Stourport-on-Severn
Encyclopedia
Stourport-on-Severn, often shortened to Stourport, is a town
and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District
of North Worcestershire
, England
, a few miles to the south of Kidderminster
and down stream on the River Severn
from Bewdley
. Stourport lies on the River Severn
, and at the time of the 2001 census
had a population of 19,713.
In 2006, Stourport-on-Severn was granted Fairtrade Town
status.
Before the creation of the new port town of Stourport-on-Severn, the hamlet now engulfed by the development of the basins
was called Lower Mitton.
The name Stourport-on-Severn is derived from the port by the River Stour, on the River Severn, the confluence
of the Stour and the Severn is next to the basins area behind what was the Bond Worth carpet factory.
Before the completion of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal
, in 1772, it consisted of two small communities, Upper and Lower Mitton at the junction of the River Severn
and the River Stour
. The town of Stourport grew up around the canal basins and the locks between the canal and the river, and for 150 years was the principal location for the trans-shipment of goods from the canal boats into the river-going craft called Severn trow
s. The central district of the town supported boat and barge building, foundries and carpet manufacturers.
Local trade suffered badly with the construction of the Worcester & Birmingham Canal, completed in 1815. The new railways also further reduced the canal trade. Stourport suffered an economic decline. The new town that expanded so rapidly after 1770 was already virtually defunct in the early 19th century.
Porcelain
for coal
and Cadbury of Bournville
for chocolate crumb.
The church of St Michael and All Angels was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott
in 1875, shortly before his death. Building work started in 1881 under his son, John Oldrid Scott
, but was never finished. Scott's building has been partly demolished to be replaced by a new church. The George Gilbert Scott church replaced an earlier brick church of 1782 by James Rose.
The town is in the Wyre Forest parliamentary constituency
. The current MP is Mark Garnier of the Conservative Party who was elected at the 2010 general election.
During the late 19th century, Stourport became a popular summer destination for the industrial workers of the West Midlands conurbation
, who came for its riverside pleasure parks, boat trips, and caravan parks. Since the end of the Second World War
, and the nationalisation of the canal system Stourport has been in steady decline. However the growth in leisure boating and canal barge ownership and holidays has seen the revitalisation of the central canal basins.
Extensive housebuilding away from the town centre has taken place since the 1920s, around the main roads which link the town with Kidderminster
, Worcester
and Bewdley
. Several primary schools have also been built, as well as the town's secondary school - The Stourport High School & VIth Form Centre
.
, in Paris
France
. On Mitton Street is the well tended twin town garden.
club is Stourport Boat Club
Stourport Boat Club was founded in 1876, when Boating was the main pastime, which is the primary reason why it is still known as a Boat Club, and not a Rowing Club.
The club caters for a wide range of ages from 11+. The club has a very strong Junior section (Under 18), a very competitive Senior section (18+) and a healthy Veteran section (30+). The 2 day Regatta held every year in August attracts over 600 crews from all over the country to compete. The event attracts many spectators and supporters and 3,000 visitors are catered for over the weekend.
The local football
club is Stourport Swifts F.C.
.
The local hockey
club is Stourport Hockey Club.
Stourport Hockey Club have been playing National League Hockey since the inception of the National League, and run 7 men's teams, 4 ladies teams, and have a huge Junior membership involved in boys and girls hockey at U11, U13, U15, U18 and Badgers Leagues. Offering great hockey and an active social calendar for members of any age or ability.
The local rugby team is called Stourport RFC
through some beautiful countryside and passing through Bewdley
at about half way.
First weekend of September is Stourport Carnival which as well as a land parade has a river parade during the day and after dark another river parade with the boats decked out in lights. It has its own website and facebook page available at www.stourportcarnival.co.uk
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District
Wyre Forest (district)
This article is about the local government district in WorcestershireWyre Forest is a local government district in Worcestershire, England, covering the towns of Kidderminster, Stourport-on-Severn and Bewdley, and several civil parishes and their villages...
of North Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, a few miles to the south of Kidderminster
Kidderminster
Kidderminster is a town, in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre and approximately fifteen miles north of Worcester city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town...
and down stream on the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
from Bewdley
Bewdley
Bewdley is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England, along the Severn Valley a few miles to the west of Kidderminster...
. Stourport lies on the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
, and at the time of the 2001 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
had a population of 19,713.
In 2006, Stourport-on-Severn was granted Fairtrade Town
Fairtrade Town
Fairtrade Town is a status awarded by a recognized Fairtrade certification body describing an area which is committed to the promotion of Fairtrade certified goods...
status.
History and early growth
Canals of the United Kingdom
The canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a colourful history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's role for recreational boating...
was called Lower Mitton.
The name Stourport-on-Severn is derived from the port by the River Stour, on the River Severn, the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the Stour and the Severn is next to the basins area behind what was the Bond Worth carpet factory.
Before the completion of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal
Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal
The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal is a narrow navigable canal in the English Midlands, passing through the counties of Staffordshire and Worcestershire....
, in 1772, it consisted of two small communities, Upper and Lower Mitton at the junction of the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
and the River Stour
River Stour, Worcestershire
The Stour is a river flowing through the counties of Worcestershire, the West Midlands and Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England. The Stour is a major tributary of the River Severn, and it is about in length...
. The town of Stourport grew up around the canal basins and the locks between the canal and the river, and for 150 years was the principal location for the trans-shipment of goods from the canal boats into the river-going craft called Severn trow
Trow
A trow was a type of cargo boat found in the past on the rivers Severn and Wye in Great Britain and used to transport goods. The mast could be taken down so that the trow could go under bridges, such as the bridge at Worcester and the many bridges up and downstream. The mast was stepped in a three...
s. The central district of the town supported boat and barge building, foundries and carpet manufacturers.
Local trade suffered badly with the construction of the Worcester & Birmingham Canal, completed in 1815. The new railways also further reduced the canal trade. Stourport suffered an economic decline. The new town that expanded so rapidly after 1770 was already virtually defunct in the early 19th century.
Decline
The canal locally was used by a declining number of companies and by the 1940s only two companies used it to any extent, Royal WorcesterRoyal Worcester
Royal Worcester is believed to be the oldest remaining English pottery brand still in existence today.-Overview:Royal Worcester is a British brand known for its history, provenance and classically English collections of porcelain...
Porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
for coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and Cadbury of Bournville
Bournville
Bournville is a model village on the south side of Birmingham, England, best known for its connections with the Cadbury family and chocolate – including a dark chocolate bar branded "Bournville". It is also a ward within the council constituency of Selly Oak and home to the Bournville Centre...
for chocolate crumb.
The church of St Michael and All Angels was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott
George Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches, cathedrals and workhouses...
in 1875, shortly before his death. Building work started in 1881 under his son, John Oldrid Scott
John Oldrid Scott
John Oldrid Scott was an English architect.He was the son of Sir George Gilbert Scott and Caroline née Oldrid. His brother George Gilbert Scott Junior and nephew Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, were also prominent architects. He married Mary Ann Stevens in 1868, eldest daughter of the Reverend Thomas...
, but was never finished. Scott's building has been partly demolished to be replaced by a new church. The George Gilbert Scott church replaced an earlier brick church of 1782 by James Rose.
Government
Stourport is part of the Wyre Forest District, but has its own town council.The town is in the Wyre Forest parliamentary constituency
Wyre Forest (UK Parliament constituency)
Wyre Forest is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
. The current MP is Mark Garnier of the Conservative Party who was elected at the 2010 general election.
Redefinition and redevelopment
West Midlands conurbation
The West Midlands conurbation is the name given to the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the large towns of Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge, Halesowen in the English West Midlands....
, who came for its riverside pleasure parks, boat trips, and caravan parks. Since the end of the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and the nationalisation of the canal system Stourport has been in steady decline. However the growth in leisure boating and canal barge ownership and holidays has seen the revitalisation of the central canal basins.
Extensive housebuilding away from the town centre has taken place since the 1920s, around the main roads which link the town with Kidderminster
Kidderminster
Kidderminster is a town, in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre and approximately fifteen miles north of Worcester city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town...
, Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
and Bewdley
Bewdley
Bewdley is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England, along the Severn Valley a few miles to the west of Kidderminster...
. Several primary schools have also been built, as well as the town's secondary school - The Stourport High School & VIth Form Centre
The Stourport High School & VIth Form Centre
The Stourport Academy & VIth Form Centre, formerly known as the Stourport High School and Language College, opened to students in 1956 as an 11-18 school. The starting age was increased to 13 during the 1970s, and was reverted back to 11 in 2007 . The school is located in the town of...
.
Notable people
- Alfred Baldwin, the father of Stanley BaldwinStanley BaldwinStanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...
, Prime MinisterPrime ministerA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
was born on 4 June 1841 in Lombard Street. He later became MP for BewdleyBewdley (UK Parliament constituency)Bewdley was the name of a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1605 until 1950. Until 1885 it was a parliamentary borough in Worcestershire, represented by one Member of Parliament; the name was then transferred to a county constituency from 1885 until...
, he was owner of the foundry at the end Lombard Street which is now the site of the County Buildings containing the Library, Health Centre, Police Station and CoronerCoronerA coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
s Court. He also became Chairman of the Great Western RailwayGreat Western RailwayThe Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
. - Stanley BaldwinStanley BaldwinStanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...
himself lived at Astley Hall near the town at the time of his death in 1947. - Tom BreakwellTom BreakwellThomas "Tom" Breakwell was an English professional footballer. A left half, he played for four Football League clubs in the 1930s.-Career:...
, professional footballer. - Philip ElsmorePhilip ElsmorePhilip Elsmore in Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire) was a continuity announcer on Thames Television between its inception in 1968 and the station's demise in 1992, having made both the first and last continuity announcements for the station...
, Thames TelevisionThames TelevisionThames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
continuity announcer, was born in Stourport. - Ashley HamesAshley HamesAshley Martyn Hames is an English television presenter, director and writer.-Presenting & Direction:...
, presenter and director. - Eliot Howard, ornithological author.
- George Nicholson, settled in Stourport in 1808, until his death in 1825. He was a nationally known printer of the time. His printing press was at 15 Bridge Street, on the corner of Raven Street, and his premises are a listed building.
- Neil Richardson, composer.
- Ray ThomasRay ThomasRay Thomas is an English musician, best known as the flautist and as a singer and composer in the rock band, The Moody Blues.-Career:...
, singer, composer and flautist for the Moody Blues. - Clifford T. WardClifford T. WardClifford Thomas Ward was a popular English singer-songwriter, best known for his career as a solo artist.-Early life:...
, singer-songwriter, was born 1944 in Stourport.
Twin town
The town is twinned with the commune of Villeneuve-le-RoiVilleneuve-le-Roi
Villeneuve-le-Roi is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.Paris-Orly Airport is partially located in the commune.-Twin towns:...
, in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. On Mitton Street is the well tended twin town garden.
Sport
The local rowingRowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
club is Stourport Boat Club
Stourport Boat Club was founded in 1876, when Boating was the main pastime, which is the primary reason why it is still known as a Boat Club, and not a Rowing Club.
The club caters for a wide range of ages from 11+. The club has a very strong Junior section (Under 18), a very competitive Senior section (18+) and a healthy Veteran section (30+). The 2 day Regatta held every year in August attracts over 600 crews from all over the country to compete. The event attracts many spectators and supporters and 3,000 visitors are catered for over the weekend.
The local football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club is Stourport Swifts F.C.
Stourport Swifts F.C.
Stourport Swifts are a football team from Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire and one of the oldest non-league teams in the country. The Swifts gained promotion to the Southern League Division One West in 2001 from the Midland Alliance, and currently play at Walshes Meadow in the town.In the year...
.
The local hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
club is Stourport Hockey Club.
Stourport Hockey Club have been playing National League Hockey since the inception of the National League, and run 7 men's teams, 4 ladies teams, and have a huge Junior membership involved in boys and girls hockey at U11, U13, U15, U18 and Badgers Leagues. Offering great hockey and an active social calendar for members of any age or ability.
The local rugby team is called Stourport RFC
Local events
Early May sees the Arley to Stourport Raft Race run by the Lions Club in aid of local charities. Rafts fall into various classes, some competing just for fun, and others such as the Super Rafts intent of the fastest possible time. It runs along 8 miles of the River SevernRiver Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
through some beautiful countryside and passing through Bewdley
Bewdley
Bewdley is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England, along the Severn Valley a few miles to the west of Kidderminster...
at about half way.
First weekend of September is Stourport Carnival which as well as a land parade has a river parade during the day and after dark another river parade with the boats decked out in lights. It has its own website and facebook page available at www.stourportcarnival.co.uk
External links
- River Stour
- The Shuttle Local weekly newspaper serving Stourport
- The River Severn
- photos of Stourport-on-Severn and surrounding area on geograph
- Photos of Stourport-on-Severn on Flickr's Stourport Group