BEWDLEY Civic Society has recreated a part of the town’s river trade history by installing a roller at its iconic bridge.

Civic society chairman, Richard Perrin, said that Bewdley was once one of the busiest inland ports in the country with large boats, called trows, which travelled between Welshpool and Bristol and beyond carrying all sorts of cargoes.

Some had sails but they were essentially towed by horses, and before that by men called bowhaulers.

To ease the passage of the boats through the bridge two rollers were installed soon after the bridge was built in 1800 so that the boats’ towropes didn’t dig into the ironwork surrounding the pedestrian archway.

Richard went on to say that the horizontal roller was restored by the Civic Society 20 years ago, but no one in living memory can remember the vertical roller although a photograph from 1899 proves its existence.

The project was managed by society member, Jim Parker, a scion of the famous Tangye family which amongst other things made hydraulic jacks for launching ships such as the Great Eastern.

Jim designed, arranged for the manufacture, and spent some days restoring the ironwork surrounds and installing the roller.

At a recent ceremony to mark the installation, the Mayor of Bewdley, Councillor Rod Stanczeshan carried out the formal unveiling.