Dowles

Dowles is a hamlet in the civil parish of Upper Arley, in the Wyre Forest district, in the county of Worcestershire, England. It is about 3 miles from the town of Kidderminster. The parish is divided into two parts by the Severn.^[1]

Dowles
The B4194 road in the former parish
Dowles Location within Worcestershire
Civil parish	Upper Arley
District	Wyre Forest
Shire county	Worcestershire
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
List of places UK England Worcestershire 52.3857°N 2.3306°W / 52.3857; -2.3306

History

Dowles gets its name from Dowles Brook, which runs through the parish.^[2] It was transferred from Shropshire to Worcestershire on 30 September 1895.^[3] In 1931, the civil parish had a population of 113.^[4] On 1 April 1933, the parish was abolished and merged with Upper Arley, Kidderminster Foreign and Bewdley.^[5]

Notable structures

• Dowles Manor, constructed c.1600. The Manor House within Dowles, owned the majority of the land.^[6]
• Dowles Church, a demolished church dedicated to Saint Andrew, of which only a graveyard and ruins of a Parish House remain. Built as part of Dowles Manor's estate on its historic land.^[7]
• Dowles Bridge, constructed c.1860 for the Severn Valley Railway across the River Severn, takes its name from the hamlet.