Evolution of Worcestershire county boundaries since 1844 where more parishes or manors changed hands with neighbouring counties, usually as 'gifts' by the monarchy, church or through conquest. By 1844; the administration of Worcestershire was carried out by the Courts of Quarter Sessions, who were responsible for law and order, civil jurisdiction and certain administrative functions in the county. These roles included the licensing of alehouses, police, weights and measures, construction/maintenance of highways and bridges, poor law disputes and setting taxes. The county was then divided into five hundreds, four separate boroughs for the larger towns (Bewdley, Kidderminster, Droitwich, and Evesham), and Worcester itself, which was a county
Bewdley of the town, on the A456 towards Kidderminster. Bewdley was, until an office move in 2014 to Kidderminster, the headquarters of the Severn Valley Railway, a heritage railway running the 16 miles between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth. Bewdley remains the principal intermediate station on the line. The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Gardens (usually abbreviated to simply "Jubilee Gardens") are between the Bewdley Museum and the River Severn. Bewdley is on the southeastern edge the Wyre Forest, and there are many footpaths and cycle routes through the woodlands. There is a visitor centre situated just outside Bewdley at Callow Hill on the