Powick

Powick
The Red Lion
Powick
Powick shown within Worcestershire
OS grid reference	SO833513
Civil parish	Powick
District	Malvern Hills
Shire county	Worcestershire
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WORCESTER
Postcode district	WR2
Dialling code	01905

Police	West Mercia
Fire	Hereford and Worcester
Ambulance	West Midlands

EU Parliament	West Midlands
UK Parliament	West Worcestershire

Powick is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills district of Worcestershire, England, located two miles south of the city of Worcester and four miles north of Great Malvern. The parish includes the village of Callow End and the hamlets of Bastonford, Clevelode, Collett's Green, and Deblins Green.

Powick lies on the A449 and has two bridges across the River Teme, one ancient and one modern. The village contains a primary school, three pubs - The Crown, The Red Lion and The Three Nuns, a garage and a Chinese restaurant/takeaway. It is locally pronounced "Pow-ick" (the "ow" rhyming with the word "mow").

Powick Hospital

Collett's Green - the former hospital

A mile from the village towards Malvern was the site of the Victorian complex of the county psychiatric hospital, generally referred to as Powick Hospital. The hospital was notorious for its use of LSD in therapy and mistreatment of patients. Built in 1852, the hospital finally closed in 1989 and was mostly demolished shortly thereafter. The name Powick entered the local colloquialisms and became synonymous for mental disorder in many informal expressions relating to madness or stupidity.

Before he became England's most famous composer, in 1879 at the age of 22 Edward Elgar was appointed bandmaster of the asylum until about 1886, and wrote compositions for the asylum's band.

Powick Old Bridge

Powick Old Bridge over the River Teme

The old bridge across the Teme at Powick is late mediaeval with 17th-century alterations, built of sandstone with brick parapets. It is a grade I listed structure.^[1]

In 1642 the bridge was the scene of one of the very first skirmishes between Royalist and Parliamentarian soldiers in the English Civil War in what became known as the Battle of Powick Bridge. It was a short, sharp, but decisive cavalry engagement that resulted in a victory for the Royalists and showed the Parliamentarian cavalry their shortcomings, setting the tone for the early stages of the conflict. A long ballad gives a surprisingly detailed account of the battle.^[2]

The more famous Battle of Worcester later on in the war, in 1651, was fought in part in much the same locality close to the River Teme, when the two northern-piers of the bridge were destroyed by the Royalists. The church in Powick village was used by the Royalists as a lookout point as it commanded elevated views over the surrounding countryside and the bridge and its approaches. Its tower has a lot of pockmarks from small bore cannon balls which were fired by Parliamentarian gunners to deter the Scottish Royalist forces using the tower. They extend up the south face of the tower from as low as head height up to the top.

Victorian power station

Powick Mill

A former water mill, next to Powick Bridge, was converted in 1894 to become the world's first combined steam/hydro electric power station. Electricity from this mill provided about half the city of Worcester's needs. The Powick site continued generating until the 1950s. When it closed, it was converted into a laundry and has since been converted into residential apartments.

The site was chosen as a mill site from at least the 11th century, and very probably earlier than that. The mill leat was dug in 1291. A succession of water mills replaced each other throughout the Middle Ages and into the 16th century and later. The mill is a Grade II Listed Building.^[3]

Notable residents

John Wall was born at Powick in 1708.
Lord Alfred Douglas, was born at Ham Hill House in 1870

References

↑ "Powick Old Bridge (That Part Within the City of Worcester), Worcester". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
↑ Ballad of Powick Bridge Rump Songs (1662).
↑ "Powick Mills . A Grade II* Listed Building in Worcester, Worcestershire". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 20 June 2017.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Powick.

Settlements in Malvern Hills District
Towns	Malvern Tenbury Wells Upton-upon-Severn
Villages	Abberley Alfrick Pound Alfrick Astley Bank Street Barnards Green Baughton Bayton Berrow Green Berrow Birts Street Birtsmorton Bockleton Bowling Green Bransford Broadheath Broadwas Brockleton Bushley Callow End Castlemorton Clevelode Clifton-upon-Teme Clifton Cotheridge Croome D'Abitot Crowcroft Doddenham Draycott Dunley Dunstall Common Eardiston Earls Croome Eastham Eldersfield Frith Common Frog Pool Great Witley Grimley Guarlford Hallow Hanley Castle Hanley Child Hanley Swan Hanley William Harpley High Green Hill Croome Hillhampton Holdfast Hollybush Holt Heath Horsham Kempsey Kenswick Kerswell Green Knighton-upon-Teme Knightwick Kyre Leigh Sinton Leigh Lindridge Little Malvern Little Witley Longdon Lower Sapey Lulsley Madresfield Malvern Wells Mamble Martley Newland Newnham Bridge Noutard's Green Oldwood Pendock Pensax Poolbrook Powick Queenhill Ripple Rochford Rushwick Ryall Rye Cross Sankyns Green Severn Stoke Shelsley Walsh Shelsleys Shrawley Stanford-on-Teme Stockton-on-Teme Stoke Bliss Suckley Upper Broadheath Upper Welland Welland West Malvern Wichenford Wyche
Civil parishes	Civil parishes in the Malvern Hills district

Ceremonial county of Worcestershire
Boroughs or districts	Bromsgrove Malvern Hills Redditch Worcester Wychavon Wyre Forest
Major settlements	Bewdley Bromsgrove Droitwich Spa Evesham Kidderminster Malvern Pershore Redditch Stourport-on-Severn Tenbury Wells Upton-upon-Severn Worcester See also: List of civil parishes in Worcestershire
Rivers	Arrow Avon Salwarpe Severn Stour Teme
Canals	Droitwich Staffordshire & Worcestershire Worcester & Birmingham
Topics	Flag Cotswolds Malvern Hills Museums Parliamentary constituencies Places Population of major settlements Schools History SSSIs Country Houses Grade I listed buildings Grade II* listed buildings Lord Lieutenants High Sheriffs

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