Canal Basins, Locks And Wharves

The canal basins, locks, and wharves in Stourport on Severn were built by the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Company starting in 1766, with James Brindley as the principal engineer. The original construction included stone and brick for the basin and lock walls, timber lock gates, and stone wharf walls. While much of this has been repaired or renewed, the battered stone walls of the lock entrances remain, and the wharf walls are largely intact. The canal enters through York Street Lock in the northeast corner of the Upper Basin, which was completed in 1771 and still features a small dock inlet in its northern section. A channel connects this basin to the Old Basin, built in 1782 to the west, and locks from each basin lead south to the lower basins constructed in 1771 and 1775. A dry dock is accessible from the western lower basin, and narrow boat locks from 1781 connect it to the river. Barge locks from the eastern lower basin date to 1771, and there are graving docks also accessed from this basin. Brick and stone bridges that once crossed the locks to link the upper and lower basins include a substantially surviving eastern bridge, although one parapet has been renewed. A small cast-iron bridge, likely from the early 20th century, crosses the top of the narrow boat locks, while a brick bridge spans the bottom. The wharf walls, made of coursed and squared sandstone, extend along the river between the two sets of locks and eastward for about 100 meters, likely dating from the late 18th century.