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Tenbury Wells
The Tenbury Wells Pump Rooms.
Tenbury Wells  Tenbury Wells shown within Worcestershire
Population	3 .316 (2001)[1]
District	Malvern Hills
Shire county	Worcestershire
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	TENBURY WELLS
Postcode district	WR15
Dialling code	01584
Police	West Mercia
Fire	Hereford and Worcester
Ambulance	West Midlands
EU Parliament	West Midlands
UK Parliament	West Worcestershire
List of places: UK • England • Worcestershire

Tenbury Wells

Tenbury Wells lies on the south bank of the River Teme, which forms the border between Shropshire and Worcestershire. It is in the north-west of the Malvern Hills District. The settlement Burford in Shropshire lies on the north bank of the river.

From 1894 to 1974, it was a rural district, comprising itself and other villages such as Stoke Bliss^[2] , Eastham and Rochford. From 1974 Tenbury was in the borough of Leominster until it became part Malvern Hills District when Leominster District Council was taken over by Herefordshire Council in April 1998.^[3]

The history of Tenbury Wells is extends as far back as the Iron Age. The town is often thought of as the home to the Castle Tump, but this is now in Burford, Shropshire due to boundary changes. Though the Tump, believed^[who?]to be the remains of an early Norman motte and bailey castle, can be seen from the main road (A456) there are no visible remains of the castle, which was constructed to defend and control the original River Teme crossing.^[4]. It has also been described as "... the remains of an 11th century Norman Castle."

Originally named "Temettebury", the town was granted a Royal Charter to hold a market in 1249.^[4] Over time, the name changed to "Tenbury", and then added the "Wells" following the discovery of mineral springs and wells in the town in the 1840s. ^[4] 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.

For over 100 years Tenbury was well known throughout the country for its winter auctions of holly and mistletoe (and other Christmas products), but these moved out of the town in 2007. ^[5] It is also known for its "Chinese-gothic" Pump Room buildings, built in 1862, which reopened in 2001, following a major restoration Photo. They are now owned by Tenbury Town Council, having been transferred from Malvern Hills District Council^[6] in September 2008.

One 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 Tenbury Museum as is the drinking fountain from the Pump Rooms. Other notable structures in Tenbury include the parish church with a Norman tower, and a number of monuments.

The part-Mediaeval bridge over the River Teme, linking Tenbury to Burford Photo, Shropshire was rebuilt by Thomas Telford following flood damage in 1795. The Victorian era Workhouse, designed by George Wilkinson, has recently^[when?] been sold to a private investor having formerly been used as the local Council Buildings. The Workhouse's infirmary survives, but the unique Victorian era corrugated iron isolation hospital was demolished on October 24, 2006.^[7]

Markets are held on Tuesday mornings, Friday mornings and most Saturday mornings, in and around the town's Round Market building, which was designed by James Cranston in the 1850s.Photo Tenbury was also known as 'the town in the orchard' due to the large numbers of fruit orchards of apple trees and also pears, quince and plum trees, in the immediate vicinity of the town Photo. This heritage is revisited every October during the Tenbury Applefest.

Orchards gay with blossom,
Beauty, there to see,
Hollows where breeze is tender,
Moorlands where wind breaks free;
Sowing, Lambing, and Harvest,
Overlooked by Giant Clee,
Hop Kilns, Farmsteads, and TENBURY,
This is happiness is for me.

A proposal by Oxfordshire businessman C J Day to build a biomass power station on a business park has caused controversy, because the residents of Tenbury are concerned about the disruption to local businesses during its construction.^[8] The proposal continues to attract protests, and in July 2007 a petition against the plans had been signed by more than 2,300 people. ^[9][10] In July 2009 it was announced that the £965,000 grant offered to the power station project had been withdrawn. http://www.harriettbaldwin.com/search/article.php?id=337

For several centuries Tenbury has been subject to regular flooding on many occasions , most recently on 26 June, 17 July and 20 to 22 July 2007 and on 5 September 2008 ^[11] The first flood was caused by the River Teme and the Kyre Brook bursting their banks Photo. The second was caused by a combination of 15mm (0.59in) of rain falling in an hour and the town's drainage system (much of which was blocked) failing to cope, creating flash flooding. The third flood again involved the River Teme and the Kyre Brook bursting their banks Photo.

The 2008 flood damage was caused by a combination of the drainage not having been upgraded since the 2007 floods and the wall on Market Street (which should hold back the Kyre Brook) not having been rebuilt following the 2007 floods.

A petition has been started seeking funding for flood defences for the town^[12].

Harold "Barehands" Bates, Royal Navy officer.

Henry Hill Hickman, pioneer of anaesthesia.

Anthony Parkin, author, journalist, broadcaster and farmer See Times obituary

Frederick Ouseley, composer, organist, and musical scholar.

Peter Slade, (b.1912 d.2004) youngest "uncle" on BBC Radio Children's Hour and the first British dramatherapist. He opened his first arts centre in Tenbury Wells in 1940. See Guardian obituary

Tom Matthews (politician) long-serving councillor, Mayor and chairman of former Leominster District Council (taken over by Herefordshire Council).