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Powick is a village and civil parish in the
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.
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.
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.
A mile from the village towards
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.
Powick Bridge Monument 1.jpg, Monument commemorating the Battle of Powick Bridge (1642) and the Battle of Worcester (1651), located on Powick Old Bridge
Powick Bridge Monument 2.jpg, Memorial to the Scottish soldiers who died at the Battle of Worcester in 1651, located by Powick Old Bridge
Powick Parish Church.jpg, Powick Parish Church, Worcester. The tower is said to be from where Oliver Cromwell observed the Battle of Worcester in 1651 whilst his enemy
Powick parish community web sitePowick primary schoolBritish history online entryPowick watercolours of Burney
{{authority control Villages in Worcestershire Civil parishes in Worcestershire
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-Severn ...
of Worcestershire, England, located two miles south of the city of Worcester and four miles north of Great Malvern
Great Malvern is an area of the spa town of Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It lies at the foot of the Malvern Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, on the eastern flanks of the Worcestershire Beacon and North Hill, and is ...
. The parish includes the village of Callow End and the hamlets of Bastonford, Clevelode
Clevelode is a small village in Worcestershire, England. It is located around 5 miles south of Worcester just to the west of the River Severn. Clevelode is next to the B4244 between Callow End and Hanley Castle
Hanley Castle is a village a ...
, Collett's Green, and Deblins Green.
Powick lies on the A449
The A449 is a major road in the United Kingdom. It runs north from junction 24 of the M4 motorway at Newport in South Wales to Stafford in Staffordshire.
The southern section of the road, between Ross on Wye and Newport forms part of the tru ...
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
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.
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.
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
A mile from the village towards Malvern
Malvern or Malverne may refer to:
Places Australia
* Malvern, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide
* Malvern, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne
* City of Malvern, a former local government area near Melbourne
* Electoral district of Malvern, an e ...
was the site of the Victorian complex of the county psychiatric hospital, generally referred to as Powick Hospital
Powick Hospital, which opened in 1847 was a psychiatric facility located on outside the village of Powick, near Malvern, Worcestershire. At its peak, the hospital housed around 1,000 patients in buildings designed for 400. During the 1950s the h ...
. 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
Colloquialism (), also called colloquial language, everyday language or general parlance, is the linguistic style used for casual (informal) communication. It is the most common functional style of speech, the idiom normally employed in conver ...
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
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...
was appointed bandmaster of the asylum until about 1886, and wrote compositions for the asylum's band.
Victorian power station
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.
Notable residents
* John Wall, physician, was born at Powick in 1708. * James Piers St Aubyn, architect, was born at Powick Vicarage in 1815 *Lord Alfred Douglas
Lord Alfred Bruce Douglas (22 October 1870 – 20 March 1945), also known as Bosie Douglas, was an English poet and journalist, and a lover of Oscar Wilde. At Oxford he edited an undergraduate journal, ''The Spirit Lamp'', that carried a homoer ...
, lover of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...
, was born at Ham Hill House in 1870.
Gallery
Charles II of England
Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685.
Charles II was the eldest surviving child of ...
observed the battle from Worcester Cathedral. During World War II the tower was used by the Home Guard to watch for incoming German bombers heading towards the City of Worcester.
Powick Parish Church Musket damage.jpg, Damage to Powick Parish Church allegedly caused by Oliver Cromwell's troops firing their muskets at it around the time of the Battle of Worcester in 1651
Powick Parish Church Musket Damage close up.jpg, Damage to Powick Parish Church allegedly caused by Oliver Cromwell's troops firing their muskets at it around the time of the Battle of Worcester in 1651
Powick Parish Church sword damage.jpg, Damage to Powick Parish Church allegedly caused by Oliver Cromwell's troops sharpening their swords on it around the time of the Battle of Worcester in 1651
References
External links
Powick parish community web site
{{authority control Villages in Worcestershire Civil parishes in Worcestershire