Upton on Severn

The 2011 census recorded a population of 2,881 making it the smallest town in Worcestershire, boasting a marina and noted for it’s distinctive copper clad cuppola known as the ‘Pepper Pot’ the remnant of a former church.The Pepper Pot is the site of the Battle of Upton in 1651 between Royalists and Rounheads as a preliminary to Oliver Cromwells victory over Charles II during the Civil War. 12000 men crossed the river here - then, the location of the only bridge across the River Severn.

 

As the river traffic grew so did the town with warehouses and several pubs appearing. By the 19th Century there were as many as 20 pubs in the town available to ‘refresh’ the men who hauled the boats up and down the river.

The Tudor House Museum

The Tudor House, erected between 1500-1550 - although stones in the two cellars under the house possibly date back to the thirteenth century, is a fine example of a close-studded timber framed building. The original friary which gave the street its name was just outside the city walls, through Friars Gate at the end of Union Street. Tudor House’s appearance today is the result of sensitive restoration and amalgamation of three main properties by Richard Cadbury in the early 1900s.

The present day museum tells the story of the people who lived in Upton, their lives and experiences covering 400 years of past industries and city history.

 

There is also a small restful garden in similar vane including a miniature Victorian knot garden.

Upton Ham

 

The first few miles of the riverside walk are on the Severn Way through very pleasant countryside. 

 

Immediately after leaving Upton the path skirts Upper Ham, a nature reserve where fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides are banned, resulting in diverse flora and fauna. 

The ham, a designated SSSI, is a Lammas meadow, one of only a handful remaining in the country. The Lammas system has been in operation for over 1,000 years and involves grazing the meadows from Lammas Day in August until early the next year, after which they are kept stockfree to allow the grass to grow for harvesting in summer.  Lammas meadows were traditionally managed under a common system, with the grazing shared by the commoners on an equal basis, and with strips of meadow randomly allotted for harvesting, with dole stones used to mark the boundaries between strips. 

Upton with the Malvern Hills as backdrop