Tenbury Wells
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tenbury Wells | |
  Tenbury Wells shown within Worcestershire |
|
| Population | 3.316 (2001)[1] |
|---|---|
| District | Malvern Hills |
| Shire county | Worcestershire |
| Region | West Midlands |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | TENBURY WELLS |
| Postcode district | WR15 |
| Dialling code | 01584 |
| Police | West Mercia |
| Fire | Hereford and Worcester |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| European Parliament | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | Leominster |
| List of places: UK • England • Worcestershire | |
Tenbury Wells is a small market town in Worcestershire, England, lying on the south bank of the River Teme. For over 100 years it was well-known for its winter auctions of holly and mistletoe (and other Christmas products), but these moved out of the town in 2007. [2] [3] It is also known for its "chinese-gothic" Pump Room buildings, built in 1862, which reopened in 2001, following a major restoration [1].
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[edit] History
The history of Tenbury Wells is thought to extend as far back as the Iron Age. The town is often thought of as the home to the Castle Tump, but this is now in Burford, Shropshire due to boundary changes. Though the Tump, believed to be the remains of an early Norman motte and bailey castle, is easily seen from the main road (A456) there are no visible remains of the castle, which may have been constructed to defend and control the original River Teme crossing.[4]. It has also been described as "... the remains of an 11th century Norman Castle."[5]
Originally named "Temettebury", the town was granted a Royal Charter to hold a market in 1249.[4] Over time, the name changed to "Tenbury", and then added the "Wells" following the discovery of mineral springs and wells in the town in the 1840s. [4] The name of the Railway station, which was on the now-defunct Tenbury & Bewdley Railway, was changed in 1912, in an attempt to publicise the mineral water being produced from the wells around the town.
Markets are held on Tuesday mornings, Friday mornings and most Saturday mornings, in and around the town's Victorian era Round Market building. Designed by James Cranston in the 1850s, it is known as the Round Market [2] because of its rounded shape.[6]
The most notable architectural feature in the town is the unique (often described as Chinese-Gothic) Pump Rooms, designed by James Cranston in the 1860s, to house baths where the mineral water was available.[7] One of the baths is on show at Tenbury Museum as is the drinking fountain from the Pump Rooms.[8]
Other notable structures in Tenbury include the parish church with a Norman tower, and a number of monuments.
The part-Mediaeval bridge over the River Teme,[9] linking Tenbury to Burford [3], Shropshire was rebuilt by Thomas Telford following flood damage in 1795.[10]
The Victorian era Workhouse, designed by George Wilkinson, is now used as Council Buildings. The Workhouse's infirmary survives, but the unique Victorian era corrugated iron isolation hospital was demolished on October 24th, 2006.[11][12]
Tenbury was also known as 'the town in the orchard' due to the large numbers of fruit orchards of apple trees and also pears, quince and plum trees, in the immediate vicinity of the town [4]. This heritage is revisited every October, when the Tenbury Applefest is held - see http://www.applefest.org.uk/
Orchards gay with blossom,
Beauty, there to see,
Hollows where breeze is tender,
Moorlands where wind breaks free;
Sowing, Lambing, and Harvest,
Overlooked by Giant Clee,
Hop Kilns, Farmsteads, and TENBURY,
This is happiness is for me.
[edit] Geography
Tenbury Wells lies on the south bank of the River Teme, which forms the border between Shropshire and Worcestershire. The settlement north of the river, which is in Shropshire (part of the South Shropshire district), is Burford.
From 1894 to 1974, it was a rural district, comprising itself and other villages such as Stoke Bliss, Eastham and Rochford. From 1974 to 1998, it was in the borough of Leominster. Since then in has been part of the Malvern Hills District.
[edit] Power Station
A proposal by Oxfordshire businessman C J Day to build a power station at Tenbury Wells has caused a lot of controversy and a petition against the scheme has attracted over 2300 signatures [13] The proposal continues to attract protests, most recently on August 9th, 2007. [14]
[edit] Local Flooding
Tenbury has been flooded on many occasions over several centuries, most recently on 26 June, 17 July and 20 to 22 July 2007. The first 2007 flood was caused by the River Teme and the Kyre Brook bursting their banks [5]. The second was caused by a combination of 15mm (0.59in) of rain falling in an hour and the town's drainage system (much of which was blocked) failing to cope, creating flash flooding. The third flood again involved the River Teme and the Kyre Brook bursting their banks [6].
The second flood caused the public toilets on Market Street to lose much of their foundation. The concrete raft the toilets were built on remained intact, but a lot of the ground beneath the raft was washed away, as was a section of wall. No replacement support for the toilets was provided and they capsized in the third flood when more of the ground was washed away. They were demolished on the morning of July 26th, 2007. http://www.bbc.co.uk/herefordandworcester/content/image_galleries/toilet_demolition_gallery.shtml?1 http://www.shropshirestar.co.uk/2007/07/flood-hit-toilets-demolished/
[edit] Notable past residents
- Harold "Barehands" Bates, officer in the Royal Navy.
- Henry Hill Hickman, pioneer of anaesthesia.
- Jason King, one half of the Virgin Radio duo JK and Joel.
- Frederick Ouseley, composer, organist and musical scholar.
- Peter Slade, http://www.english1.org.uk/pslade5.htm born 7 November 1912; died 28 June 2004, was the youngest "uncle" on BBC Radio Children's Hour and the first British dramatherapist. He opened his first arts centre in Tenbury Wells in 1940.
