Severn Valley Railway
The Severn Valley Railway, originally opened in 1862, is now a privately run service, operating steam trains on the 16-mile stretch from Bridgnorth to Bewdley during the summer season. The society that runs the service owns more than 30 steam locomotives and much of the rolling stock has been lovingly restored to its Great Western Railway livery, evoking nostalgia for the bygone days of steam travel. The Severn Valley Railway runs from Bridgnorth, its northern terminus through Dudmaston, Alveley, Upper Arley to the southern terminus at Bewdley Station. This relatively short rail journey travels through some very beautiful countryside where Shropshire melts into Hereford and Worcester, following the course of the silken River Severn for most of its length. At times, the line clings precariously to the valley side with the river a silvery ribbon below, then, without warning drops toward the river swinging through proudly restored riverside stations, looking now as they did when the Severn Valley line was a link in Britain's national rail network.
Bridgnorth, an ancient market town, is in fact two towns - Low Town, which sits on the banks of the Severn, and High Town perched on a sandstone cliff rising sheer from the opposite bank. A six-arched road bridge dating from 1823, a winding main road and a cliff railway connect the two towns.The 17 th century Town Hall stands solidly in the centre of High Town's High Street, with traffic passing through the arches upon which it is built; the half-timbered top storey was originally part of another building. Close to the cliff edge are the remains of a castle, the Norman keep of which leans at an angle of 17 degrees, twice that of the leaning tower at Pisa; this was the result of slighting or undermining by parliamentarians after the Civil War of 1642-9. Nearby is the ‘top' station of the cliff railway, said to be the steepest in Britain with a 1 in 1.5 gradient. Walks along the cliff edge provide wonderful panoramic views over Low Town, across the Severn and beyond. Cartway leads down to the river from the High Street, once the sole link between the two town levels; ensconced in this road is Bridgnorth's oldest house, the timber-framed Bishop Percy's House built in 1580 and the birthplace of Thomas Percy in 1729, a future Bishop of Drogmore.Low Town also has its share of ancient buildings. They include the 17 th century Diamond Hall, built by Colonel Roger Hall with the winnings of his racehorse Diamond, and an exquisite post office dating from 1700. Looking up to High Town from the far bank of the river, the outstanding feature must be the Italianate parish Church of St Mary Magdalene. This is a dignified, classical building built in 1792 by Thomas Telford, more widely regarded for his roads, bridges and canals. The church stands among Georgian houses in East Castle Street.
Travelling south from Bridgnorth, the Severn Valley Railway quickly arrives at Dudmaston, a small halt the principal feature of which is Dudmaston Hall sited north of the rail line. The Hall is in fact an impressive 18 th century manor house set within some splendid gardens, where trees, shrubs and landscaped waterfalls adorn these extensive grounds. Within the house are some important collections of furniture, 17 th century Dutch masters and floral paintings; there are more modern paintings on show by the likes of Matisse, as well as marvellous sculpture including pieces by Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore. Both house and garden are open to visitors throughout the summer season, April-September.
Six miles out of Bridgnorth Station the line passes the tiny Shropshire village of Alveley, the central part of which comprises one long street lying comfortably on the crest of a hill, flanked by sturdy sandstone cottages. By contrast, other buildings in Alveley parade traditional Shropshire black-and-white ‘magpie' fronts - that is, darkened timbers dashingly set against white painted plaster. Dominating the village is the elm-shaded 12 th century Church of St Mary; built of sandstone and mottled with moss its exterior was restored in 1878-9. Inside the church, a brass commemorates John Grove, a native of Alveley who became a Freeman of the Grocers' Co in London. The memorial recalls how Grove, who died in 1616, left two annual gifts of £10 to the village; one to employ a schoolmaster, the other to help "five poore aged... labouring men". There are several pleasant walks down to and along by the River Severn, where steam trains of the Severn Valley Railway run along the far bank.
Three miles from the southern terminus the village of Upper Arley clings nervously to the east bank of the Severn. Tucked away on the fringes of Shropshire, Arley lies right off the beaten-track and its hilly main street, which dips down to the very edge of the river, is a cul-de-sac. At one end of the village is the parish Church of St Peter, a fine 14 th century building with fragments of Norman ornament in the south wall of the nave, indicating the existence of an earlier church; its buttressed tower commands a scenic view overlooking the Severn. Bordering the village street as it climbs away from the river is an attractive mixture of buildings: old red brick and white-rendered cottages, a few modern bungalows, a large vicarage and the Georgian splendour of the Grange. The Valencia Arms inn and restaurant takes its name from Viscount Valencia buried in nearby St Peters, while neighbouring Arley House is a mock-gothic private residence with battlements and turreted tower. A slipway leads down to a small shingly beach giving the appearance of a seaside fishing village, were it not for the grassy bank across the river where patient anglers sit in nature's shadows, their silence broken only by the occasional steam train sliding past on the hillside above. A single-span pedestrian bridge leading to the Old Harbour Inn and to the impeccably restored smart little railway station, now a part of the Severn Valley Railway has replaced Arley's ferryboat.
The southern terminus of the Severn Valley Railway is Bewdley, a corruption of the French beau lieu, and Bewdley remains a ‘beautiful place' gazing down from its hillside above the west bank of the Severn and the south-western corner of the Wyre Forest. During Elizabethan times Bewdley enjoyed a period of prosperity as an inland port; by contrast today its waterfront is merely a backwater and some of the ancient black-and-white buildings and red-brick Georgian terraces in the village have seen better days. The town museum is housed in the Shambles, the former butcher's market, and has displays devoted to local trades of the past. A ropework, brass foundry and cooper's shop are so realistically set-up that it appears at first glance as if the craftsmen have just left for a tea-break, an illusion made more real by the presence of modern craftsmen at work - among them a blacksmith and glassblower. The Church of St Leonard's has a carved early-Norman doorway and a bell that may date back to 1225. St Anne's parish church is a classical building of the 1740's. Tickenhhill Manor, an 18 th century house, replaced the Royal Manor where in 1499 Prince Arthur, heir to Henry VII, was married by proxy to Catherine of Aragon; Arthur died in 1502 and his widow Catherine married his brother, the future Henry VIII. A handsome three-arched stone-bridge designed by Thomas Telford in 1798 and built for the princely sum of £9000, leads over the Severn to Bewdley Station. In addition to gleaming locomotives and immaculate cream and brown coaches, the station fittings evoke nostalgia in visitors who can recall the golden age of steam. Enamel signs advertise long-forgotten merchandise; stacks of trunks and leather suitcases might be the luggage of a colonel or a tea-planter on his way out to the colonies. Throughout the summer season the Severn Valley Railway operates a daily service to Bridgnorth.
A short drive north of Bewdley is the West Midland Safari Park where over 50 species of wild animals roam through 200 acres of grass and woodland. From the car park a road winds through an African reserve; a Eurasian reserve that includes deer; an American reserve including wolves and bison and lastly a monkey jungle. Near the animal reserves is a leisure park with boating lakes, a pool with sealions and a pet's corner where visitors are permitted to feed the animals. The Safari and Leisure Park is open from mid March to October.
To the west of Bewdley is 6000 acres of the Wyre Forest, the remnant of a much larger Royal hunting forest mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1088. Walkers can ramble for miles along three main tracks through the forest where fallow deer roam free. Large swathes of the Wyre are natural oak woodlands, with plantations of larch and Douglas fir among them. Meadowland, scattered within the wooded areas is bright with flowers and scented by the delicate fragrance of wild thyme.