Upton-upon-Severn
Coordinates: 52°03′47″N 2°12′54″W / 52.063°N 2.215°W
| Upton-upon-Severn | |
Apr2006.jpg) High Street |
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 Upton-upon-Severn
Upton-upon-Severn shown within Worcestershire |
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| Population | 2,859 (2001) |
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| OS grid reference | SO852405 |
| - London | 114 miles (183 km) |
| Civil parish | Upton-upon-Severn |
| District | Malvern Hills |
| Shire county | Worcestershire |
| Region | West Midlands |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Worcester |
| Postcode district | WR8 |
| Dialling code | 01684 |
| Police | West Mercia |
| Fire | Hereford and Worcester |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| EU Parliament | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | West Worcestershire |
| List of places: UK • England • Worcestershire | |
Upton-upon-Severn (or Upton-on-Severn) is a small town and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District of Worcestershire, England, on the River Severn. According to the national census 2001 it had a population of 2,859.[1] Located 5 miles (8.0 km) from Malvern, the bridge at Upton is the only one across the river Severn between Worcester and Tewkesbury. The present bridge was built in 1940.[2] Upton was founded in 897.[citation needed] Oliver Cromwell's soldiers crossed the Severn here before the Battle of Worcester in the English Civil War.[citation needed] The town has a distinctive tower and copper-clad cupola known locally as the Pepperpot and the only surviving remnant of a former church.[3]
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[edit] Town today
The 2005 population is about 3,000.[1] It is in the West Worcestershire parliamentary constituency.
Low lying areas of Upton suffered serious flooding in 2000. In the 2007 United Kingdom floods, levels exceeded those in 2000, and the town was inaccessible by road.[4] The town has been dubbed 'Upton under Severn'. However it should be borne in mind that the overall proportion of properties that were flooded remains low - the large majority of properties in Upton were not flooded.
The town has three major music festivals, with the spring folk festival, and the summer jazz and blues festivals.[5]
Upton is the home of The White Lion Hotel, a 16th Century Coaching Inn, where parts of the building date back to 1510. The building has undergone many transformations over the centuries and is easily found on the high street due to its distinctive portico, adorned with its very own lion. Reputed to have played a part in the English Civil War, where soldiers from both sides are alleged to have enjoyed the hospitality of this popular local hostelry prior to the Battle of Worcester. Guests of the hotel can stay in rooms referred to in books VII and VIII of Henry Fielding's classic 1749 novel "Tom Jones" in which he refers to the hotel as "A house of exceeding good repute".,[6] these rooms retain many of their original features.
Upton on Severn Sports Field is the home of Upton on Severn Rugby Club, as well as being used for Welland Junior Swifts matches and other community functions.
[edit] Notable people
- Maximillion Cooper, founder and CEO of the Gumball 3000 rally and lifestyle brand, grew up in Upton
- John Dee, an English mathematician, astronomer and astrologer, was presented the lay rectorship of Upton upon Severn in 1553.[7]
- Nigel Mansell, Formula One world champion, born in Upton
- Mercy Maris, wife of Philip Doddridge, non-conformist minister, was born here
- William Tennant, a bust of whom is located in the town centre, in the grounds of The Pepperpot. William Tennant served in the Royal Navy in both World Wars and was the British Commander on the beaches at Dunkirk, during the evacuation of 300,000 British and French troops, fleeing the German advance in 1940.
[edit] Transport
Upton used to have a railway station, on a branch line from Ashchurch to Malvern, with the intermediate stations Tewkesbury, Ripple, Upton upon Severn and Malvern Wells (Hanley Road).[8] The Upton to Malvern section closed in December 1952 and the rest in August 1961, before the Beeching Axe.
Upton Marina is home to Mercia Inshore Search and Rescue.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Neighbourhood Statistics". Office for National Statistics. http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/viewFullDataset.do?instanceSelection=03070&productId=779&$ph=60_61&datasetInstanceId=3070&startColumn=1&numberOfColumns=8&containerAreaId=790554. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
- ^ "The Bridge at Upton". http://www.upton.uk.net. http://www.upton.uk.net/history/bridge/thebridgeatupton.pdf. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
- ^ "History of the Old Church". http://www.upton.uk.net. http://www.upton.uk.net/history/bridge/thebridgeatupton.pdf. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
- ^ "July 2007 Floods". http://www.upton.uk.net. http://www.upton.uk.net/archives/floods/jul07/0index.html. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
- ^ "Upton Blues Festival". Upton Blues Festival. http://uptonbluesfestival.org.uk/. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
- ^ Fielding, Henry (1861). Tom Jones. Derby. p. 149. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=zQu0woFPz3MC&pg=PA469&dq=tom+jones+exceeding+good+repute&hl=en&ei=v2VATMfaIJm8jAf6w835Dw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
- ^ Fell Smith, Charlotte (1909). John Dee: 1527–1608. London: Constable and Company. http://www.johndee.org/charlotte/.
- ^ "Upton Ticket". Railways in Worcestershire. http://www.miac.org.uk/images/uptonticket.jpg. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
- 'Parishes: Upton upon Severn', A History of the County of Worcester: volume 4 (1924), pp. 212–217. [1] Date accessed: 14 July 2009.
[edit] External links
- Upton upon Severn Rugby Club
- Upton upon Severn Community Site
- Upton upon Severn website
- 2000 floods
- 1881 census data
- Mercia Inshore Search and Rescue
[edit] Festivals
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