Upton-upon-Severn (or Upton on Severn, etc. and locally simply Upton) is a town and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in the

Malvern Hills District Malvern Hills is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in the town of Malvern, and its area covers most of the western half of the county, including the outlying towns of Tenbury Wells and Upton-upon-Sever ...

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...

, England. Lying on the A4104 (formerly A440), the 2011 census recorded a population of 2,881 for the town. Upton is situated on the west bank of the

River Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...

and is located southeast of Malvern. The town has a distinctive tower and copper-clad

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, fro ...

– known locally as the " Pepperpot" – the only surviving remnant of the former church. Its replacement, also dedicated to St Peter and St Paul, was designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield.

History

Until the later half of the 20th century, the bridge at Upton was the only one across the River Severn between

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

and

Tewkesbury Tewkesbury ( ) is a medieval market town and civil parish in the north of Gloucestershire, England. The town has significant history in the Wars of the Roses and grew since the building of Tewkesbury Abbey. It stands at the confluence of the Ri ...

; the present bridge was built in 1940.

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...

's soldiers crossed the Severn here to win the battle of Upton before the main

Battle of Worcester The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 in and around the city of Worcester, England and was the last major battle of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A Parliamentarian army of around 28,000 under Oliver Cromwell d ...

in the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

Today

The population of the civil parish in 2011 was recorded at 2,881 – an increase from 2,859 recorded in 2001. The parish extends westward from the town, including the settlement at Tunnel Hill, but does not include the village of Ryall located close to the town, on the other side of the river. Upton is in the West Worcestershire parliamentary constituency. Upton lies on the banks of the

River Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...

and is known for its regular flooding. Low-lying areas of Upton suffered serious

flooding A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...

in 2000. In the

2007 floods 2007 floods may refer to: * 2006-2007 Malaysian floods * 2007 United Kingdom floods * 2007 South Asian floods * 2007 Sudan floods * June 2007 Hunter Region and Central Coast storms * 2007 Midwest flooding in the United States * 2007 Mozambican ...

, levels exceeded those in 2000, and the town was inaccessible by road. The town's main built up area lies on slightly higher ground than the surrounding countryside, and in the past became an island during severe floods. A connecting causeway now carries the A4104 above the floods to the west, and a viaduct on the other side of the bridge to the east. The town has three major music festivals, with the spring

folk festival A folk festival celebrates traditional folk crafts and folk music. This list includes folk festivals worldwide, except those with only a partial focus on folk music or arts. Folk festivals may also feature folk dance or ethnic foods. Handicra ...

, and the summer

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

and blues festivals. 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

, where soldiers from both sides are alleged to have enjoyed the hospitality of this popular local hostelry prior to the

. Guests of the hotel can stay in rooms referred to in books VII and VIII of

Henry Fielding Henry Fielding (22 April 1707 – 8 October 1754) was an English novelist, irony writer, and dramatist known for earthy humour and satire. His comic novel ''Tom Jones'' is still widely appreciated. He and Samuel Richardson are seen as founders ...

's classic 1749 novel '' Tom Jones'' in which he refers to the hotel as "A house of exceeding good repute"; these rooms retain many of their original features.

Education

Primary education is provided by Upton-upon-Severn CofE Primary School with approximately 160 (2013) pupils on role.

Hanley Castle High School Hanley Castle High School is a non-selective mixed secondary school and sixth form centre located in the village of Hanley Castle, 1.4 miles (2.2 km) from the small town of Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire. It was formerly known as Hanley ...

, located in a nearby village, provides secondary education for the region.

People

* John Dee,

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...

and astrologer, was presented the lay rectorship of Upton upon Severn in 1553. * Nigel Mansell,

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

world champion, born at Baughton near Upton. *Admiral Sir William Tennant, KCB,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, MVO, DL (1890–1963), born in Upton. *General Sir George Alexander Weir, KCB, CMG, DSO (1876–1951), born in Upton

Transport

Upton used to be served by Upton-on-Severn railway station, on a branch line Tewkesbury and Malvern Railway from

Ashchurch Ashchurch is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Ashchurch Rural, in the Tewkesbury district, in the county of Gloucestershire, England, east of the town of Tewkesbury, southwest of Evesham, north of Cheltenham, north-n ...

to Malvern, with the intermediate stations

Ripple, Worcestershire Ripple is a village and civil parish in the county of Worcestershire, England. Ripple is one of the most southerly parishes in the county and is situated on the A38 road with the River Severn as its western boundary. Together with the villages and ...

, Upton upon Severn and

Malvern Wells Malvern Wells is a village and civil parish south of Great Malvern in the Malvern Hills district of Worcestershire, England. The parish, once known as South Malvern, was formed in 1894 from parts of the civil parishes of Hanley Castle, Welland ...

(Hanley Road). The Upton to Malvern section closed in December 1952 and the rest in August 1961, before the Beeching Axe. Bus services 332 and 363 link Upton to

a total of six times per day (Mon-Fri), with four per day on Saturdays.Traveline Midlands bus search
(searched 2 December 2020) Although the

M5 motorway The M5 is a motorway in England linking the Midlands with the South West England, South West. It runs from junction 8 of the M6 motorway, M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Brom ...

is close by, the nearest motorway junction is Junction 1 of the M50 (which is from J8 of the M5). Upton Marina is home to

Mercia Inshore Search and Rescue Mercia Inshore Search and Rescue (MISAR), also known as Mercia Rescue, is a water rescue team operating from the marina in Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire, England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land ...

References

External links

Town CouncilUpton community website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Upton-Upon-Severn Towns in Worcestershire Civil parishes in Worcestershire Malvern Hills District Populated places established in the 9th century Populated places on the River Severn 9th-century establishments in England