See an aerial view of the Stourport Canal Basins by clicking here
To see photos of the restoration work in the Stourport Canal Basins, visit the Stourport Basins Photo Gallery.
Download the final community newsletter on the Stourport Canal Basins project as a pdf file by clicking here.
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Stourport Canal Basins
Discover the historic heart of Stourport-on-Severn and its unique origins as a canal town. The Stourport Canal Basins still remain largely intact from the golden age of the canals in the late 1700's - early 1800's, and has under gone a major award winning regeneration programme that was completed in 2008. Click here for the Masterplan behind the Stourport Canal Basins Regeneration.
The Stourport Canal Basins are made up of five historic basins, home to nearly 100 narrow boats and yachts, and one re-opened basin, plus five canal locks and a dry dock, all located on the bank of the River Severn in the picturesque Severn Valley. Popular legend has it that James Brindley chose Stourport rather than Bewdley for his canal because the citizens of Bewdley did not want his 'stinking ditch' passing through their town. The reality is that Stourport made far more sense from a topographical point of view. A canal joining the River Severn at Bewdley would have needed to cross several hills. Joining the Severn at Stourport it could follow the Stour valley and this obviously made construction much cheaper.
The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal linked the River Severn with the Trent and Mersey Canal and as a result, after Birmingham, Stourport became the busiest inland port in the Midlands. The canal opened to Stourport in 1771 and by 1812 the five canal basins had been built. The town rapidly expanded and by the 1780's there were brass and iron foundries, a vinegar works, tan yards, worsted spinning mills, carpet mills, barge and boat building yards, warehouses, shops, houses and inns. By 1795 it had 200 houses and 1300 inhabitants.
The aim of the award winning regeneration programme was to bring the Stourport Canal Basins and their surroundings back into full, vibrant, sustainable use. The community have been actively engaged during the programme through volunteer activities, arts events and commissions, site interpretation, education trails and skills development.
The partners in the Stourport Canal Basins regeneration project include the Heritage Lottery Fund, British Waterways, Advantage West Midlands through Stourport Forward, Wyre Forest District Council, Stourport Town Council, Worcestershire County Council and the Arts Council.