Handbook to the Severn Valley Railway | Page 4

state of the
buildings, many of which are broken-backed, twisted, and
contorted--although the intermediate earth is about 200 feet in
thickness. The place, therefore, has a sort of downcast look, and the
streets have a melancholy appearance; whilst the sheds of the brine
works, made to appear more murky by contrast with heaps of white salt
refuse, suggest the thought that the town has gone into mourning.
Exception must be taken to St. Peter's Church, which stands outside the
town, and is surrounded by green fields, with no building near, except
an exceedingly dilapidated half- timbered mansion, the property of
Lord Somers. Tradition says that this church once adjoined the town,
but that the latter shifted in the direction of the springs; if so, the
injunction over the doorway, to "Remember Lot's wife," seems a
strange rebuke, if intended for the inhabitants. The building has many
features of interest, the Norman, the Transition, and subsequent styles

of architectural decoration being observable.
[Westwood house: 10.jpg]
The old town has an interesting charity, founded by Lord Coventry, for
the support of poor people, and the education of poor children. The
almshouses, which have recently been rebuilt, and are eighteen in
number, are commodious and convenient, with garden plots at the back;
whilst the inmates have 3s. 6d. per week, or 5s. if upwards of 70 years
of age, beside clothing. Connected with these is an infirmary, in which
at the time of our visit were three old ladies, who looked particularly
clean and comfortable, and whose ages were respectively 83, 89, and
93.
On a red marlstone cliff, {11} rising above the river Salwarp, and
overlooking the town of Droitwich, is the church of Dodderhill,
belonging to the parish of that name. It gave shelter to the Royalists
during the civil wars, and suffered much from an attack of the
Parliamentary forces, who battered down its nave and tower. The
former has never been rebuilt, and the latter, instead of being placed in
the position it formerly held, has been made to fill up the south
transept.
On the left of the line is the seat of Sir John Packington, the present
member for Droitwich. It may be reached from the town by a pleasant
walk; first by the side of the canal and river, and then through the park.
Westwood was given by Henry VIII. to an ancestor of the present
baronet, in consequence of his residence at Hampton Lovett having
been injured during the civil wars; and the house is one of the most
interesting specimens of Elizabethan architecture in the kingdom. The
railway passes Hampton Lovett church, near which are neat model
cottages erected by Sir John; and at a distance of eleven miles from
Worcester we arrive at

HARTLEBURY.

Hartlebury, which is about a mile from the station, has been for a
thousand years the residence of the bishops of Worcester; the old castle
having remained entire until the middle of the 17th century, when, from
having given shelter to the Royalists, it became a heap of ruins, and the
present palace was erected in its stead. It is approached by a noble
avenue of limes, and is surrounded by pleasure-gardens, fashioned out
of its ancient moat, one portion of which is still a quiet lake. It has a
park with well-timbered tracts adjoining, one of which is called the
Bishop's Wood, and near which is the famous Mitre Oak.

STOURPORT
Derives its name from the great basins constructed by Brindley upon
the canal, and also from the river Stour, which here enters the Severn.
The advantages of position led to the erection of large manufacturing
establishments on the spot. Steam has been brought to aid the Stour,
whose waters are pounded back to create a capital of force to turn great
wheels that spin, and weave, and grind; whilst iron works, vinegar
works, and tan works, upon a large scale, have also sprung into
existence. On the opposite bank of the Severn, about three-quarters of a
mile from Stourport, is Arley Kings, or Lower Arley; and about a mile
lower down the river is Redstone Cliff, in which is the famous
hermitage of Layamon, a monkish historian of the 13th century, who is
said to have composed a "Chronicle of Britain," embracing that
mythical period extending from Brute to Cadwallader.
On leaving Stourport, the traveller passes Burlish Common, and
plunging into a deep cutting, terminated by a dark tunnel, emerges in
sight of the little town of

BEWDLEY.
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."