planning ideals of the periods in which it was built. Because of its historical importance it attracts visitors from around the world.

History[link]

Welwyn Garden City was founded by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the 1920s following his previous experiment in Letchworth Garden City. Howard had called for the creation of planned towns that were to combine the benefits of the city and the countryside and to avoid the disadvantages of both. The Garden Cities and Town Planning Association had defined a garden city as

"a town designed for healthy living and industry of a size that makes possible a full measure of social life but not larger, surrounded by a rural belt; the whole of the land being in public ownership, or held in trust for the community"^[2]

In 1919, Howard arranged for the purchase of land in Hertfordshire that had already been identified as a suitable site. On 29 April 1920 a company, Welwyn Garden City Limited, was formed to plan and build the garden city, chaired by Sir Theodore Chambers. Louis de Soissons was appointed as architect and town planner and Frederic Osborn as secretary.^[2] The first house was occupied just before Christmas 1920.^[3]

The town is laid out along tree-lined boulevards with a neo-Georgian town centre.^[4] It has its own environmental protection legislation, the Scheme of Management for Welwyn Garden City.^[5] Every road has a wide grass verge. The spine of the town is Parkway, a central mall or scenic parkway, almost a mile long. The view along Parkway to the south was once described as one of the world's finest urban vistas.^[6] Older houses are on the west side of Parkway and newer houses on the east side^[4]

The original planners intended that all the residents of the garden city would shop in one shop and created the Welwyn Stores, a monopoly which caused some local resentment.^[2] Commercial pressures have since ensured much more competition and variety, and the Welwyn Stores were in 1984 taken over by the John Lewis Partnership. A shopping mall, the Howard Centre, was built in the 1980s, incorporating the original railway station. There is now a redeveloped and enlarged Sainsburys in the town centre, and a Morrisons in Panshanger along Black Fan Road. Tesco had applied to build a new supermarket on the site of the former Cereal Partners/Shredded Wheat site. Planning permission for a Tesco at Broadwater Road was refused by the local authority in January 2012, after significant public protest. See Saynototesco. The future of the former Cereal Partners/Shredded Wheat site remains uncertain.

In 1948, Welwyn Garden City was designated a new town under the New Towns Act 1946 and the Welwyn Garden City company handed its assets to the Welwyn Garden City Development Corporation. Louis de Soissons remained as its planning consultant. That year The Times compared Welwyn Garden City with Hatfield. It described Welwyn Garden City as a world-famous modern new town developed as an experiment in community planning and Hatfield as an unplanned settlement created by sporadic building in the open country. "Welwyn, though far from perfect, made the New Towns Act possible, just as Hatfield, by its imperfection, made it necessary." ^[7] In 1966, the Development Corporation was wound up and handed over to the Commission for New Towns. The housing stock, neighbourhood shopping and green spaces were passed to Welwyn Hatfield District Council between 1978 and 1983.^[2]

There is a sports centre, The Gosling Sports Centre, with a dry ski slope, golf driving range, indoor and outdoor tennis, squash, football pitches, an athletics track, a gym and bowls. There is an airfield at Panshanger, currently used by the North London Flying School.^[8] The King George V playing field, on the boundary of the old Hatfield Hyde village, was once used by the England football team for training. There are three golf courses: Panshanger, owned and operated by the borough council, Mill Green Golf Course located in Gypsy Lane and the Welwyn Garden City Golf Club, of which Nick Faldo was once a member. The Stanborough Park and lakes was the venue for a free annual Water Carnival and firework display and a November 5 fireworks display, both of which attracted large crowds from great distances.

Roman Baths are preserved in a steel vault underneath junction 6 of the A1(M) and are open to visitors.^[4]

There is a large hospital in the town, the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital. Emergency and inpatient services are currently (March 2012) being transitioned to the Lister Hospital at Stevenage. The current hospital will be replaced by a smaller hospital offering outpatient, diagnostic and ante/post natal services.

There is a resurgence of interest in the ethos of the garden city and the type of neighbourhood and community advocated by Howard, prompted by the problems of metropolitan and regional development and the importance of sustainability in government policy.^[9]

The local civic society, which aims to preserve and conserve the garden city ethos is the Welwyn Garden City Society.

Governance[link]

Welwyn Garden City is administered by Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. It is in the county of Hertfordshire and the parliamentary constituency of Welwyn Hatfield. The MP for Welwyn Hatfield is Grant Shapps (Conservative). The nearby town of Hatfield^[10] and the village of Welwyn^[11] have parish councils with limited responsibilities, but Welwyn Garden City has none.^[12]

Geography[link]

Welwyn Garden City experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.

Economy[link]

Ever since its inception as garden city, Welwyn Garden City has attracted a strong commercial base with several designated employment areas. Among the companies trading in the town are:

• Air Link Systems
• Baxter
• British Lead Mills
• Carl Zeiss
• The Danish Bacon Company (DBC foodservice)
• Emis Professional Publishing
• Figleaves.com
• Roche
• IBM
• PayPoint
• Ratcliff Palfinger
• Schering-Plough
• Sigma Corporation
• Tesco
• VEGA Group
• Welwyn Tool Group (formerly Welwyn Tool Company)
• Xerox

Tesco has a head office at Shire Park, a business park in the north of the town, including a full-size supermarket mock-up for staff training.

The Hertfordshire Constabulary has its headquarters in the town.

Welwyn Garden City was once well known as the home of the breakfast cereal Shredded Wheat, formerly made by Nabisco. The disused Shredded Wheat factory with its large white silos is a landmark on rail routes between London and the north of England.^[2] The factory, designed by de Soissons and built in 1924 by Peter Lind & Company, is a Grade II listed building. Cereal production moved to Staverton, Wiltshire in 2008 when the owner, Nestlé, decided that the factory required significant and prohibitive investment, due to the age of the building. Tesco had made a planning application for a store, leisure facilities and offices on the site but this was turned down.^[14]

The former supermarket chain Fine Fare had its head office in the town at one time, as did ICI's Plastics Division. In 1929 Sir Henry Birkin built the first supercharged Blower Bentley car at his engineering works in Broadwater Road.

During World War II the Special Operations Executive (SOE) had a research department in the town, the Inter-Services Research Bureau, which developed the Welrod pistol and the Welgun sub-machinegun. Station IX was a secret SOE factory making commando equipment at the old Frythe Hotel.

Welwyn Garden City's proximity to London makes it a convenient commuter town.

Transport[link]

Buses are provided by Arriva, Centrebus and Uno, with some assistance from Hertfordshire County Council. Arriva's 300/301 Centraline service links Welwyn Garden City to the major nearby towns of Stevenage, Hatfield, St Albans and Hemel Hempstead, as well as neighbouring villages Woolmer Green and Knebworth. The 301 additionally connects both the nearby hospitals in Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City, while the 300 provides a direct link to recreational areas such as Stanborough Lakes in Welwyn Garden City and Verulamium Roman town in St Albans. Buses run every 15 minutes Monday-Friday, every 20 minutes Saturday, and hourly on Sunday. Additional bi-hourly service 314 is provided by Centrebus, connecting Welwyn to Codicote and Hitchin. The bus station is located very closely to the railway station too.

Uno buses serve the nearby towns of Hatfield, St Albans, Potters Bar, Hemel Hempstead, Watford and Barnet. Uno buses also serve further out into North London. Uno are the only provider in Welwyn Garden City to offer a regular double decker bus service, although not guaranteed, on the 601 service.

Green Line Coaches 724 runs a service from Welwyn Garden City to Heathrow Airport, stopping at stops such as Watford and Rickmansworth.

The nearest railway station is Welwyn Garden City railway station in the town centre. Trains are operated by First Capital Connect and run every 20 minutes Monday to Friday south to London Moorgate and north to Hitchin and Stevenage, with a weekend service of every 30 minutes on Saturday and Sunday south to London's Kings Cross and north to Hitchin and Stevenage.

Welwyn Garden City is well-served by major arterial road routes, namely the A1(M) and the A414. The Great North Road also passes around it next to the A1(M). In addition, there are other links to St. Albans, Harpenden and Luton (via B653), Hatfield (via A1000 and A1001) and Hertford (via B1000). During the growth in car ownership in the 1950s and 1960s the town struggled to build enough garages or hard-standing spaces for the additional vehicles, which has led to many properties losing their traditional hedges and front gardens to accommodate driveways.

Education[link]

Welwyn Garden City has four secondary schools:

• Sir Frederic Osborn School, a specialist Sports College
• Monks Walk School, a specialist Science College,
• Knightsfield School for the Deaf
• Stanborough School, a specialist Maths and Computing College (Formerly Welwyn Garden City Grammar School)

Tewin Water School moved from Digswell to Monk's Walk School in 1998 and was later renamed Knightsfield School to create links with hearing pupils.

The former Sir John Newsom School merged with Stanborough School on 1 September 1998.^[15]

Monks Walk School, Stanborough School and Sir Frederic Osborn School are part of the Welwyn Hatfield 14-19 Consortium, which includes a variety of secondary schools and Oaklands College in Welwyn Hatfield.

Sport and leisure[link]

Welwyn Garden City has a Non-League football club Welwyn Garden City F.C., which plays at Herns Lane.

The town also has a rugby club called Welwyn RFC.

Notable people[link]

Current and former residents of Welwyn Garden City include:

• Lol Coxhill, saxophonist (Digswell Arts Trust)
• Thomas Bowes, violist
• Louis de Soissons, architect (Guessens Road and High Oaks).
• Danny Mortimer, (chemist).
• Coco Star aka Sue Brice Singer Toca's Miracle & Songwriter.
• Alesha Dixon, R&B singer, rapper and TV presenter
• Robert Duncan, actor
• Nick Faldo, golfer (Sherrardspark Road)
• Tom Lewis, golfer
• Ian Fergusson, TV presenter (Panshanger)
• Frederick Forsyth, author
• Lewis Grassic Gibbon, author
• Rupert Grint, actor, 'Ron Weasley' in the Harry Potter films
• Rob Hague, drummer
• Mark Halsey, football referee
• Harry Hibbs, footballer (Mountway)
• Ebenezer Howard, town planner (Guessens Road).
• David James, footballer
• Steve Kilbey, bassist and lead singer of The Church (moved to Australia at an early age)
• Glyn Maxwell, poet and playwright
• Sir Frederic Osborn, champion of the New Towns (Guessens Road).
• Mat Osman, musician
• Edmund Purdom, actor (Barleycroft Road).
• Flora Robson, actor (Handside Lane).
• Dinah Sheridan, actor (Parkway).
• Lisa Snowdon, model
• Una Stubbs, actor (Ravenfield Road)
• Mick Taylor, Guitarist for The Rolling Stones from 1969–1975
• S*M*A*S*H, pop group
• The Subways, rock band
• George Sweeney, actor (Longcroft Lane)
• Mark Thompson, Director-General of the BBC
• Jamie George, rugby player

Popular culture[link]

Several films and television programmes were shot in whole or in part in Welwyn Garden City, including

• The Tweenies
• Superstars (Stanborough Lakes and Gosling Sports Stadium)
• UFO (Gravel pit in Cole Green Lane)
• Holby City (Exterior shots of Queen Elizabeth II hospital)
• Kellogg Company's cornflakes "Train Buffet Car" commercial (Railway station)

The film Battle of Britain shot scenes at Panshanger Aerodrome and the film of Graham Greene's Brighton Rock was made at the Associated British Picture Corporation's Welwyn Garden City studios.

Welwyn Garden City is sometimes referred to on account of its name or suburban character, for example in George Orwell's Keep the Aspidistra Flying, a sketch by Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones in Alas Smith and Jones, the TV series Porridge and Strange, in the lyrics of Billy's Line by Red Box, and in a song by Edwyn Collins.

See also[link]

• Garden city movement
• Ciudad Jardin, Buenos Aires
• Howard Centre
• Welwyn RFC

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Welwyn Garden City

• Welwyn Roman Baths
• Campus West Library
• The Welwyn Garden Heritage Trust

Coordinates: 51°49′52″N 0°12′54″W / 51.831°N 0.215°W / 51.831; -0.215

Welwyn
St Mary the Virgin, Welwyn
Welwyn  Welwyn shown within Hertfordshire
Population	3,254
OS grid reference	TL225165
District	Welwyn Hatfield
Shire county	Hertfordshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WELWYN
Postcode district	AL6
Dialling code	01438
Police	Hertfordshire
Fire	Hertfordshire
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	Welwyn Hatfield
List of places: UK • England • Hertfordshire

Welwyn ( /ˈwɛlɪn/) is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. The parish also includes the villages of Digswell and Oaklands. It is sometimes called Old Welwyn to distinguish it from the newer settlement of Welwyn Garden City, about a mile to the south.

History[link]

Situated in the valley of the River Mimram, Welwyn was first settled in the Iron Age^{[citation needed]}. The Belgae colonised the area in the 1st century BC^{[citation needed]} (although the Catuvellauni are more often associated with this area) and later it was settled by the Romans. Many Roman artifacts have been found, and the remains of a Roman bath house may be visited. Much later, in the 17th century, as it lies on the old Great North Road, it became an important staging post and a number of coaching inns remain as public houses. After the Great Northern Railway by-passed the village due to the objections of local landowners, Welwyn became less important. Having previously been seen as a town on par with Hatfield and Stevenage, it gradually was seen as a village. The 20th century brought major expansion to the area, as estates to the south, west and north of the village were built up.

A Norman church was built on the site about 1190. The nave of the present church (St Mary's), was built in the 13th century, the chancel arch being the most obvious early structure. There are two medieval corbels at the east end of the south aisle. Patronage of the church passed through several hands until in 1549 it was sold to the Wilshere family, who lived at The Frythe until relatively recently.

Transport[link]

Welwyn was noted for its congestion since the beginning of the 20th century and in 1927 got what is claimed to be the first by-pass in Britain. The A1 was upgraded to motorway standards north of Welwyn in the 1960s and in 1973 the motorway was extended south past the village, by-passing the existing by-pass. Today the village is the point where the 6-lane motorway merges into 4-lanes and is the site of extensive traffic jams in the evening peak. A decade ago there were extensive plans to widen the whole road through the area to 8 lanes, and upgrade the existing junction to create a long one-way system running the length of the village. These plans were shelved, but recently plans to provide a climbing lane at least on the section north of the village have been discussed.

Buses are provided by Arriva and Centrebus, with some assistance from Hertfordshire County Council. Arriva's 300/301 Centraline service links Welwyn to the major nearby towns of Stevenage, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, St Albans and Hemel Hempstead, as well as neighbouring villages Woolmer Green and Knebworth. The 301 additionally connects both the nearby hospitals in Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City, while the 300 provides a direct link to recreational areas such as Stanborough Lakes in Welwyn Garden City and Verulamium Roman town in St Albans. Buses run every 15 minutes Monday-Friday, every 20 minutes Saturday, and hourly on Sunday. Additional bi-hourly service 314 is provided by Centrebus, connecting Welwyn to Codicote and Hitchin.

Green Line Coaches 797 stops on the by-pass, providing an hourly direct link to areas of North London and the West End.

The nearest railway station is Welwyn North railway station in the nearby village of Digswell, about a mile east from the village. Trains are operated by First Capital Connect and run every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday south to London and north to Hitchin and Stevenage, with an hourly service to Letchworth and Cambridge and to Peterborough. On Sundays an hourly service operates from London to Cambridge only. There is no bus link to the station, although buses do link to nearby Welwyn Garden City railway station.

Education[link]

There are two state schools in Welwyn and one independent school.

The larger state school is Welwyn St. Mary's Church of England Primary School, situated off London Road which takes children aged between 4 and 11 years of age (Reception to Year 6). Originally built in 1940 as a secondary school,^[1] the school was later converted to a primary school. The second is Oaklands Primary School, which incorporates Acorns Preschool and Playgroup.

There is also Tenterfield Nursery School which is situated on London Road close to the primary school. It takes children aged 3 to 4 years of age.

Secondary state education is provided through schools in nearby towns, such as Monks Walk School, in Welwyn Garden city, and Stanborough School near Stanborough Lakes.

There is an independent all-ages (nursery through to sixth form) coeducational school on the eastern outskirts of Welwyn called Sherrardswood School^[2].

Local points of interest[link]

The village has a brief association, celebrated by a blue plaque on a building on Church Street, with Vincent Van Gogh, who visited his sister (having walked from London) while she was staying in Welwyn.

In the fields surrounding the nearby Danesbury House, now converted into accommodation, is a dilapidated and neglected former fernery designed by Anthony Parsons (then gardener for the Danesbury Estate)^[3] and constructed by the second James Pulham (known as James 2, being the second of four successive James Pulhams within that family) of James Pulham & Son fame in 1859^[4][5]. It was built in a small chalk pit in the grounds of Danesbury Park and has a fine view across the valley - sadly now occupied by the A1(M) motorway. In its day it was well admired, with one W. Robinson (writing in "The English Flower Garden", published in 1883), stating that "In the home counties there is probably not a better fernery than at Danesbury."^[6]

On the outskirts of Welwyn are the remains of a 3rd century Roman bath-house, which was once part of the Dicket Mead villa. The villa and its bath-house were discovered by local archaeologist Tony Rook in the 1960s and subsequently excavated by him and a team of archaeologists and volunteers from Welwyn Archaeological Society. The remains of the bath-house are now preserved in a vault which is underneath the A1 motorway. The site is now run by Welwyn Hatfield Museum Service ^[7] and is open to the public from 2.00pm-5.00pm on Saturdays and Sundays and bank holidays from January to November. It is also open in Hertfordshire school holidays everyday 2.00pm-5.00pm. Admission £2.50 for adults and children free.

See also[link]

• Population figures (PDF)
• The Artful Potter - Pottery Painting for Adults and Kids
• Card Inspirations - Card Making Classes and Shop

References[link]

External links[link]

Media related to Welwyn at Wikimedia Commons

Garden City or Garden Suburb may refer to:

Design and planning[link]

• Garden city movement, emphasizing self-contained communities surrounded by "greenbelts"
  • Town and Country Planning Association, originally known as the Garden City Association
• New pedestrianism, an urban planning movement emphasizing reduced automobile usage
• Sustainable city or eco-city, designed with consideration of environmental impact

Places[link]

• Bangalore, India
• Bromma borough, Stockholm, Sweden
  • Södra Ängby, a residential area
• Christchurch, New Zealand
• Ciudad Jardín Lomas del Palomar, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Garden City, a shopping district in Suva, Fiji
• Garden City (Cairo), Egypt, a district
• Gartenstadt (Garden City), a district of Krefeld, Germany
• Maracay, Venezuela (Ciudad Jardín)
• Singapore
• Viña del Mar, Chile

Australia[link]

• Garden City, a locality within Port Melbourne, Victoria
• Garden City, Booragoon, a shopping centre in Perth
• Garden Suburb, New South Wales
• Toowoomba, Queensland
• Westfield Garden City, a shopping centre in Upper Mount Gravatt, Brisbane

Canada[link]

• Garden City Collegiate, a high school in Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Garden City, Winnipeg
• St. Catharines, Ontario
• Victoria, British Columbia

South Africa[link]

• Meadowridge, a suburb of Cape Town
• Pinelands, Cape Town

United Kingdom[link]

• Garden City, a small town next to Queensferry, Flintshire, England
• Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, England
• Humberstone Garden Suburb, Leicester, England
• Knowle West, Bristol, England
• Letchworth, Hertfordshire, England, designed by Ebenezer Howard, originator of the Garden City movement
• Nunsthorpe, a suburb of Grimsby, England
• Welwyn Garden City, England, designed by Ebenezer Howard
• Wythenshawe, a district of Manchester, England

United States[link]

• Garden City, Alabama
• Garden City, Colorado
• Garden City, Georgia
• Garden City, Idaho
• Garden City, Indiana
• Garden City, Iowa
• Garden City, Kansas
• Garden City, Michigan
• Garden City, Minnesota
• Garden City, Missouri
• Garden City, New York
  • Garden City Hotel
• Garden City, a village within Cranston, Rhode Island
• Garden City, South Carolina
• Garden City, South Dakota
• Garden City, Texas
• Garden City, Utah
• Garden City, Pennsylvania
• Garden City, Roanoke, Virginia
• Missoula, Montana

Businesses[link]

• Garden City Publishing, an imprint of Doubleday

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Alesha Dixon
Dixon performing in Leeds in 2008.
Background information
Birth name	Alesha Anjanette Dixon
Born	(1978-10-07) 7 October 1978 (age 33) Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
Genres	R&B, hip hop, UK garage
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, model, dancer, television presenter
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1999–present
Labels	Polydor (2005–2006) Asylum (2007–2011) Atlantic (2007–2011)
Associated acts	Mis-Teeq, Roll Deep, Jay Sean
Website	aleshadixon.com

Alesha Anjanette Dixon (born 7 October 1978)^[1] is a British rapper, singer-songwriter, dancer, model and television personality. She first found fame in the all-female R&B/garage trio Mis-Teeq, however, the trio separated in 2005 and Dixon continued pursuing her music career as a solo artist, signing to Polydor Records. Dixon began recording her debut solo album, Fired Up, in 2006, but due to poor record sales of her first two singles, "Lipstick" and "Knockdown", she was dropped from Polydor.^[2]

In 2007 Dixon became a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing and eventually won. Her television exposure led to a successful comeback,^[3] which included her signing to Asylum Records, an offshoot of Warner Music Group. Dixon then released a second album, entitled The Alesha Show, in 2008, which received platinum certification from BPI in the UK and spawned four singles including "The Boy Does Nothing" and "Breathe Slow", the latter of which became her highest charting single and earned her a Brit Award nomination.

In September 2009 Dixon became a judge on the seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing, replacing fellow judge Arlene Phillips.^[4] The replacement of Phillips by Dixon attracted criticism, as some questioned the extent of Dixon's dancing knowledge.^[5] Dixon herself dismissed the criticism, describing it as a "storm in a teacup", and refused to stand down as judge.^[6] In 2010 Dixon returned for the eighth series of Strictly Come Dancing and released her third studio album, The Entertainer. In January 2012, shortly after completing the ninth series and her third year as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing, Dixon quit to become a judge on Britain's Got Talent.^[7]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Alesha Anjanette Dixon was born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, on 7 October 1978, to an English mother, Beverly Harris, and Jamaican father, Melvin Dixon. Alesha Dixon has five half-brothers named Adrian, Mark, John, Jeroame, Callum and one half-sister called Leyanne.

She was educated at Monk's Walk School, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. Dixon's mother and father split up when Dixon was four years old and Dixon's father moved away, resulting in Dixon later describing her family life as "very dysfunctional".^[8] Between the ages of eight and ten, Dixon witnessed her mother suffer domestic abuse from her partner;^[9] she only spoke publicly about the issue 21 years later, in 2010.^[9] Dixon created a documentary for the BBC, Don't Hit My Mum, regarding the issue of domestic abuse from a child's perspective, and remarked upon her own childhood: "When I think about that time, I don't remember living in harmony, I don't remember any fun times, I suppose because the negativity has clouded it. The negative times and the scary times have blocked anything that was good [...] I believe that every child has the right to grow up in an environment where they feel secure and fearless going into the world, and I didn't really feel that".^[9]

Her first job was at Ladbrokes,^[10] although she aspired to become a PE teacher after leaving college. After completing a diploma course in sports studies,^[10] she had planned to take up a place at Loughborough University,^[11] but whilst at dance classes in London she was approached by a talent scout from a production company.^[12] Whilst travelling back home on the train she was approached by another scout who was forming a band and asked if she was interested.^[12] Dixon's musical hopes had previously been met with scepticism from Melvin Dixon, as he encouraged Alesha to follow a more academic career path.^[13] Dixon explained that "his view was there weren't many black British musicians who were overly successful. I said, 'Dad, I can't base my decision on what people haven't done'".^[13] Ignoring her father's advice, Dixon decided to pursue a career in music.

1999-05: Mis-Teeq[link]

Dixon's career began in 1999 when she met Sabrina Washington when they both joined a dance school in Fulham, south west London.^[14] Together they decided to form a band when Dixon and Washington, the two co-founders, spotted Su-Elise Nash, a girl auditioning for another band.^[14] Dixon and Washington proposed that Nash join the group and together they formed a trio. They were soon signed to Telstar Records with the addition of a new member, Zena McNally, and became the popular UK garage/R&B girl band, Mis-Teeq. After months of recording throughout 1999 and early 2000, Mis-Teeq released their debut single "Why?" in January 2001, however, it was not long before McNally left the band.^[15] The band made a decision to remain a trio. In October 2001, they released their debut album Lickin' On Both Sides, featuring hits "All I Want", "One Night Stand", "B with Me" and double A-side single "Roll On/This Is How We Do It". In 2002 Mis-Teeq performed and received a nomination at the BRIT Awards in Earls Court,^[16] later in the year band won the MOBO Award for Best Garage Act.^[17] After the success of their debut album, 2003 saw Mis-Teeq becoming the faces of JD Sports stores nationwide.^[18][19]

In 2003, Mis-teeq released their second album Eye Candy, which included the singles "Scandalous", "Can't Get It Back" and "Style". In 2004, Mis-Teeq toured the United States and released their debut single Scandalous from their American self-titled debut, a compilation of the albums Lickin' On Both Sides and Eye Candy. They also released "One Night Stand" before coming back to Europe to start work with their third album however, Telstar Records went into administration.^[20] The band was left with no choice but to release a Greatest Hits compilation under exclusive licences with Universal Records. The last song Dixon recorded with Mis-Teeq was "Shoo Shoo Baby" for the Disney film Valiant. In March 2005, their Greatest Hits compilation was released and it was announced that they were separating to pursue solo careers.^[21] In June 2005, after a five-year relationship, Dixon married artist Michael Harvey, otherwise known as MC Harvey, of So Solid Crew, in a private ceremony at Brocket Hall, Hertfordshire.^[22]

[edit] 2006–08: Fired Up, record label departure and Strictly Come Dancing

Dixon launched her solo career after Mis-Teeq's break-up and signed a £500,000, three-album deal with Polydor Records. She spent a year writing and recording her solo debut album, Fired Up, working with a wide range of producers including Richard X, Xenomania, Johnny Douglas, Brian Higgins, Estelle and Paul Epworth. During this period Dixon performed mononymously, known simply as "Alesha". In June 2005, she announced her first solo single to be "Superficial". However, at the last minute, the song "Lipstick" was chosen as the first single.^[24] "Lipstick" was released on 14 August 2006, and charted at 14 on the UK Single Charts. She released her second single "Knockdown" on 30 October 2006, which charted at 25 on the UK Download Chart. However on the official UK Singles Charts, the single peaked at number 45, falling down to 68 the following week. On 6 November 2006, it was revealed that Dixon had been dropped by her label, Polydor Records.^[23] Polydor gave her full rights to her unreleased debut album, Fired Up. Coinciding with her professional troubles was the collapse of her marriage to Harvey; Dixon filed for divorce just over a year after her wedding due to her husband's affair with Javine Hylton.^[25] Of her experience she said "my music career and marriage were the most important things. And I lost them within two weeks of each other".^[26] However, determined to move on, she said: "When you are knocked down you have two choices – stay down or get back up, stronger."^[27]

Dixon took part in series 5 of hit TV show Strictly Come Dancing in 2007, partnered with professional dancer Matthew Cutler. Dixon was at first hesitant to join, fearing that snobbery within the music industry would damage her career. In a later interview she said, "there's always this preconceived idea that people do reality TV shows because they want to kick-start their careers whereas I was actually worried that it would affect it."^[28] They had been the favourite from the third week, receiving the most points from the judges on numerous occasions. Dixon herself gained high appraisal from the judges, even being likened to a "young Josephine Baker" by Bruno Tonioli.^[12] They received 4.5 million votes in the final, beating actor Matt Di Angelo and professional dancer Flavia Cacace to win the glitter disco ball.^[29] However, personal troubles arose once more, as Dixon became estranged from her older borther Mark Harris, after he sold his story of their "terrible" childhood, claiming that they "often went to bed hungry"; he also accused Dixon of turning her back on her family in the pursuit of fame and fortune.^[30] Dixon was dubbed the "British Beyoncé" by Strictly Come Dancing host Bruce Forsyth,^[31] Alesha later said "There's only one Beyoncé. When Bruce said that, I got embarrassed. It's very sweet... but it's not true."^[32] Dixon is currently the most successful contestant to ever take part in Strictly Come Dancing, with an average point score of 36.5/40, the highest average score from any contestant to ever take part in the show.

[edit] 2008–09: The Alesha Show and Strictly Come Dancing judging

Dixon performing at the Christmas lights switch on in Leeds 6 November 2008.

After her victory on Strictly Come Dancing Dixon soon became at the centre of a bidding war between record labels, and even Polydor Records, the label that had dropped her months previously, put in an offer.^[33] Dixon, however, chose to sign a four-album contract with Asylum Records in 2008.^[34] Dixon's first new album as part of her contract, The Alesha Show was released in the UK on 24 November 2008 and 21 November in Ireland. The official first single from the album, "The Boy Does Nothing" became her first solo top ten hit^[35] on the UK Singles Chart, following a 76 spot jump from 84 to 8^[35] on the UK Singles Chart chart on downloads alone. The single eventually peaked at number 5. The song also fared well in continental Europe and is rising on the Australian Singles Chart. The second single from The Alesha Show was "Breathe Slow" and entered the UK Singles Chart at number thirty-nine solely on download sales.^[36] The single rose for three weeks before breaking into the top ten at number six,^[36] giving Dixon her second top ten hit in the UK from downloads alone, and eventually peaked at number 3 on the Top 40 UK Charts, giving Dixon her second consecutive top 5 single. She also put a song up on her website for free download on 19 October 2008 named "Colours of the Rainbow".

The third single from The Alesha Show, titled "Let's Get Excited" was physically released on 11 May and reached a peak position of 13 in the UK Singles Chart. "Let's Get Excited" became Dixon's first track from The Alesha Show not to chart inside the top 10 in the UK Singles Chart. The song's presence in the charts boosted album sales and The Alesha Show rebounded at a new peak of 11. On 9 June it was announced on Dixon's official website that the album had received platinum certification from BPI, indicating sales of 300,000+ in the UK alone.^[37] The fourth single from The Alesha Show, called "To Love Again" was released on 15 November 2009.^[38] The track, a ballad penned by Dixon and Gary Barlow, was the first single taken from the deluxe version, entitled The Alesha Show – Encore, released on 23 November.^[39] Dixon also embarked upon a 17-date national tour, named The Alesha Show, which began on 20 October 2009 in Nottingham.

It was revealed in July 2009 that Alesha would be joining the Strictly Come Dancing judging panel in September 2009.^[40] She replaced Arlene Phillips, which led to the BBC being accused of ageism and sexism by the media,^[41][42] and Dixon herself faced criticism by newspaper columnists such as Amanda Platell and Janet Street-Porter.^[43][44] Dixon, having a conflicting schedule also had to rearrange three dates on her upcoming tour, The Alesha Show in order to do the show, which is broadcast live on Saturday nights.^[45] The replacement of Arlene Phillips for Alesha Dixon even became dubbed "Alesha-gate" by some (the "-gate" suffix being a reference to the Watergate Scandal).^[46] Dixon's judging debut was met by criticism by some viewers, and 272 complaints were received by the BBC, according to The Guardian.^[47] In response to the complaints, television critic Jim Shelley commented that "the lynch-mob was such you'd have thought she had strangled a kitten".^[46] Despite the complaints, the BBC stated they were "delighted" with Dixon.^[47] Arlene Phillips herself stated in response to the claims that "[The BBC] hired Alesha because they wanted a different opinion – a voice of the viewer – and that's what she does. She was never hired to give a technical viewpoint [...] It is very hard for her – she must be incredibly nervous. The judges had all worked together for six series and she is new and on her own."^[48] Fellow judge Bruno Tonioli accused critics of hypocrisy, saying "this time last year people were calling for Arlene to be sacked on the spot for being rude about John Sergeant [...] She was the Wicked Witch of the West, now all of a sudden she is Mother Teresa. What's going on here?"^[49] However, despite Dixon's debut causing hundreds of complaints, critics praised some of her later judging as the series progressed, with Richard Simpson of the Daily Mail stating, "it seems Miss Dixon has finally found her voice and is making up for lost time on that point".^[50]

[edit] 2010–11: The Entertainer

In early 2010, Dixon began work on her third studio album, The Entertainer, which she intended to release during the summer. In May 2010 the Daily Star claimed that Dixon has been working with producer Jim Beanz and that Beanz stated "We're going to build some up-tempo dance songs to take the UK and the US by storm".^[51] On 15 March Dixon flew to Denmark to begin recording with Soulshock & Karlin, the producers of Dixon's "Breathe Slow".^[52] Dixon's fan site later reported that Dixon had secured a recording session with Rodney Jerkins, a record producer who has produced records for Michael Jackson's final studio album Invincible and most recently produced Lady Gaga and Beyoncé's "Telephone".^[53]

On 16 June Dixon revealed on a post on her fansite that the upcoming album is to be called Unleashed,^[54] and on 30 June her fansite president revealed the lead single is a track called "Drummer Boy", produced by Haitian-American producer, Shama Joseph, or "ShamRock".^[55] On 5 August it was revealed that Dixon had decided to change the album name from Unleashed to The Entertainer.^[56] "Drummer Boy", released in August, charted moderately at 15 on the UK Singles Chart. On 16 September it was announced that Dixon had collaborated with Roll Deep and featured in the band's single "Take Control".^[57] The track appeared on both Roll Deep's album—Winner Stays On—and The Entertainer. "Radio", billed as The Entertainer's second single, charted poorly upon release in November 2010, failing to reach the Top 40. The single's release coincided with the release of the album, which too made little commercial impact; a year later it was noted that the album had sold 60,000 copies.^[58] The album's next single, "Every Little Part of Me", which features guest vocals from Jay Sean, became her lowest performing chart single when released in February 2011, charting at 78. Subsequently, in June 2011 Dixon and her record label Atlantic/Asylum both agreed to part ways, declaring "creative differences" as the reason.^[59]

Acknowledging the album's lack of commercial success, Dixon said she would always prefer to "take a chance creatively" than release what she perceived to be stultifying records.^[58] She commented: "I knew the single 'Drummer Boy' was a risk. It was a very difficult record and so far removed from anything I'd done before. I get that [...] I take full responsibility for that, but I'm glad I did it. I'd rather make a unique record like 'Drummer Boy' and have it fail than play it safe and release bland, generic music that doesn't excite me."^[58]

[edit] 2012–present: Fourth studio album and Britain's Got Talent

Dixon wrote and released a new track "Do It Our Way (Play)" for the New Year Weight Watchers campaign, and features in the new adverts of the organisation. The track was released onto iTunes on 1 January 2012, as a digital download.^[60] On 2 January, Dixon announced her departure from her judging role on Strictly Come Dancing, to pursue other projects.^[61] It was later announced that she left the panel to join the judging panel of Britain's Got Talent along with Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and David Walliams.^[62]

Months earlier, on 21 August 2011, after false reports emerged that Dixon would join The X Factor, another programme of Simon Cowell's and Strictly Come Dancing's ratings rival, Dixon stated in an interview: "I'm not ruling out working with Simon in the future but, at the moment, I am very happy at Strictly and I'm focusing on this year".^[63] Alison Boshoff the Daily Mail claimed, upon Dixon receiving her new judging role on Britain's Got Talent, that "Dixon has been pursuing Simon Cowell with almost embarrassing ardour for many months",^[64] referencing an interview conducted where Dixon was quoted as saying The X Factor was "more creative" than Strictly Come Dancing and a Tweet Dixon had made saying "Off to Syco now for a meeting."^[64] Boshoff called it a "a blatant play for a slot on one of Cowell's judging panels."^[64] Michael Hogan, of The Daily Telegraph, pointed out that "if rumours are to be believed, Dixon has more than tripled her salary by defecting to the commercial channel",^[65] a point made by various other sources; Dixon's manager Malcolm Blair stated that her decision to leave "was never about the money".^[66]

Artistry[link]

Musical style[link]

When Dixon first emerged into the public spotlight with Mis-Teeq, she was primarily the group's MC, whilst band-mate Sabrina Washington usually sang lead vocals on the records. Washington encouraged her to rap from the band's inception, saying: "When she started she was a bit shy, but I always said that it adds something, an element of difference. It was the first time I'd ever heard a woman MC and I was like, 'Alesha, you have got to do that,' and she was like 'No Bri, don’t make me look stupid'".^[67] However, when she began her solo career her first UK album, The Alesha Show, saw Dixon undergo a genre-shift. The album featured no rapping and was primarily pop, unlike Mis-Teeq's music, which focused mainly on garage and R&B. Dixon commented that the record consisted of "a lot more guitar-written songs with pop produced around it".^[23] Upon the release of The Entertainer Dixon stated that she had began rapping on her records again, saying "I think this album is the one people expected me to do when I left Mis-Teeq, it's a lot tougher and I'm MC-ing again".^[68]

Dixon, a songwriter and singer, often writes or co-writes her own records. Discussing the writing process of The Alesha Show she said, "I've written the majority of it and I co-write as well with a lot of people".^[23] Critics have suggested some of her songs are autobiographical, such as "To Love Again" (2009), co-written with Gary Barlow and John Shanks. Alison Maloney of The Sun said the ballad was "clearly about finding romance in the wake of her public split from husband Harvey".^[69] Barlow stated that Dixon has "a natural musical talent to not only perform but also create",^[70] also adding: "she wrote the lyrics really quickly and they seemed very real. I didn't really know she was such a good songwriter".^[71] Vocally, reviewer Andy Gill of The Independent suggested that Dixon's vocal strengths lie with more up-tempo songs, saying "the problem is that her bubbly personality (and voice) is simply not as well suited to ballads as to perky dancefloor anthems".^[72] However, The Guardian's Caroline Sullivan complemented her live vocals whilst reviewing her tour, The Alesha Show. She said, of her concert tour, that "it was her singing that made the impression: she's more powerful than you would imagine, and when pitted against her band at their most blaring, she more than held her own. While this was going on, she was being flung between two male hoofers, proving, if nothing else, that pop stars who claim they can't dance and sing simultaneously just aren't trying".^[73]

Influences[link]

Dixon has often cited Madonna as an influence, saying "Madonna is a big idol. I loved her when I was a young girl and I feel like I've been on a musical journey with her".^[74] Dixon's single "Let's Get Excited" namechecked the singer and her 1985 single "Into the Groove". Furthermore, the music video featured what Dixon described as "a Madonna tribute"^[75] featuring voguing throughout. Growing up, the first record Dixon ever bought was "Push It" by the hip hop group Salt-n-Pepa; she remarked "I didn't understand what they were talking about at the time [...] They were raw and did their own thing, and I loved that. I love artists who don't conform to what people expect of them".^[76]

Despite growing up in the predominantly white area of Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, Dixon's father Melvin would take her to the Notting Hill Carnival in London to allow her to experience some of her Jamaican heritage.^[77] The music she would heard at influenced her tastes, as she commented: "all the dancehall records I saved up to buy – Shabba Ranks, Buju Banton – I heard them at Notting Hill".^[77] Other major influences come from Lauryn Hill, with Rebecca Hardy of the Daily Mail commenting that after the breakdown of Dixon's marriage, "music, particularly Lauryn Hill's debut Grammy award-winning album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, helped her through her deepest despair".^[78] Dixon stated that "her album teaches you how to shed everything you've been programmed to think and start again".^[78] When asked during an interview who her favourite songwriter was, Dixon replied: "Lauryn Hill. I love Lauryn Hill because she is not scared to talk about real life. She may say things that are slightly controversial but she gets people thinking and gets people talking".^[79] Dixon has also named Neneh Cherry as great influence upon her. Cherry, a mixed race singer, inspired her from an early age, with Dixon saying, "I remember seeing Neneh Cherry on the TV when I was little and turning to my mum and saying, 'Mummy, she looks like me'".^[80]

Philanthropy[link]

Dixon has described herself and other celebrities as having a "moral responsibility" to do good works, when asked by The Observer's Elizabeth Day.^[81] Speaking in August 2010 to Blues & Soul Dixon said: "Being in the entertainment industry I do feel I have a responsibility that comes with my fame".^[82]

In 2009 Alesha climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania for Comic Relief. Joining her on the climb were Girls Aloud members Cheryl Cole and Kimberley Walsh, Ben Shephard, Ronan Keating, Fearne Cotton, Denise Van Outen, Chris Moyles and Gary Barlow, who had spearheaded the project.^[83] Together they raised over £3,500,000 towards helping combat malaria in Tanzania.^[84] Upon their return, the entire team met Prime Minister Gordon Brown at 10 Downing Street.^[85] In June 2009 Dixon became an official ambassador for the charity Help a London Child, stating that she felt "very honoured" to be asked.^[86]

Dixon is a patron of the African-Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT)^[87] which is a voluntary charity, whose main aim is to increase the number of Black and Mixed Parentage people on the UK Bone Marrow Register. The members of the ACLT freely volunteer their time in attempting to raise awareness in the Black community; enabling potential donors to come forward and be involved in the process of offering hope and a healthy future to someone whose disorder may otherwise prove fatal. Dixon has also backed Nickelodeon's See Something, Say Something campaign, a UK anti-bullying initiative.^[88] Alesha said: "Nickelodeon's See Something, Say Something campaign is extremely close to my heart, so I felt compelled to show my support. I was bullied as a child and know how important it is to tell someone about it".^[89] Dixon is Vice President of the League Against Cruel Sports, a charity which works to end cruelty to animals in the name of sport and featured in a charity appeal due to concerns that the Hunting Act 2004 could be repealed.^[90]

Other ventures[link]

Presenting[link]

Dixon has also presented many well-known shows in the UK, such as the MOBO Awards, CD:UK, ITV2's coverage of The Brit Awards and presented the Live From the Red Carpet show at the 62nd British Academy Film Awards for E!.^[91] She has also been a guest on BBC One's current affairs programme This Week on two occasions, in November 2006 and December 2007. In 2009 it was reported that Dixon was in talks with television companies about a possible chatshow.^[92] In 2008 and 2009 she co-presented Children in Need alongside Terry Wogan and Tess Daly.

She returned to present the telethon in 2011 alongside Fearne Cotton, Tess Daly and Terry Wogan.

In March 2010, she presented the Mister World 2010 pageant, which took place in Incheon, Korea.

Discography[link]

• 2006: Fired Up
• 2008: The Alesha Show
• 2010: The Entertainer

Tours[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]