Bewdley
| Bewdley | |||
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| Coordinates | 52 ° 23 ′ N , 2 ° 19 ′ W | ||
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| Residents | 9178 (as of 2001) | ||
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| Post town | Bewdley | ||
| ZIP code section | DY12 | ||
| prefix | 01299 | ||
| Part of the country | England | ||
| Shire county | Worcestershire | ||
| District | Wyre Forest | ||
| British Parliament | Wyre Forest | ||
| Website: www.bewdley.org.uk | |||
Bewdley ( pronunciation ) is a small town in Worcestershire , England . It is located on the banks of the River Severn in the west of Kidderminster , has 10,689 inhabitants (2001) and belongs to the Wyre Forest district .
The city has existed for a very long time. It was first mentioned in the Domesday book along with the founding of Wribbenhall as part of the Kidderminster estate in the 14th century. First named as Beau lieu , French for “Beautiful place” - a term that fits well with John Leland's saying in his book Itinerary “a man cannot wish to see a towne better”. The city became a borough in 1472 , this status it retained until a local government reform in 1974. Bewdley is now part of the Wyre Forest District Council .
The current bridge over the River Severn at Bewdley was built by Thomas Telford in 1798 . It is the only originally preserved Telford Bridge that is approved for use with motor vehicles. There is speculation from local residents that this was only thanks to a "secret reinforcement operation" carried out during World War II to make the bridge passable for tanks if necessary.
The River Severn often overflows its banks in winter, flooding many homes and commercial establishments. Work to strengthen the western bank has been in progress for some time. For the time being there are no plans to significantly strengthen the east bank, as the cost-benefit factor does not allow this. However, it is being considered to use a temporary inflatable barrier to protect the east bank, which has been operational since April 2006. Bewdley's long experience in flood control led to the creation of a national flood forum in 2002.
Stanley Baldwin was from 1908 to 1937 Member of Parliament for Bewdley and three times (1923-1924 and 1924-1929 and 1935-1937) Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. In 1937 he was raised to the British hereditary nobility as Earl Baldwin of Bewdley .