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36-669: The Husmerae settled on the banks of the River Stour prior to 736. They probably took their name from Usmere, a pool on the boundary of Wolverley whose name in preserved in Ismere House in Churchill , Worcestershire. A source cited that the term was derived from British word udso , Welsh ws (water) and Old English mere. The tribe is mentioned only in the Ismere Diploma of 734, and subsequent charters relating to

72-486: A parish workhouse accommodating up to 80 inmates. Samuel Kenrick (1728–1811) moved to Bewdley in 1765 and lived there as a banker for the rest of his life. Throughout that time he wrote lengthy letters to his old Glasgow University friend, Rev. James Wodrow, minister in Stevenston, Ayrshire. Their correspondence contains many insights into life in late eighteenth-century Bewdley. For example, Kenrick described one of

108-556: A distinguished music scene. It is particularly well known for its intimate country music venues and its many local festivals including the One Earth Festival, Bewdley music festival, Arley festival, and Bewdley Live. Former Led Zeppelin lead, and now solo singer, Robert Plant lives in the nearby village of Upper Arley , and has been known to perform in the River Rooms; a small, intimate country music venue above

144-498: A grant by King Æthelbald of Mercia to build a monastery in the location. This article related to the history of England is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Wolverley Wolverley is a village; with nearby Cookley (1 mi northeast), it forms a civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire , England . It is 2 miles north of Kidderminster and lies on

180-596: A hearth, gullies and a pit. This site has been dated to roughly 6,800 BC, making it the oldest settlement yet identified in Worcestershire. Pollen evidence shows that crops were already being grown and woodlands cleared at this time. The settlement of Wribbenhall, on the eastern side of the Severn, and now part of Bewdley, was recorded in the Domesday Book as being part of the manor of Kidderminster . By

216-587: A local organisation. The Labour Party held the seat from 1997 to 2001. The River Severn often used to flood in winter, damaging many houses and commercial premises in Bewdley. Among the worst floods in living memory were those in 1947, 1968 and 2000, where 140 properties were affected but after the 2000 floods, plans were made for flood defences on the western bank, completed in April 2006, costing £7 million. Temporary barriers are also put up to protect properties on

252-593: A new secondary school. It provides facilities for the arts, science and outdoor learning to students. The Bewdley Sixth Form is also part of The Bewdley School , collectively offering GCSE and A Level courses. In 2019, The Bewdley School won 'Secondary School of the Year' at the Worcestershire Educational Awards. Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central . Television signals are received from

288-614: A parish priest in the village in the Domesday Book (1086). A church on the site of the current parish church site has been in deanery of Kidderminster since the 13th Century. The current building was consecrated on 20 September 1772, and belongs to the Church of England. The current clergyman with responsibility is The Revd Shaun Armstrong. Wolverley was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 under an ancient spelling of Ulwardelie. The Worcester Member of Parliament John Atte Wode

324-414: A state run secondary school. However, the junior wing, Heathfield Knoll School , continued in existence and now includes pupils up to 16. Over the years the endowment left by William Sebright has grown to millions of pounds, and the original scope of the educational foundation he set up has been broadened to include grants to local schools, and to former pupils of those schools. Wolverley Lower Mill, which

360-647: Is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District in Worcestershire , England, on the banks of the River Severn . It is in the Severn Valley , and is 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Kidderminster , 10 miles (16 km) north of Worcester and 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Birmingham . It lies on the River Severn , at the gateway of the Wyre Forest national nature reserve, and at

396-533: Is notable for its width: it once also served as the town's market place . Most of Bewdley's shops and amenities are situated along Load Street, at the top of which lies St Anne 's Church, built between 1745 and 1748 by Doctor Thomas Woodward of Chipping Campden . Beyond the church, High Street leads off to the south towards Stourport along the B4194, a road known locally as "the switchback " because of its many sharp curves. Unlike in many English towns, High Street

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432-485: Is now governed by three tiers of local government, in increasing order of size: Bewdley town council , Wyre Forest district council , and Worcestershire county council . For many centuries Bewdley had its own Member of Parliament (MP), most notably Stanley Baldwin , who served as the Conservative Prime Minister, who represented it from 1908 to 1937. Reflecting changes in population, in 1950

468-614: Is recorded as holding land at Wolverley prior to 1357. According to ancient legend a crusading member of the Attwood family was rescued from a dungeon and returned to his home Wolverley Court by a swan. Wolverley was the birthplace of William Sebright, who as a Town Clerk of London accumulated an estate in Bethnal Green , which he left in his will of 1620 for the foundation of a grammar school in Wolverley. The site of

504-423: Is served by the local newspapers, The Shuttle . and Express & Star . Bewdley also hosts one of the largest inland river regattas in the country. The Bewdley Beer Festival is held each August Bank Holiday weekend. Bewdley also has an annual carnival which takes place every June. The Bewdley Festival, featuring a variety of artistic performances, is held annually in the town each October. Bewdley has

540-497: Is so called not because of its importance to commerce, but because of its geographical position 'high' above the river. On the west side of the church, the B4190, named Welch Gate within town limits (so called because it once contained a tollgate on the road towards Wales), climbs steeply up to the west, giving access to the south side of the Wyre Forest . Dowles Road, a continuation of the B4194, leads northwest to Button Oak , along

576-657: The Battle of Dyrham in 577, the Ismere Diploma suggests that Husmerae is the ancient name for area, although uncertainty over its provenance leave the origins of the name open to question. It was specifically referred to as the province south of the Mercian heartlands and was considered an extensive folk territory. A historical description cited it as the area next to the River Stour in a charter records that detailed

612-678: The Bewdley constituency was abolished, and the town was included in the Kidderminster constituency . In 1983, the Kidderminster constituency (including Bewdley) was absorbed into the Wyre Forest constituency . The MP for Wyre Forest is Mark Garnier of the Conservative Party , who in 2010 unseated the incumbent, Richard Taylor of Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern (often simply Health Concern ),

648-465: The River Stour and the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal . At the time of the 2001 census, it had a population of 2,096. The village has also been known as "Overley" at various times. There are 13 Listed Buildings within Wolverley, three of which are grade II* . One of the unusual features of the area are rooms cut into the sandstone cliffs behind some of the houses. In the centre of

684-489: The Sutton Coldfield TV transmitter and the local relay transmitter situated in Kidderminster . Local radio stations are BBC Hereford and Worcester , Heart West Midlands , Radio Wyvern , Capital Mid-Counties , Greatest Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire , Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire , Smooth West Midlands and, previously, The Wyre , a community based station. The town

720-428: The 14th century, the town had come to be known as Beau lieu , French for "Beautiful place". Two centuries later John Leland wrote in his Itinerary that "a man cannot wish to see a towne better". Bewdley was granted borough status, as well as a weekly market, by King Edward IV in 1472. It retained this status until the local government reorganisation in 1974. A parliamentary report of 1777 listed Bewdley as having

756-756: The Bewdley bypass across the river. The Tenbury and Bewdley Railway branched off the Severn Valley Railway at Bewdley, and ran through the Wyre Forest to Tenbury Wells . It crossed the river at Dowles , over a bridge designed by William Clarke, a little to the north of Bewdley. This bridge was abandoned and dismantled in 1965, although its imposing brick and stone pillars remain. It was originally opened 100 years earlier, in August 1865. Three state schools are located in Bewdley. Of these, two are primary schools : St Anne's CE Primary School on

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792-571: The Cock and Magpie pub on the north riverside. The River Rooms attract country, soul, rock, jazz and pop performers from all across Europe and North America . Bewdley remains a significant centre for country music within the United Kingdom . The West Midlands Safari Park is located nearby on the A456 towards Kidderminster. Until the office moved in 2014 to Kidderminster, Bewdley contained

828-457: The annual visits to the town by the Methodist preacher, Rev. John Wesley , who "has a little flock in this town whom he statedly visits in his regular excursions …. Sometimes he comes accompanied with the noise & parade of half a score horsemen, preceding his chariot, who set our whole streets in a gaze …. His friends consist of serious well disposed people of all denominations, who go under

864-475: The closure of Bewdley Grammar School, Bewdley High School & Sixth Form Centre was built on the opposite side of the river with new buildings. In 2007, Bewdley High School closed after 54 years due to an educational tier change that reorganised education as primary and secondary schools. All high schools were being replaced by new secondary schools. In 2007, after new construction, landscaping, building refurbishments and extensions, The Bewdley School opened as

900-613: The east and northeast side of the Wyre Forest. To the northeast of the town is the wooded hilltop of Wassel Wood in Trimpley, the southern terminus of Shatterford Hill . In the area between Stourport and Bewdley are several large country houses . Witley Court , Astley Hall , and Pool House are considered particularly significant. Mesolithic -period settlers have been identified through excavations in Wribbenhall, which found 1,400 fragments of flint tools, as well as post holes,

936-531: The eastern side of the river in Wribbenhall. Bewdley's long experience of dealing with flooding resulted in the National Flood Forum being held in the town in 2002. Bewdley Bridge over the Severn was built in 1798 by Thomas Telford . It was erected to replace the 1483 medieval bridge that was swept away in the floods of 1795. A modern road bridge, opened to the southeast of the town at Blackstone in 1987 after many decades of campaigning, carries

972-514: The headquarters of the Severn Valley Railway . This heritage railway runs the 16 miles (26 km) between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth . Bewdley remains the principal intermediate station on the line. The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Gardens (usually abbreviated to simply "Jubilee Gardens") are located just off the High Street. Bewdley is on the southeastern edge of the Wyre Forest , and there are many footpaths and cycle routes through

1008-568: The name of Methodists." (Samuel Kenrick to James Wodrow, 20 March, 1786). The borough had a population of 7,458 in 1841. During the Second World War , Ribbesford House in Bewdley was used as the headquarters for the Free French officer cadets. The cadets consisted of 200 teenagers who undertook military training at Ribbesford House until they joined with other allied forces in the D Day invasion. The former quayside on

1044-523: The original Wolverley Grammar School is still in the centre of the village: the grammar school changed its name to Sebright School in 1931 when it moved to a new site. The new school was opened by Bewdley -born Stanley Baldwin . Between 1948 and 1970 Sebright was a public school , and from 1965 to 1969 the sculptor Fritz Steller was the Head of Art. Sebright School closed in 1970 and reopened as Wolverley High School, now called Wolverley C E Secondary School ,

1080-581: The same property until 964, when Usmere occurs on the boundary of Cookley in Wolverley. This charter was for the foundation of a coenubium ( minster ). That minster was probably at Kidderminster , quite probably occupying the site of the parish church there. Although the Husmerae may have been of West Saxon origin, settling into the area some time after the West Saxon defeat of the Britons at

1116-469: The time of the 2021 census had a population of 9,267. Bewdley is a popular tourist destination and is known for the Bewdley Bridge , designed by Thomas Telford , and the well-preserved Georgian riverside. The main part of Bewdley town is situated on the western bank of the River Severn , including the main street—Load Street. Its name derives from lode , an old word for ferry . Load Street

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1152-465: The village, next to the Queen's Head Public House car-park are some caves which reflect this usage. Wolverley has one of the few remaining animal pounds in the area. Woverley's Church of England and parish church is dedicated to St. John. It is claimed as a tradition that there has been a church or chapel on the site since Anglo-Saxon times. The first documented evidence of a church was the mention of

1188-464: The west side of town and Bewdley Primary School in Wribbenhall on the eastern side of the Severn. Both were founded in 2007 when the region returned to a two-tier education system, replacing the former first and middle schools. The single secondary school is The Bewdley School . The Bewdley Grammar School on Lax Lane closed in the 1800s. Since then, the former grammar school has been adapted for many art galleries and art and craft activities. After

1224-417: The western bank of the river has been much upgraded and landscaped over the last few decades. Its rows of Georgian townhouses and buildings are well seen from Telford 's bridge. Since the completion of the flood defences in 2006 (see below), a "Civic Space" has been introduced to replace the old bandstand . It is used on a variety of occasions, including the twice monthly Bewdley Riverside Market. Bewdley

1260-511: The woodlands. A visitor centre is situated just outside Bewdley at Callow Hill on the road to Cleobury Mortimer , the head of many waymarked trails through the forest. Knowles Mill , a former corn mill owned by the National Trust is located within the forest. The Bewdley Museum explores the history of the town and surrounding areas; it is located in the former butchers' shambles just behind Bewdley Guildhall . Just outside Bewdley

1296-522: Was established in 1670 by Philip Foley and Joshua Newborough, helped the village play a key role in the early tinplate industry. The village was also the birthplace of John Baskerville , the celebrated printer (1706–1775). During the Second World War the US Army Medical Corps opened its award-winning 52nd general hospital at Wolverley Camp. Bewdley Bewdley ( / ˈ b juː d l i / BEWD -lee )

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