Bewdley (/ˈbjuːdli/ ⓘ BEWD-lee) is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District in Worcestershire, England, on the banks of the River Severn.

It lies on the River Severn, at the gateway of the Wyre Forest national nature reserve, and at the time of the 2021 census had a population of 9,267.

Most of Bewdley's shops and amenities are situated along Load Street, at the top of which lies St Anne's Church, built between 1745 and 1748 by Doctor Thomas Woodward of Chipping Campden.

Beyond the church, High Street leads off to the south towards Stourport along the B4194, a road known locally as "the switchback" because of its many sharp curves.

Unlike in many English towns, High Street is so called not because of its importance to commerce, but because of its geographical position 'high' above the river.

Dowles Road, a continuation of the B4194, leads northwest to Button Oak, along the east and northeast side of the Wyre Forest.

Mesolithic-period settlers have been identified through excavations in Wribbenhall, which found 1,400 fragments of flint tools, as well as post holes, a hearth, gullies and a pit.

Bewdley was granted borough status, as well as a weekly market, by King Edward IV in 1472.

Sometimes he comes accompanied with the noise & parade of half a score horsemen, preceding his chariot, who set our whole streets in a gaze ….

[5] During the Second World War, Ribbesford House in Bewdley was used as the headquarters for the Free French officer cadets.

The cadets consisted of 200 teenagers who undertook military training at Ribbesford House until they joined with other allied forces in the D Day invasion.

For many centuries Bewdley had its own Member of Parliament (MP), most notably Stanley Baldwin, who served as the Conservative Prime Minister, who represented it from 1908 to 1937.

[7] Temporary barriers are also put up to protect properties on the eastern side of the river in Wribbenhall (on Beales Corner).

In October 2023 work began on permanent flood defences for Beales Corner on the eastern bank, scheduled for completion in Autumn 2025.

A modern road bridge, opened to the southeast of the town at Blackstone in 1987 after many decades of campaigning, carries the Bewdley bypass across the river.

The Bewdley Festival, featuring a variety of artistic performances, is held annually in the town each October.

[18][19] Former Led Zeppelin lead, and now solo singer, Robert Plant lives in the nearby village of Upper Arley, and has been known to perform in the River Rooms; a small, intimate country music venue above the Cock and Magpie pub on the north riverside.

The River Rooms attract country, soul, rock, jazz and pop performers from all across Europe and North America.

A visitor centre is situated just outside Bewdley at Callow Hill on the road to Cleobury Mortimer, the head of many waymarked trails through the forest.