The Tontine in the Winter sunshine

Image: © Philip Pankhurst Taken: 21 Jan 2020

Looking better now than at any time in its history, The Tontine has been converted into apartments after many years of uncertainty. The Tontine, originally known as the Areley Inn, was constructed for the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Company in 1772 as a centrepiece to their enterprise at Stourport. The development of the canal basins and settlement at Stourport began between 1768-1771 with the construction of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal, engineered by James Brindley. With a terminus at Stourport, the canal provided a direct navigable route via the River Severn between Bristol and Britain's industrial heartlands in the Midlands. The Tontine is the first expression of the close association between transport networks and the provision of services to cater for those using them and served as a precedent for the development of railway hotels in the 19th century. The design of the building may be attributable to Thomas Dadford, the canal company engineer.

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