Tenbury Wells

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Image:The Pump Rooms, Tenbury Wells.jpg
The Pump Rooms

Tenbury Wells is a small scenic market town in Worcestershire, England, lying on the south bank of the River Teme. It is known for its winter auctions of holly and mistletoe (and other Christmas products) [1] [2]and for its "chinese-gothic" Pump Room buildings, built in 1862, and recently restored.

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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.[3]. It has also been described as "... the remains of an 11th century Norman Castle."[4]

Originally named "Temettebury", the town was granted a Royal Charter to hold a market in 1249.[3] 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. [3] 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 because of its rounded shape.[5]

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.[6] One of the baths is on show at Tenbury Museum as is the drinking fountain from the Pump Rooms.[7]

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,[8] linking Tenbury to Burford, Shropshire was rebuilt by Thomas Telford following flood damage in 1795.[9]

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 in late 2006.[10][11]

Tenbury was also known as 'the town in the orchard' due to the large numbers of fruit orchards of apple trees and also pear, quince and plum trees, in the immediate vicinity of the town. 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 [12] The proposal continues to attract protests, most recently on August 9th, 2007. [13]

[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. 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.

The second flood caused the public toilets on Market Street to lose much of their support. 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


[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Carey, Jackie. "Tenbury Refuses to Kiss Goodbye to Mistletoe", BBC News, 2004-12-01. Retrieved on 2006-07-14. 
  2. ^ Tenbury Wells and the Teme Valley 2006 p2
  3. ^ a b c "Ten facts about Tenbury Wells", BBC News, 2006-05-03. Retrieved on 2006-07-14. 
  4. ^ Tenbury Wells and the Teme Valley, 2007, p8
  5. ^ Tenbury Wells and the Teme Valley 2006 p5
  6. ^ Tenbury Wells and the Teme Valley 2007 p2
  7. ^ Tenbury Wells and the Teme Valley 2007 p3
  8. ^ Tenbury Wells and the Teme Valley 2007 p5
  9. ^ Teme Valley Times Spring 2007 p2
  10. ^ Tenbury Wells and the Teme Valley 2006 p2
  11. ^ Teme Valley Times Festive Special 2006 p2
  12. ^ BBC News: Opposition to Power Station Accessed online: June 20, 2007
  13. ^ Worcester News: Protestors concern over power plant Accessed online: Aug 12, 2007

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 52°18′N, 2°35′W

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