Stourport Conservation Area No. 2 Appraisal and Management Recommendations

Introduction

1.1          Purpose and Scope of the Report

Donald Insall Associates were appointed by Wyre Forest District Council, to undertake a review of the two Stourport Conservation Areas. The aim of the project is to study and assess the existing conservation areas to understand and articulate what makes them special, consider whether their existing boundaries are appropriate, and to produce a robust appraisal document which will guide the future management, maintenance and development of the area.

The aim of the report is to establish:

• What is the historic and architectural interest of the area?
• How is this interest experienced through the character and appearance of the area?
• What elements need to be protected and preserved?
• Where are the opportunities for enhancement or improvement?
• What are the issues which threaten the area’s special interest?

This report deals with conservation area no. 2 only. [Plate 1.1].

1.2          Defining Conservation Areas

Conservation areas are ‘areas of special architectural or historic interest’ and are ‘designated heritage assets’. Any proposals for change or development must be assessed in terms of the effect they might have on the significance of the area, or the part of the area affected by the proposals.

This report uses the terms ‘special interest’ and ‘significance’ which essentially have the same meaning with respect to the attributes of the conservation area and listed buildings. 

1.3          Summary of Related Legislation, Policy and Guidance

The provisions for conservation area designation and management are set out in the following legislation, government planning policy and guidance.

1.3.1 Legislation

The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 requires:

• Local planning authorities to determine areas where it is desirable to preserve and enhance, and designate them as conservation areas (section 69 [1])
• Local planning authorities to review their past activities in this area, including existing conservation areas, and to add more conservation areas (section 69 [2])
• Local planning authorities to formulate and publish proposals for the preservation and enhancement of conservation areas and consult the public in the area in question, taking account of views expressed (section 71 [1 and 2])
• In the exercise by local planning authorities of planning functions within the conservation area ‘special attention shall be paid to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of that area’ (section 72 [1])

The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 refers to the:

• Offence of failing to obtain planning permission for demolition of unlisted, etc, buildings in conservation areas in England (section 196D)

1.3.2 Government Policy and Guidance

The National Planning Policy Framework sets out the approach to be taken with respect to conservation areas. It states:

• When considering the designation of conservation areas, local planning authorities should ensure that an area justifies such status because of its special architectural or historic interest, and that the concept of conservation is not devalued through the designation of areas that lack special interest. (Paragraph 197)
• When considering the impact of a proposed development on the significance of a designated heritage asset, great weight should be given to the asset’s conservation (and the more important the asset, the greater the weight should be). This is irrespective of whether any potential harm amounts to substantial harm, total loss or less than substantial harm to its significance. (Paragraph 205)
• Any harm to, or loss of, the significance of a designated heritage asset (from its alteration or destruction, or from development within its setting), should require clear and convincing justification. (Paragraph 206)
• Local planning authorities to look for opportunities for new development within conservation areas … to enhance or better reveal their significance. (Paragraph 212)
• Not all elements of a Conservation Area … will necessarily contribute to its significance. Loss of a building (or other element) which makes a positive contribution to the significance of the Conservation Area … should be treated either as substantial harm under paragraph 195 or less than substantial harm under paragraph 196, as appropriate, taking into account the relative significance of the element affected and its contribution to the Conservation Area … as a whole. (Paragraph 213).

The National Planning Policy Guidance offers the following advice with respect to conservation areas:

How can the possibility of harm to conservation areas be assessed?

Paragraph 207 of the National Planning Policy Framework is the starting point. An unlisted building that makes a positive contribution to a conservation area is individually of lesser importance than a listed building. If the building is important or integral to the character or appearance of the conservation area then its proposed demolition is more likely to amount to substantial harm to the conservation area, engaging the tests in paragraph 201 of the National Planning Policy Framework. Loss of a building within a conservation area may alternatively amount to less than substantial harm under paragraph 196 [now 202]. However, the justification for a building’s proposed demolition will still need to be proportionate to its relative significance and its contribution to the significance of the conservation area as a whole. The same principles apply in respect of other elements which make a positive contribution to the significance of the conservation area, such as open spaces.

Do local planning authorities need to review conservation areas?

Local planning authorities must review their conservation areas from time to time (section 69(2) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990). A conservation area appraisal can be used to help local planning authorities develop a management plan and plan-making bodies to develop appropriate policies for local and neighbourhood plans. A good appraisal will consider what features make a positive or negative contribution to the significance of the conservation area, thereby identifying opportunities for beneficial change or the need for planning protection.

Is an application for planning permission required to carry out works to an unlisted building in a conservation area?

Planning permission is required for the demolition of certain unlisted buildings in conservation areas (known as ‘relevant demolition’). Generally, the requirement for planning permission for other works to unlisted buildings in a conservation area is the same as it is for any building outside a conservation area, although some permitted development rights are more restricted in conservation areas. Demolishing an unlisted building in a conservation area, without first obtaining planning permission where it is needed, is an offence under section 196D of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

1.3.3       Local Plan Policies 

The Wyre Forest District Local Plan policies with respect to heritage assets are set out in Appendix IV.

1.4          Method Statement

1. Review of existing information
   
   A large body of research was already in existence with respect to the historic and architectural interest of the conservation area, including previous designation information and appraisals provided by Wyre Forest District Council. The book published by English Heritage entitled ‘Stourport-on-Severn: Pioneering Town of the Canal Age’ (2007) is a very useful summary of the history of the town and has been used to inform this appraisal.
   
   
2. Information Gathering: Site survey and research
   
   Site visits have been made by Donald Insall Associates to undertake recording and analysis. Buildings and sites were viewed from the public realm and were not inspected internally.
   
   
3. Community Engagement
   
   A key aim of conservation area appraisal is to understand and articulate what the local community value about the area. This document is a starting point for discussion. It is important to understand what the relevant community stakeholders think and what their views are on the value of townscape features, issues and opportunities.
   
   
4. Assessment of Special Interest of the Conservation Area
   
   The assessment of special interest has been undertaken in accordance with the legislative and national planning policy requirements, and based on Historic England’s guidance, in particular, Historic England’s Advice Note 1 (Second Edition) – Conservation Area Designation, Appraisal and Management which provides guidance on conservation area appraisal, designation and management.

2.         Stourport in Context

2.1          Location

Stourport is located five kilometres to the south of Kidderminster in the West Midlands, on the north bank of the River Severn just to the west of the River Stour which runs south from Kidderminster. The town was built around the canal development in the late 18th century. The southern part of the town, which lies within conservation area no.1 comprises the canal and basins north of the River Severn, and the warehouses and houses around them. The northern part of the Georgian town is included in conservation area no.2. (See Plate 1.1).

2.2          Topography

The southern part of the conservation area lies within the flood plain of the River Severn. The land slopes up to the north, so that the upper basins are approximately nine metres above the River Severn. The land continues to slope gently up to the north. The High Street / New Street / York Street junction is approximately 12.5 metres above the river. The land continues to rise northwards so that the north end of High Street is about 15 metres above the river (in conservation area no. 2). The land also slopes down from the east side of the town to the River Stour which lies 300 metres or so to the east of the Upper Old Basin.

2.3          Immediate Setting

To the south of the conservation area are the canal basins and associated buildings, the fairground and the riverside. The basins are visible from Lion Hill and York Street. To the southwest of the conservation area are Bridge Street, which is continuation of High Street, leading down to the River Severn, and New Street which is a continuation of York Street to the west. These streets are Georgian in origin and many of the buildings are similar to those in conservation area no.2.

To the east of the conservation area lies the River Stour which runs north to south to join the River Severn. On the west bank of the Stour is the Tesco Superstore, which lies at the eastern end of the section of Mitton Street within conservation area no.2. South of the superstore is an area of new housing, on the former World of Carpets site.

North of the conservation area Lombard Street continues with a mainly post war buildings, including a terrace of single storey shops on the east side and a Co-op supermarket on the west side. To the east of this the canal continues northwards. On the east side of the canal are modern housing developments along Vale Road and the suburban Mitton Gardens, which comprises 19^th and 20^th century houses. 

To the west of the conservation area is the Lickhill Road area which is a mixture of suburban houses and, on the south side, a largely open area comprising semi-industrial uses, surface car parks and the grounds of the Stourport Bowling Green Club. There is more housing to the south of this area, on Sion Gardens, north of New Street and west of High Street.

3.1          Brief History of Stourport-on-Severn

Stourport is one of four canal towns which owe their existence to a canal, the other three being Runcorn, Ellesmere Port and Goole; however, Stourport was the pioneer of the canal town and, in 1800, was the largest and most developed. Whereas the other three towns continued to develop into the late 19^th century, as a result of access to estuaries providing international trade, Stourport’s lack of later investment has resulted in it retaining its canal town identity [English Heritage, Stourport-on-Severn: Pioneer Town of the Canal Age (Swindon, 2007)].

3.1.1       The Area before the Canal

The canal town of Stourport grew up around the small village of Lower Mitton, located to the south of Kidderminster, at the confluence of the Rivers Severn and Stour. Before the arrival of the canal, the village had only a scattering of houses along the main roads from Worcester, and to Kidderminster and Bewdley, with no cohesive settlement centre. The village had a bridge over the River Stour, where the road from Worcester entered the village, and the road to Bewdley crossed the River Severn over an established bridging point. [Plate 3.1]

Local wooden sailing vessels, known as Severn trows, sailed past the village carrying iron, coal, goods and produce on the River Severn, one of the most important transport routes in the 18^th century. Little remains of the houses of the village, apart from a 17^th century timber-framed house, but there was once a forge and mill utilizing the power of the River Stour. A track from the village led to Price’s Wharf on the bank of the River Severn, to a ferry which once carried people across the river; here there was once an old ferry house, as well as the Angel Inn which survives today (likely formerly the Stourmouth Inn) [Ibid].

3.1.2       The Arrival of the Canal

The quiet village of Lower Mitton was to change with the construction of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, with large basins created next to the River Severn, and the establishment of the new town of Stourport. The canal was one of the earliest to be built in the second half of the 18^th century, the period of inland navigation construction, and was created with the intention to provide the Black Country industries with access to sources of supply as well as markets for their products. Transport costs were significantly reduced when sending goods by water rather than by road.

Construction of the canal began in 1766 by the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Company, under the leading canal engineer of the day, James Brindley – it involved constructing 43 locks over the 46-mile chosen route between the Trent and Mersey Canal at Great Haywood, and the River Severn at Stourmouth. The southern half of the canal opened for business in April 1771, with wharfs and warehouses having been completed, and this new terminus on the River Severn was referred to as Stourport. The terminus enabled the trans-shipment of goods between the Severn trows that navigated the river, and the narrowboats that navigated the canal, by providing the necessary basins and wharfs to offload or take-on cargo.

In 1768, the canal company purchased the land for the terminus near the confluence of the River Severn and the River Stour, upstream from the old ferry crossing and away from the village of Lower Mitton. The first purchase was two fields, a total of seven acres, for a basin. The canal company also purchased land near the River Severn for making bricks, and in order to erect a water-powered engine to supply the basin.

The Upper Old Basin, the central largest basin, is two acres in size and was the first canal basin to be constructed. It is considered to be one of the greatest achievements of the Canal Age, and, at the time, provided the up-to-date facilities necessary for a transport interchange. The Upper Old Basin was connected to the Old Lower Basin at the south west, which gave access to the River Severn. The design for the basin reflected the anticipated traffic, with the principal bulk cargoes being Staffordshire coal, timber from the Wyre Forest, and iron from the Forest of Dean. Manufactured goods being trans-shipped included Black Country iron goods, Staffordshire glass, and Lancashire textiles, with locally-grown agricultural produce travelling to industrial towns of the Black Country.

The generous size of the wharfs around the Upper Old Basin offered storage for goods which could be stacked in the open air, like coal. For more valuable goods, warehousing was provided in the form of the Long Room, a two-storey warehouse alongside the water on the east side of the basin, which had waterside loading hoists. The Long Room was one of the earliest canal warehouses in England; it was demolished in the 1950s. [Plate 3.2]

On the south side of the basin were two warehouses set back from the water, a long single-storey shed (which later became two storeys, but has since been demolished) and the Iron Warehouse. The Iron Warehouse, with a distinctive rounded corner, was built by 1771 and is likely to be the earliest surviving canal warehouse in the country. The British Waterways’ offices are now attached to the Iron Warehouse – this building is 19^th century in date but incorporates an earlier lock-keeper’s house.

The Tontine, and its adjacent stable range, were constructed to the south of the Iron Warehouse, by the canal company, and were in use by 1773. The building was designed with a hotel, or inn, at the centre – originally The Areley Inn, later The Stourport Inn - and four houses at the end wings. The hotel provided accommodation for the river and canal travellers, as well as for wealthy visitors and merchants; it was also the meeting place for the canal company shareholders and committee. The Tontine provided much-needed housing before the development of the town.

A new bridge over the River Severn was constructed by the canal company and opened in 1775. The new bridge - along with the Upper Old Basin, associated warehouses, and the Tontine - can be seen in Sherriff’s 1776 view of the canal basin. The image shows trows on the River Severn in the foreground, and both trows and barges in the basin to the rear, as well as goods on the wharfs.[Ibid.] [Plate 3.3]

3.1.3       The Development of the Canal

Following an increase in the volume of traffic travelling through Stourport, the terminus infrastructure soon proved inadequate. A New Lower Basin was constructed in 1776, and a larger New Basin, to the west of the Upper Old Basin, was constructed and operating by 1782. The New Basin was linked to the Upper Old Basin, as well as to the River Severn via the New Lower Basin and a set of locks. The new basins are shown on Sherriff’s map of Stourport from 1802. Docks for boat building and repair, known as graving docks, as well as dry docks with small warehouses, were cut into the Upper Old Basin on the northern side - one of these warehouses survived until 1996. [Plate 3.4]

The docks area was further extended in the early-19^th century, when the canal company constructed the Inner, or Lichfield, Basin. The basin was built with two dry docks at the north, and was connected to the Upper Old Basin by a channel, bridged by Mart Lane. In 1812, a lower basin, known as the Cheapside Basin, was constructed to the south of the Lichfield Basin, and was connected to it by a lock. Smith’s 1810 plan of the basins indicates that the Cheapside Basin was part of the original scheme; however, it was infilled in 1865 and developed as a gas works. [Plate 3.5]

Other development in the early-19^th century included the construction of three warehouses around the Upper Old Basin. One of these was the Clock Warehouse, located on the wharf between the Upper Old Basin and the New Basin, as well as two warehouses on the eastern side of the Upper Old Basin. In 1802, the canal company also acquired narrow strips of land at each side of the canal, north of the Upper Old Basin. The eastern side was used as a timber wharf and yard (and also had a shop and weighing machine), whereas the western side later became a maintenance yard – the two sides were linked by a wooden footbridge.

A short row of buildings was constructed by the canal company on the east side of Mart Lane in the late-18^th century. In the early-19^th century, these buildings provided accommodation for principal canal carriers, and a lower warehouse, attached to the south end of the terrace, was also used by a principal canal carrier. In 1804, a pumping engine was installed to the south west of the New Basin, as well as the Engine Basin, to the south of this, in 1805. The pumping engine was necessary to supply an adequate amount of water for the new basin additions, and took water from the Severn just below Stourport Bridge.[Ibid.]

3.1.4       The Decline of the Canal

Despite four decades of expansion for the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Company, dividends peaked in 1815, and, after 1816, there was little investment in Stourport’s canal facilities. Competition for the canal came with the opening of the Worcester and Birmingham Canal in 1816, which provided Birmingham with a shorter route to the south west. Following this, the developing national railway system resulted in the canal facilities at Stourport becoming outdated, with the canal mostly only continuing as a carrier of coal until the middle of the 20^th century.

3.1.5       Early Development of the Town

Despite the canal company not funding the establishment of a new town, urban development at Stourport was prompted through the construction of important facilities, such as the new bridge over the River Severn. The canal company did, however, partly-fund schools and a new market hall, as well as a police force for the town. The business generated by the canal basins meant that local services were required, and this provided investment opportunities in the form of building development.

The town developed around the nucleus of the canal basins and the Tontine Hotel, with the parish’s existing roads contributing to a new street pattern. A new road, Bridge Street, was created, which formed the spine of the new town, crossing the River Severn at the south via the new bridge – the upper part of Bridge Street later became known as High Street. The new bridge was destroyed by a flood in 1794, and was replaced by an iron bridge in 1806. York Street and New Street were then developed as a second axis, running north-west and south-east through the town. The existing roads of the parish, depicted in green, are delineated from the newly formed streets on Sherriff’s 1802 map of Stourport (see Plate 3.4). [Plates 3.6-3.7]

Properties were built on the High Street by 1777, and houses on New Street were likely being built by 1784; expenditure on building materials for constructing properties on Bridge Street built was recorded in 1803. The town was built steadily over the decades following the opening of the canal, around the four main streets, and buildings were constructed of good quality materials in a simple and restrained Georgian style. Brick was the local building material used throughout the town, with bricks produced in the town at small brickyards; originally, locally-made tiles were also used as roofing materials, with Welsh slate later used during the 19^th century.

The three-storey terrace was the common building form adopted in the town, and this contributes to the overall uniformity of the town, along with the use of brick as building material. The three-storey terrace, however, was not adopted for the south side of York Street, nor the south-east side of Bridge Street. The town’s terraces are comprised of many individual units, and were not built in a single phase by one developer - ragged or straight brickwork joints delineate between these phases [Ibid].

3.1.6       Facilities for the Town

Soon Stourport acquired important facilities that were key to establishing it as a significant town. The Church of England chapel at Lower Mitton was rebuilt as a larger church in 1790 (demolished in the 1880s). By the 1780s, there were two nonconformist chapels in Stourport, one of which is the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in Parkes Passage, which also had an adjacent school house and manse.

A Market Hall was built in 1833, located at the corner of Bridge Street and New Street, and, in 1840, a Town Hall was added as an upper storey. This building partially collapsed in 1973 and was subsequently demolished. By 1815, Stourport had a wide range of shops, and, by 1828, there were numerous bakers, butchers and grocers, as well as milliners, dressmakers and shoe makers. High Street was the main shopping street, but in 1838 the majority of the buildings on the street were recorded as houses. [Plate 3.8]

Although little remains of other industrial activities at Stourport, both iron founding and carpet making were located at the town from an early date, with an iron foundry recorded from 1789. From the early-19^th century, canal related industries had been established, including boat building and the manufacturing of sailcloth. Vinegar making and tanning were also industries established at this time [Ibid.], with the Vinegar Works, located between the banks of the Stour and the Severn, established in 1798 [A. Bradford and M. R. Kettle (Ed), Stourport-On-Severn: A history of the town and the area (Redditch, 2021), p.43]

Before the construction of the canal, there had only been a handful of hostelries at Lower Mitton, including the Stourmouth Inn, later known as the Angel; however, as a result of the increase of traders and purchasers visiting the town following the opening of the canal, greater accommodation and refreshment facilities were required. By the late 1820s, there were 14 establishments recorded across Stourport and Lower Mitton. The Tontine was the largest, but this was closely matched by the Swan Inn, located at the top of the High Street. The Crown Inn and the Bridge Inn, both on Bridge Street, were located at the southern entry point to the town [English Heritage, Stourport-on-Severn].

3.1.7       The Town after 1840

Stourport’s growth slowed dramatically following the decline in fortunes of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Company from 1820, with the population of the town falling in the mid-19^th century; as a result, the town little expanded in the 50 years following 1840. Large villas – Moor Hall and The Heath – built by wealthy canal carriers occupied the majority of the land at the west of the town, and this land was not available for development. The Baldwin family’s iron foundry built housing for workers in the town centre in the mid-late 19^th century. A new suburb, Newtown, was also built to the north of the town after 1862, following the arrival of the railway. A new bridge over the River Severn was constructed c.1870, replacing the iron bridge of 1806. [Plate 3.9]

Stourport’s established industries of iron founding, carpet production, tanning and engineering works were able to sustain the town, with these businesses forming the core of the local economy in the 20^th century. These industries once dominated certain areas of the town, but now only the Vinegar Works substantially remains. The Vinegar Works expanded in 1882, with the brewery rebuilt to three times its former size – the larger works can be seen on the OS map of 1882-83. [Plate 3.10]

In 1844, Lower Mitton was formed into a separate ecclesiastical parish, as a result of Stourport’s status as a town. The Church of St Michael, built in 1790, was demolished and construction began on a new church, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, from 1887; however, the building was not completed to his original designs. The building had no roof by the 1970s, and, in 1980, a new smaller church was built within the ruined walls. Nonconformists dominated the town centre, continuing to build in the latter half of the 19^th century - a Primitive Methodist Chapel was built in Lickhill Lane in 1855, a Congregational Chapel in Mitton Street in 1871, and a Baptist Chapel on Minster Road in 1883 [Ibid].

3.1.8       Stourport as a Tourist Destination

Stourport had been considered a resort and tourist destination as early as 1775, with tourists from Worcester and afar travelling to the town on river boats to view the technologically advanced canal and basins. The assembly rooms at the Tontine and Swan Inn provided social entertainment early on, and the town remained an attractive resort destination. Investment was made in the provision of visitor facilities in the late-19^th century, with Stourport Urban District Council creating a riverbank promenade in the 1890s. Electric trams were in operation by 1898, bringing day trippers to the town. Shipley’s Fairground, a permanent fairground, was established between the river and canal basins on former canal company land, and a recreational park laid out by the river in the 20^th century [Ibid] [Plate 3.11].

3.1.9       20^th Century Development

Stourport saw renewed growth in the 20^th century. The town expanded to the west, with inter-war and post-Second World War housing built on land formerly occupied by the large villas of Moor Hall and The Heath, with both these demolished. Council housing was also built on land over the River Severn bridge, on land formerly occupied by Walshes Farm. In 1926, a power station opened by the river, and, in 1929, a new factory was built on Bewdley Road by the Steatite Company, who manufactured porcelain products. In 1963, a new Civic Centre was built for the Urban District Council offices [Ibid]. The inner, or Lichfield, Basin was infilled c.1960 [Brooks and Pevsner, Worcestershire, p.615]. [Plates 3.12-13]

The traditional manufacturing industries of Stourport – iron foundry, tannery, carpet making, engineering and vinegar production – all closed in the last decades of the 20^th century, and, in 1970, the railway ceased to operate. New housing has been developed on Brownfield sites and, as a result, much of the town’s industrial heritage has gone. Leisure use of the canals in more recent times, however, has revitalised the town, and, despite some losses to the canals basins and buildings, Stourport’s unique canal heritage continues to draw visitors to the town [English Heritage, Stourport-on-Severn].

3.2          Stourport-on-Severn No.2 Conservation Area

Stourport-on-Severn’s No.2 Conservation Area covers the northern part of the historic core that developed as a direct result of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. This area holds great historic value due to the relationship between the town and the canal, which is a key host element of the conservation area.  It comprises the two main streets on the west side of the conservation area, both laid out in the late 18th century with terraced housing, namely High Street and York Street. It also includes the more suburban development to the east, in Mitton Street and Lion Hill. Most of the buildings here are later than in the western part. 

3.2.1       Development of the Historic Streets and their Buildings

3.2.1.1    High Street

High Street was developed in the late 18th century, with the first leases dating from 1777. This is only six years after the canal basins were first operational, and three years after the opening of the Tontine Hotel.[English Heritage, Stourport-on-Severn] The map of 1802 (see plate 3.4) shows the east side of the street being developed with terraced houses, except for a gap in the middle. The west side is patchier, with most of the development at the north and south ends. Many of these buildings, especially on the east side, survive today, in apparently good condition. The Swan Inn, prominently positioned at the top of the High Street, appears on the 1802 map – like the Tontine, it has an assembly room, which is located at the rear, and it rivalled the Tontine in the level of accommodation it offered.[Ibid.]  [Plates 3.14 and 3.15].

By the middle of the 19th century there was some infilling of gaps in the high street, mainly in the middle section, on the east and west sides. The north end of the west side was redeveloped in the latter half of the 19th century with the existing building which is taller than its Georgian neighbours. Towards the end of the 19th century a large bank building was built on the site of the modern Post Office.

The inter-war period saw the construction of the HSBC (formerly Midland) Bank in 1937, designed by Whinney and Austen Hall. The former bank building to the north at 42 High Street, which was first a Martins Bank and later a branch of Barclays, was converted in the late 1930s from a butchers [ A. Carter, Stourport-on-Severn (Stroud, 2000), p.57], to designs by E.C. Aldridge. [Brooks and Pevsner, Worcestershire, p.617] The new Post Office replaced the old one, which was in the middle of the west side, on the site of the Victorian bank, in 1964. There are other post-war infills of limited interest on both sides of the street.

3.2.1.2  Lombard Street

The west side of Lombard Street was built by 1802, with the terrace of houses which survives today. The east side of the street, including the corner building facing High Street, was developed slightly later, in the early 19th century. The building to the north, Baldwin House is a late-20th century development.  

The terraced houses on the corner with Lickhill Road were demolished in the post war period and replaced with the large shop at no.1 Lombard Street. At the rear of no.1 is the former Haven Cinema which was built circa 1912, an early example, to designs by Pritchard and Pritchard.

3.2.1.3  Mitton Street and Severn Road 

Mitton Street, originally called Drury Lane, has a very different character to High Street. [Bradford and Kettle (Ed), Stourport-On-Severn, p.92] Before the development of the canal it comprised large, detached buildings, probably farms and agricultural buildings, some predating the development of the canal system. These remained after the canal was built, supplemented by new detached buildings. This character survives to an extent on the north side of the eastern end of the street. The south side is a mixture of semi-detached buildings of various ages, including the Holly Bush public house, which is late Georgian. The terrace at the north end of Severn Road is late 18th century.  

The Congregational Chapel, with attached school to the north, was built in 1869-70. To the southeast of the chapel the Fire Station was located on the south side of the street by 1891.   

At the west end of Mitton Street, the Black Star public house probably dates originally from the late 18th century, but the current buildings are late 19th century. The pub now incorporates the canal side building to the north which is dated 1884.

The creation of Lion Hill and Vale Road in the first quarter of the 20th century had the effect of separating the east and west parts of Mitton Street. The War Memorial Garden and Villeneuve-le-Roi Gardens are post-war developments.

3.2.1.4  Lion Hill  

Lion Hill was created in the first half of the 19th century and has previously been known as both Tontine Road and Church Street. [Ibid., p.86] The 1802 map show the eastern bank of the canal being used as wharves and a timber yard (just south of Mitton Street, now the site of Villeneuve-le-Roi Gardens). At this stage there were few buildings adjacent to the canal. No warehouses are shown. However, on the east side of the wharves was the White Lion and the Bell public houses. By the mid-19th century the road had been laid out and there were more houses on the east side, south of the White Lion and canal related buildings on the west side.  More terraced houses were built on the east side towards the north end circa 1890. Also at the north end the Drill Hall, south of Mitton Street, west of the Fire Station, was built at the beginning of the 20th century.

The post war period saw the building of new houses at the south end of the street, set back from the road. In recent years the new housing development at the north end of the street was added, opposite Villeneuve-le-Roi Gardens, on the southern part of the former Drill Hall site. The northern part of the site now houses the Hereford and Worcester Army Cadet Force Buildings. There is also new housing at the southern end north and east of the Bell public house.

3.2.1.5  Canalside

When the canal was first built there were no buildings adjacent, as shown in the 1802 map. The warehouses on the east side (west side of Lion Hill) and the Canal Maintenance Yard Workshop on the west side were built by 1850 as shown on the Tithe map of 1849. At the south end of the canal the lock keepers cottage and toll house were built in the 1850’s. [Plate 3.16].

In 1883 a small smithy is shown on the west side of the canal side, and this had been replaced by a much larger warehouse (?) building by 1925. This has been replaced by the house development at Parkes Quay in the 1990’s.

3.2.1.6  York Street

York Street provided access to a circuit of roads around the canal basins to the south, and valuable properties were built there with access and proximity to the wharfs. The south side of York Street was never fully residentially developed, as the majority of the land was canal company owned, and used as open wharfs. [Ibid.] The north side was developed as terraced housing by the end of the 18th century. These were continuous terraces, except for a gap towards the west end, and passageways to land at the rear. The gap was infilled by 1850.

The largest terraced house on the north side is no.16 (Mercian House). This is a noteworthy Georgian house, (which became the Police Station in the early 20th century) although not as grand as York house on the opposite side of the street. The Neo-Georgian house to the east (‘The Old Inspector’s House’) was built in the early 20th century.

No. 17 Oakleigh House was built for the harbour-master circa 1771. It was altered in the first half of the 19th century. Its large rear garden now has two modern houses at the north end, on Parkes Passage.  

3.2.1.7  Land east of High Street including Parkes Passage

When the town was first developed there were a few detached buildings within this area, and terraced houses on the west side of Parkes Passage, some survive as Severn Mews. There were several passageways to the back land from High Street and York Street, and remnants of these survive. Some of the brick boundary walls in this area may date from the first phase of development.

Originally there was no development between Parkes Passage and the canal, except for nos. 9 and 10 at the south end, which were originally built for the collection of tolls for the canal company and housed the lock keeper.

By the mid-19th century there were only a few small buildings, including a smithy. Most of the early buildings were on the west side of Parkes Passage.  

The Wesley Methodist Church dates from the 1770’s with later alterations in 1788 and 1812 [Brooks and Pevsner, Worcestershire, p.615], and with the addition of the manse at the rear in the mid-19th century. The chapel had buildings in front of it (to the north) by the mid-19th century but these were demolished in the 1880’s to create the public space which survives. The Old School Room was built to the southeast of the chapel by 1880 and the semi-detached houses to the north were built slightly later in the 1880s.  

Over the years several small free standing buildings and extensions to existing buildings on High Street and York Street appeared in this back land area, and some were subsequently demolished.

In the early-20th century terraced houses on the east side of Severn Mews were demolished and in the post-war period there has been the addition of bungalows and, to the south of these, in the former rear garden of 17 York Street, two detached houses, nos. 1 and 2 Oakleigh Gardens, on the west side. 

3.3          Bibliography

A. Bradford and M. R. Kettle (Ed), Stourport-On-Severn: A history of the town and the area (Redditch, 2021)

A. Brooks and N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Worcestershire (London, 2007)

A. Carter, Stourport-on-Severn (Stroud, 2000)

English Heritage, Stourport-on-Severn: Pioneer Town of the Canal Age (Swindon, 2007)

Historicengland.org.uk

Nls.uk

Thegenealogist.co.uk

Unlocking-stourports-past.co.uk

Wyreforestdc.gov.uk