Bewdley is by no means the largest town in the county of Worcestershire. First of all, the population barely tops out at a meager ten thousand citizens. Secondly, the towns size is hardly comparable to its neighbors like Kidderminster. In spite of these paltry statistics, though, Bewdley commands a large presence in its area because of the downright beautiful surroundings that the town has been blessed with. A large part of this natural splendor has to do with the fact that Bewdley sits comfortably alongside the incredible River Severn. Few rivers have done as much as the Severn when it comes to bestowing natural beauty on the towns that it runs alongside of and Bewdley is as good an example as any of the results of such bountiful proximity.
Load Street is the main street in the town of Bewdley and, not surprisingly, this street itself runs right out to the Severn. This should be even more apparent to anybody familiar with olde English: Load Street is derived from the word Lode which meant "ferry" in those days. Load Street is definitely wider than any other street in town and this makes sense when one considers the fact that Load Street is where the town's weekly market used to take place. People would come from all over to visit the market alongside the Severn and this influx was largely responsible for the rapid growth of Bewdley during those formative years.
Sadly, rivers don't give without taking. This fact is made evident in Bewdley by the fact that the Severn answers to no man and rises and lowers depending on its own whims. Winters are doubly hard in Bewdley because that is the season in which the likelihood of the Severn flooding is the greatest. Usually the water level doesn't rise too much but every now and then the Severn wreaks havoc on the town and has in the past killed many of its citizens. The year 2000 saw a particularly disastrous flood and, with a few other horrible floods in recent memory, the citizens of the town undertook plans to lessen the potential damage of floods each year in town. The National Flood Forum, instituted in 2002, helped to brainstorm some new solutions to this age-old problem and today there are barriers installed all around town to help prevent such disasters from ever occurring again. Only time will tell if these actions were successful though.
The best time to visit Bewdley is during their world famous "Discover Bewdley" festival. Held each May, this weekend-long fest includes arts, crafts, rides, events, and markets that put the neighboring towns to shame. Anybody new to the town would do well to visit this hopping soiree if they want to get to know one of the most unique and fascinating towns in the area. Be forewarned, though: Many people who visit Bewdley for a couple days find that they aren't able to leave when their holiday is up. If you are susceptible to charms of the highest order then you may want to be wary of visiting this pristine wonderland.
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