Bewdley is a tiny waterfront community as well as civil church in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire on the Shropshire boundary in England, along the Severn Valley 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Kidderminster and 22 miles (35 km) southwest of Birmingham. [1] It rests on the River Severn, at the entrance of the Wyre Forest national nature reserve, as well as at the time of the 2011 census had a population of 9,470. Bewdley is a preferred visitor destination as well as is known for the Bewdley Bridge designed by Thomas Telford. The almost all of Bewdley community is located on the western bank of the River Severn, including the primary street-- Load Street-- whose name derives from lode, an old word for ferryboat. Load Street is noteworthy for its width: this is since it once also worked as the community's market location. A lot of Bewdley's shops and also services are located along Load Street, on top of which lies St Anne's Church, constructed in between 1745 and 1748 by Doctor Thomas Woodward of Chipping Campden. Past the church, High Street leads off to the south towards Stourport along the B4194, a road recognized in your area as "the switchback" due to its many wavinesses. Unlike in numerous English towns, High Street is so called not because of its relevance, but because of its geographical placement 'high' above the river. Beyond of the church, Welch Gate (so called due to the fact that it once contained a tollgate when driving in the direction of Wales) climbs steeply up to the west, while Dowles Road, an extension of the B4194 leads northwest to Dowles and in the direction of the Wyre Forest. To the northeast of the community is the wooded hilltop of Wassel Wood in Trimpley, the southern terminus of Shatterford Hill. In the location in between Stourport and Bewdley there are a number of big country houses, amongst which Witley Court, Astley Hall and also Pool House are particularly significant.