Powick

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Powick
The Red Lion, Powick - geograph.org.uk - 54093.jpg
The Red Lion
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Powick
Location within Worcestershire
OS grid reference SO833513
Civil parish
  • Powick
District
Shire county
Region
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
UK Parliament
  • West Worcestershire
List of places
UK
England
Worcestershire
52°09′41″N2°14′47″W / 52.161267°N 2.2463°W / 52.161267; -2.2463 Coordinates: 52°09′41″N2°14′47″W / 52.161267°N 2.2463°W / 52.161267; -2.2463

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.

Contents

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").

History

Powick Old Bridge

Powick Old Bridge over the River Teme Old Powick Bridge over the River Teme - geograph.org.uk - 795873.jpg
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 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.

Powick Hospital

Collett's Green - the former hospital Collett's Green - the former hospital - geograph.org.uk - 841795.jpg
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.

Victorian power station

Powick Mill Powick Mill - geograph.org.uk - 1279820.jpg
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

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Broadwas Human settlement in England

Broadwas, or Broadwas-on-Teme, is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills district of Worcestershire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 307. The village is located on the River Teme, about 6 miles west of Worcester on the A44 road.

Hanley Castle Human settlement in England

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Battle of Powick Bridge Battle of the First English Civil War

The Battle of Powick Bridge was a skirmish fought on 23 September 1642 just south of Worcester, England, during the First English Civil War. It was the first engagement between elements of the principal field armies of the Royalists and Parliamentarians. Sir John Byron was escorting a Royalist convoy of valuables from Oxford to King Charles's army in Shrewsbury and, worried about the proximity of the Parliamentarians, took refuge in Worcester on 16 September to await reinforcements. The Royalists despatched a force commanded by Prince Rupert. Meanwhile, the Parliamentarians sent a detachment, under Colonel John Brown, to try to capture the convoy. Each force consisted of around 1,000 mounted troops, a mix of cavalry and dragoons.

Clifton upon Teme Human settlement in England

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Callow End Human settlement in England

Callow End is a constituent village of the civil parish of Powick in the Malvern Hills District of Worcestershire, England. It is located on the B4424 road about 1 mile (1.6 km) to the south of its junction with the main A449 Malvern to Worcester road.

Worcestershire in the English Civil War

Worcestershire was the county where the first battle and last battle of the English Civil War took place. The first battle, the Battle of Powick Bridge, fought on 23 September 1642, was a cavalry skirmish and a victory for the Royalists (Cavaliers). The final battle, the battle of Worcester, fought on 3 September 1651, was decisive and ended the war with a Parliamentary (Roundhead) victory and King Charles II a wanted fugitive.

Ripple, Worcestershire Human settlement in England

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Lower Wick, Worcester Human settlement in England

Lower Wick is a suburb of Worcester situated to the south-west of the city. Lower Wick is located to the south of St. John's and to the west of the River Severn, adjacent to Powick. It is primarily composed of a 1960s housing estate made up of roads with a Canadian theme to their names, but there is a newer 1990s housing development where the roads are named after bird species.

Battle of Kings Norton

The Battle of Kings Norton was fought on 17 October 1642. The skirmish developed out of a chance encounter between Royalists under the command of Prince Rupert and Parliamentarians under the command of Lord Willoughby. Both forces had been on their way to join their respective armies which were later to meet at Edgehill in the first pitched battle of the First English Civil War. The Parliamentarians won the encounter and both forces proceeded to join their respective armies.

Battle of Upton A Battle that took place during the Third English Civil War

The Battle of Upton was fought on 28 August 1651 when a New Model Army detachment under the command of Colonel John Lambert made a surprise attack on Royalists defending the river Severn crossing at Upton-upon-Severn, 6 miles (9.7 km) below Worcester. In the action which followed the Royalist commander Major General Edward Massey was severely wounded and the surviving Royalists were driven out of the town and north along the Worcester Road.

References

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