Population, 2,900.
Market day--Saturday. Fair days--Last Tuesday in February, April 23rd,
the Monday before St. Ann's, second Tuesday in October, and December
11th.
Principal Hotels--The George, and the Wheatsheaf.
Bewdley is an ancient borough town, corporate and parliamentary,
returning one member. The place long ago obtained the appellation
"beautiful." Leland says, "because of its present site men first began
to resort there;" adding, "the towne itself of Bewdley is sett on the
side of a hille, so comely that a man cannot wishe to see a towne better.
It riseth from Severne banke by east, upon the hille by west, so that a
man standing on the hille _trans-pontem_ by east may discern almoste
every house in the towne; and att the rising of the sun from east, the
whole towne glittereth, being all of new building, as it were of gould."
Bewdley has been said to resemble the letter Y in form--the foot in the
direction of the river being more modern, and the extremities stretching
out against the hills the more ancient, portions. It was privileged as a
place of sanctuary when Wyre Forest was infested by men who lived merry
lives, and who did not refuse to shed their brothers' blood. It had the
privilege of taxing traders upon the Severn, as appears from a petition
presented by "the men of Bristowe and Gloucester" in the reign of Henry
IV., praying for exemption. It obtained its charter of incorporation
from Edward IV., and one granting the elective franchise from James I.
[Bewdley: 13.jpg]
Wribbenhall, on the same side the river as the station, is a hamlet
belonging to Kidderminster, from which town it is distant about three
miles. Bewdley and Wribbenhall are surrounded by pleasant spots, not a
few of which are occupied by mansions, handsome villas, and gentlemen's
seats, seen from the line.
Winterdyne is one of these; from dark rocks above the Severn it overlooks
the valley, and is surrounded by walks and grounds commanding magnificent
prospects, the one from the Fort being perhaps the most romantic. Lovers
of quiet rambles, anglers, or botanists, would do well to take up their
quarters at Bewdley, as a centre from which to explore the neighbourhood.
There are few more charming spots than Ribbesford, a mile lower down the
river; it is a sylvan bit of landscape, with grassy flats and weathered
cliffs, the latter, rising abruptly from the stream, being delicately
tinted into harmony with the boles, and foliage of the trees above them.
Opposite is Burlish Deep, noted for its pike.
[Pike: 14.jpg]
As at Worcester, the Severn here is a quiet, slow-flowing river. From
Gloucester to Bewdley the old gravelly fords and sandy shallows have
disappeared, and the "gentle art" has had to adapt itself to these
changes; fish once familiar to anglers are now strangers, rarely, if ever
seen on this side Gloucester; but the regulations enforced by the Severn
Fisheries Commission, and the vigilance of local associations, will, it
is hoped, soon be the means of repeopling the Severn with those members
of the finny tribe once common to its waters. Steam-tugs and trows,
propelled by screw or paddle, now navigate the river, each with a dozen
old-fashioned barges at its stern; but this portion of the Severn being
comparatively free, it is a favourite breeding place with pike, who for
reproductive purposes seek the stillest portions of the stream. Dowles
Ford, at the mouth of the brook of that name, which enters the river a
little above Bewdley, also Laxlane Ford, and Folly's Ford, are each
famous for their trout.
Leaving Bewdley, we pass the line of railway to Tenbury, but confine
ourselves to the Valley of the Severn, along which the river and the rail
are now close companions nearly all the way to Shrewsbury. The elevation
of the embankment above the river affords glimpses of Bewdley Forest, or,
as Drayton calls it, the Stately Wyre.
"These scenes are desert now and bare,
Where nourished once a forest fair;
When these waste glens with copse were lined,
And peopled with the hart and hind."
But portions of the district still are wooded, affording famous fields
for botanists. Seckley Wood comes down to meet the bold projecting rocks
above the river; and we have Eyemoor Wood and others right and left on
approaching Upper or Over Arley.