Tenbury Wells

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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] and for its "chinese-gothic" Pump Room buildings.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Notable residents
4 Notes
5 External links

[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, though this is actually in Burford, Shropshire. Though the Tump is easily seen from the main road (A456) there are no visible remains of the castle, which may have been constructed to defend the original River Teme crossing.^[2]

Originally named "Temettebury", the town was granted a royal charter to hold a market in 1249.^[2] Over time, the name changed to "Tenbury", and then added the "Wells" following the discovery of mineral springs in the town in the 1840s. ^[2] 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 and Friday mornings in and around the town's Victorian era Round Market building. Designed by James Cranston, it is known as the Round Market because of its rounded shape.

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. One of the baths is on show at the town's museum, as is the drinking fountain from the Pump Rooms.

Other notable structures in Tenbury include the parish church with a Norman tower, the part-Mediaeval bridge over the River Teme, linking Tenbury to Burford, Shropshire and the Round Market, where markets are still held on Tuesday and Friday mornings. The town's Victorian era Workhouse, designed by 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.

Tenbury has a youth cafe, called Cafe 27, on Teme Street. Young people can go there to relax, meet friends, or get support and information from workers, in a safe and friendly environment exclusively for young people.

[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 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.