Worcester
Encyclopedia
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city
and county town
of Worcestershire
in the West Midlands
of England
. Worcester is situated some 30 miles (48.3 km) southwest of Birmingham
and 29 miles (46.7 km) north of Gloucester
, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn
runs through the middle of the city, overlooked by the twelfth-century Worcester Cathedral
. The site of the final battle
of the Civil War
, Worcester was where Oliver Cromwell's
New Model Army
defeated King Charles II's
Cavaliers, resulting in the English Interregnum
, the ten-year period during which England and Wales
became a republic. Worcester was the home of Royal Worcester Porcelain
and the birthplace of the composer Sir Edward Elgar
. It houses the Lea and Perrins factory where the traditional Worcestershire Sauce is made, and is home to one of the UK's fastest growing Universities, The University of Worcester
, which has a growing academic reputation.
times, a village surrounded by defensive ramparts having been founded on the eastern bank of the River Severn here in around 400 BC. The position, which commanded a ford
on the river, was in the first century used by the Romans
to establish what may at first have been a fort on the military route from Glevum
(Gloucester) to Viroconium (Wroxeter) but which soon developed – as the frontier of the empire was pushed westwards – into an industrial town with its own pottery kiln
s and iron-smelting
plants.
Roman Worcester (which may have been the Vertis mentioned in the seventh century Ravenna Cosmography
) was a thriving trading and manufacturing centre for some three hundred years, though by the time of the Roman withdrawal from Britain in 407 it had dwindled considerably in size and is not recorded again until the mid-seventh century when documents mention the Anglo-Saxon
settlement Weorgoran
ceaster (settlement of the people by the winding river). The fact that Worcester was chosen at this time – in preference to both the much larger Gloucester
and the royal centre of Winchcombe
– to be the Episcopal See
of a new diocese
covering the area suggests that there may have been a well established, and powerful, Christian
community living on the site when it fell into English hands.
The town was almost destroyed in 1041 after a rebellion against the punitive taxation of Harthacanute. The town was attacked several times (in 1139, 1150 and 1151) during "The Anarchy
", i.e. civil war between King Stephen
and Empress Matilda
, daughter of Henry I
. This is the background to the well-researched historical novel The Virgin in the Ice, part of Ellis Peters' "Cadfael
" series, which begins with the words:
By late medieval times the population had grown to around 10,000 as the manufacture of cloth started to become a large local industry. The town was designated a county corporate
, giving it autonomy from local government.
Worcester was the site of the Battle of Worcester
(3 September 1651), when Charles II
's attempt to regain the crown by force was decisively defeated, in the fields a little to the west and south of the city, near the village of Powick
. After being defeated, Charles returned to his headquarters in what is now known as King Charles house in the Cornmarket, before fleeing in disguise to Boscobel House
in Shropshire
and his eventual escape to France
. Worcester was one of the cities loyal to the King in that war, for which it was given the epithet "Fidelis Civitas" ("The Faithful City"). This motto has been incorporated into the city's coat of arms
.
In 1670, the River Severn
broke its banks and the subsequent flood was the worst ever seen by Worcester. A brass plate can be found on a wall on the path to the cathedral by the path along the river showing how high this flood went, and other flood heights of more recent times are also shown in stone bricks. The closest flood height to what is known as The Flood of 1670 was when the Severn flooded in the torrential rains of July 2007.
The Royal Worcester Porcelain Company
factory was founded by Dr John Wall in 1751, although it no longer produces goods. A handful of decorators are still employed at the factory and the Museum is still open.
During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Worcester was a major centre for glove making, employing nearly half the glovers in England at its peak (over 30,000 people). In 1815 the Worcester and Birmingham Canal
opened, allowing Worcester goods to be transported to a larger conurbation.
The British Medical Association
(BMA) was founded in the Board Room of the old Worcester Royal Infirmary building in Castle Street in 1832. While most of the Royal Infirmary has now been demolished to make way for the University of Worcester
's new city campus, the original Georgian building has been preserved. There are plans to reopen the building as a medical museum.
During World War II
, the city was chosen to be the seat of an evacuated government in case of mass German invasion
. The War Cabinet
, along with Winston Churchill
and some 16.000 state workers, would have moved to Hindlip Hall
(now part of the complex forming the Headquarters of West Mercia Police), 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Worcester, and Parliament would have temporarily seated in Stratford-upon-Avon
.
In the 1950s and 1960s large areas of the medieval centre of Worcester were demolished and rebuilt as a result of decisions by town planners. There is still a significant area of medieval Worcester remaining, but it is a small fraction of what was present before the redevelopments.
The current city boundaries date from 1974, when the Local Government Act 1972
transferred the parishes of Warndon
and St. Peter the Great County into the city.
had a majority on the council from 2003 to 2007, when they lost a by-election to Labour
meaning the council had no overall control
. The Conservatives remained with the most seats overall with 17 out of 35 seats after the 2008 election
. Worcester has one member of Parliament
, Robin Walker of the Conservative Party, who represents the Worcester constituency
as of the May 2010 general election.
The County of Worcestershire's local government arrangement is formed of a non-metropolitan county (Worcestershire County Council) and six non-metropolitan district
s, with Worcester City Council being the district for most of Worcester, with a small area of the St. Peters suburb actually falling within neighbouring Wychavon District
. The Worcester City Council area includes two parish councils, these being Warndon Parish Council and St Peter the Great Parish Council.
, Northwick, St Peter the Great
(also simply known as St Peters), Red Hill
, Ronkswood
, Tolladine, Blackpole, Warndon
and Warndon Villages (which was once the largest housing development in the Country when the area was being constructed in the late 1980s/very early 1990s). Most of Worcester is on the eastern side of the River Severn
; Henwick
, Lower Wick
Diglis, Cherry Orchard and St. John's
are on the western side.
, greater than the national average. The largest religious group are Christians
, who made up 77% of the city's population. People who reported having no religion or who did not state their religion made up 21% of the city's population. Other religions totaled less than 2% of the population. Ethnic minorities include people of Chinese
, Indian
, Pakistani, Italian and Polish
origin, with the largest single minority group being British Pakistanis, numbering around 1,200, approximately 1.3% of Worcester's population. This has led to Worcester containing a small but diverse range of religious groups; as well as the commanding Worcester Cathedral
(Church of England
), there are also Catholic
and Baptist
churches, a large centre for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon
s), an Islamic mosque, and a number of smaller interest groups regarding Eastern Religions such as Buddhism
and the Hare Krishnas
.
Worcester is the seat of a Church of England
bishop. His official signature is his Christian name followed by Wigorn, which is also occasionally used as an abbreviation for the name of the county.
and open-top cans Williamsons, though G H Williamson and Sons had become part of the Metal Box Co in 1930. Later the company became Carnaud Metal Box PLC.
Worcester Porcelain operated in Worcester until 2008 when the factory was closed down due to the recession. However, the site of Worcester Porcelain still houses the Worcester Porcelain Museum which is open daily to visitors.
One of Worcester's most famous products, Lea & Perrins
Worcestershire sauce
is made and bottled in the Midland Road factory in Worcester, which has been the home of Lea & Perrins since 16 October 1897. Mr Lea and Mr Perrins originally met in a chemist's shop on the site of the now Debenhams store in the Crowngate Shopping Centre.
The surprising foundry heritage of the city is represented by Morganite Crucible at Norton which produces graphitic shaped products and cements for use in the modern industry.
The Kays
mail order business was founded in Worcester in the 1880s and operated from numerous premises in the city until 2007. It was then bought out by Reality, owner of the Grattan catalogue. Kays' former warehouse building was knocked down in 2008. Worcester is the home of what is claimed to be the oldest newspaper in the world, Berrow's Worcester Journal
, which traces its descent from a news-sheet that started publication in 1690. The city is also a major retail centre with several covered shopping centres that has most major chains represented as well as a host of independent shops and restaurants, particularly in Friar Street and New Street.
, Pandora (jewelry), House of Fraser
, TK Maxx, Primark
, Next
, and Debenhams
. Part of the High Street was modernised in 2005 amid much controversy, many comments were reported in the Worcester News
. Many of the issues focussing on the felling of long-standing trees, the duration of the works (caused by the weather and an archaeological find) and the removal of flagstones outside the city’s eighteenth century Guildhall. The other main thoroughfares are The Shambles and Broad Street, while The Cross (and its immediate surrounding area) is the city’s financial centre and location of the majority of Worcester’s main bank branches.
There are three main covered shopping centres in the City Centre, the CrownGate Shopping Centre
, Cathedral Plaza and Reindeer Court. There are three retail parks, the Elgar and Blackpole Retail Parks, which are located in the Blackpole area of the city, and the Shrub Hill Retail Park which is located immediately outside the city centre.
Probably the most famous landmark in Worcester is its imposing Worcester Cathedral
. The current building, formally named The Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, was begun in 1084 while its crypt dates from the tenth century. The chapter house is the only circular one in the country while the cathedral also has the distinction of having the tomb of King John
. Limited parts of the city wall
still remain.
There are three main parks in Worcester, Cripplegate Park, Gheluvelt Park and Fort Royal Park
, the latter being on one of the battles sites of the English Civil War
. In addition, there is a large open area known as Pitchcroft to the North of the city centre on the east bank of the River Severn
, which, apart from those days when it is being used for horse racing
, is a public space.
Gheluvelt Park was opened as a memorial to commemorate the Worcestershire Regiment
's 2nd Battalion after their part in the Battle of Gheluvelt, during World War I
.
There are also two large woodlands in the city, Perry Wood, at twelve hectares, and Nunnery Wood, covering twenty-one hectares. Perry Wood is often said to be the place where Oliver Cromwell
met and made a pact with the devil. Nunnery Wood is an integral part of the adjacent and popular Worcester Woods Country Park, itself next door to County Hall on the east side of the city.
The M5 Motorway
runs north-south immediately to the east of the City, and is accessed by Junction 6 (Worcester North) and Junction 7 (Worcester South). This makes the city easily accessible by car to most parts of the country, including London which is only 120 miles (193.1 km) away (via the M5, M42
and M40
).
Several A roads pass through the city. The A449 road
runs south-west to Malvern and north to Kidderminster. The A44
runs south-east to Evesham
and west to Leominster
and Aberystwyth
and crosses Worcester Bridge. The A38
trunk road runs south to Tewkesbury
and Gloucester
and north-north-east to Droitwich and Birmingham
. The A4103
goes west-south-west to Hereford
. The A422 heads east to Alcester
, branching from the A44 a mile east of the M5. The city is encompassed by a partial ring road (A4440) which is formed, rather inconsistently, by single and dual carriageways. The A4440 road provides a second road bridge across the Severn (Carrington Bridge) just west of the A4440-A38 junction. Carrington Bridge links the A38 from Worcester towards Gloucester with the A449 linking Worcester with Malvern.
and Worcester Shrub Hill
.
Worcester Foregate Street is located in the city centre, on Foregate Street. Although featuring two tracks Foregate Street consists of two bi-directional single working lines, one of which is the Birmingham to Worcester line while the other is the Cotswold Line
, which Shrub Hill also serves.
Worcester Shrub Hill is located just outside the city centre on Shrub Hill Road. The station is on the Cotswold Line as well being a spur off the Birmingham to Worcester line. Unlike Foregate Street, Shrub Hill does not have single working lines. Being the much bigger of Worcester's stations, due to a large number of tracks and sidings, Shrub Hill is often used as a stabling point and a through route for freight trains.
Both stations frequently serve Birmingham and nearby towns and cities, with services primarily provided by London Midland
, while London is also served frequently by both stations via the Cotswold Line and, infrequently, via the Birmingham-Bristol/Gloucester-Swindon/Bristol-London lines. Train services to London are operated by First Great Western
.
Although connected to the Birmingham-Bristol 'Cross Country' mainline only two miles away, Worcester is not served by Inter City Cross Country services therefore making Worcestershire the only county in England where Inter City Cross Country services pass through but do not stop in during normal scheduled timetables. The proposed station, Worcestershire Parkway
is expected to end this.
, trading as Red Diamond, and Worcestershire County Council, trading as Woosh, operate many other services. A few other smaller operators provide services in Worcester, most notably Astons (Veolia Transport
) and Bromyard Omnibus Company. The terminus and interchange for many bus services in Worcester is Crowngate Bus Station located in the city centre.
next to junction 6 of the M5 motorway.
The stops on the W1 service are at:
• Perdiswell Park & Ride
• St Stephen’s Church (Barbourne area)
• St George’s Square (Barbourne area)
• Little London for Royal Grammar School (Barbourne area)
• Foregate Street Rail Station (city centre)
• Worcester Bus Station (city centre)
, which was awarded university status in 2005 by HM Privy Council. From 1997 to 2005 it was known as University College Worcester (UCW) and prior to 1997 it was known as Worcester College of Higher Education. From 2005 to 2010 it was the fastest growing university in the UK, more than doubling its student population. The University is also home to the independent Worcester Students Union institution. The city is also home to two colleges, Worcester Sixth Form College
and Worcester College of Technology
.
, Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College
, Christopher Whitehead Language College
, Tudor Grange Academy Worcester (on the site of the defunct Elgar High School), Nunnery Wood High School
and New College Worcester
which caters for blind and partially sighted students from the ages of 11 to 18.
, founded in 1291, and Alice Ottley School merged in 2007. The King's School, Worcester
was re-founded in 1541 under King Henry VIII
. Saint Mary's Convent School
, now the only all-girls school in the city, is the third private school in the city. Other independent schools include the Independent Christian school, the River School
in Fernhill Heath
.
, which dates from the eighteenth century and is credited with being the oldest music festival in Europe. The location of the festival rotates each year between the Cathedral Cities of the Three Counties
, Gloucester
, Hereford
and Worcester. Famous for its championing of English music, especially that of Elgar
, Vaughan Williams
and Gustav Holst
, Worcester last hosted the festival in August 2011.
The Worcester Festival is a relatively new venture established in 2003. Held in late August, the festival consists of a variety of music, theatre, cinema
and workshops, as well as the already established Beer Festival
, which runs as an event within the Worcester Festival.
For one weekend the city plays host to the Worcester Music Festival
. Now in its 4th year (2011) the festival comprises a weekend original music by predominantly local bands and musicians. All performances are free, and take place throughout the city centre in bars, clubs, community buildings, churches and the library. In 2010 the festival comprised 230 unique acts.
Worcester Festival ends with a spectacular firework display on the banks of the River Severn on the Monday of the August bank holiday.
The Victorian-themed Christmas Fayre is a major source of tourism every December. Elton John
came to the Worcestershire Cricket Ground, New Road on Saturday 9 June 2006. Status Quo came to Sixways Stadium (Worcester Warriors) on Saturday 28 July 2007.
The twelfth CAMRA
Worcester Beer and Cider festival took place for three days from the 17 August 2010 and was held as usual on Pitchcroft Race Course.
The Worcester Beer, Cider and Perry festival is the largest beer festival within the West Midlands with the 2009 event being attended by 11,000 people.
made her acting début here at the Theatre Royal in Angel Street. Her sister, the novelist Ann Julia Kemble Hatton, otherwise known as Ann of Swansea, was born in the city. Matilda Alice Powles, better known as Vesta Tilley
, a leading male impersonator and music hall artiste was born in Worcester.
In present-day Worcester the Swan Theatre stages a mixture of professional touring and local amateur productions. The Countess of Huntingdon's Hall is a historic church now used as venue for an eclectic range of musical performances, while the Marrs Bar is a venue for gigs and stand-up comedy. Worcester has two multi-screen cinemas; a Vue Cinema complex located on Friar Street, and an Odeon Cinema on Foregate Street – both of which were 3D-equipped by March 2010.
In the northern suburb of Northwick
is the Art Deco
Northwick Cinema. Built in 1938 it contains one of the only two remaining interiors in Britain designed by John Alexander
(the original perspective drawings are still held by RIBA
). It was a Bingo Hall from 1966 to 1982 and then empty until 1991; it was then run as a music venue until 1996, and was empty again until Autumn 2006 when it became an antiques and lifestyle centre, owned by Grey's Interiors, who were previously located in The Tything.
There are a number of other arts organisations in Worcester. Based at the University and also Bishop Perowne Performing Arts College is C&T (formerly Collar & Tie), an educational theatre company that specialises in theatre for young people tackling topical issues using a blend of drama and new media technologies.
, Worcester Standard and Berrow's Worcester Journal
newspapers and radio stations BBC Hereford & Worcester, Wyvern
and Youthcomm Radio
.
, the Parisian commune of Le Vésinet
, and its larger American namesake Worcester
, Massachusetts.
In February 2009 Worcester City Council's Twinning Association began deliberating an application to twin Worcester with the Palestinian
city of Gaza
. Councillor Alan Amos introduced the application, which was passed at its first stage by a majority of 35-6. The proposal was later rejected by the Executive Committee of the City of Worcester Twinning Association for lack of funding due to its present commitment to existing twinning projects.
City status in the United Kingdom
City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
and county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
in the West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Worcester is situated some 30 miles (48.3 km) southwest of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and 29 miles (46.7 km) north of Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
runs through the middle of the city, overlooked by the twelfth-century Worcester Cathedral
Worcester Cathedral
Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, England; situated on a bank overlooking the River Severn. It is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Worcester. Its official name is The Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Mary the Virgin of Worcester...
. The site of the final battle
Battle of Worcester
The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 at Worcester, England and was the final battle of the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians defeated the Royalist, predominantly Scottish, forces of King Charles II...
of the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, Worcester was where Oliver Cromwell's
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
New Model Army
New Model Army
The New Model Army of England was formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War, and was disbanded in 1660 after the Restoration...
defeated King Charles II's
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
Cavaliers, resulting in the English Interregnum
English Interregnum
The English Interregnum was the period of parliamentary and military rule by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the Commonwealth of England after the English Civil War...
, the ten-year period during which England and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
became a republic. Worcester was the home of Royal Worcester Porcelain
Royal Worcester
Royal Worcester is believed to be the oldest remaining English pottery brand still in existence today.-Overview:Royal Worcester is a British brand known for its history, provenance and classically English collections of porcelain...
and the birthplace of the composer Sir Edward Elgar
Edward Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
. It houses the Lea and Perrins factory where the traditional Worcestershire Sauce is made, and is home to one of the UK's fastest growing Universities, The University of Worcester
University of Worcester
The University of Worcester is a British university, based in Worcester, Worcestershire, England. It was granted university status in September 2005.-History:...
, which has a growing academic reputation.
History
Occupation of the site of Worcester can be dated back to NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
times, a village surrounded by defensive ramparts having been founded on the eastern bank of the River Severn here in around 400 BC. The position, which commanded a ford
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
on the river, was in the first century used by the Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
to establish what may at first have been a fort on the military route from Glevum
Glevum
Glevum was a Roman fort in Roman Britain that become "colonia" of retired legionaries in AD 97. Today it is known as Gloucester, located in the English county of Gloucestershire...
(Gloucester) to Viroconium (Wroxeter) but which soon developed – as the frontier of the empire was pushed westwards – into an industrial town with its own pottery kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
s and iron-smelting
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
plants.
Ravenna Cosmography
The Ravenna Cosmography was compiled by an anonymous cleric in Ravenna around AD 700. It consists of a list of place-names covering the world from India to Ireland. Textual evidence indicates that the author frequently used maps as his source....
) was a thriving trading and manufacturing centre for some three hundred years, though by the time of the Roman withdrawal from Britain in 407 it had dwindled considerably in size and is not recorded again until the mid-seventh century when documents mention the Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
settlement Weorgoran
Weorgoran
The Weorgoran were a tribe or clan in Anglo-Saxon England, possibly forming an early settlement of the Hwicce sub-kingdom. The name literally means "people of the winding river" in Old English, and the Weorgoran settled on or near the site of an earlier Roman settlement , establishing a new...
ceaster (settlement of the people by the winding river). The fact that Worcester was chosen at this time – in preference to both the much larger Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
and the royal centre of Winchcombe
Winchcombe
Winchcombe is a Cotswold town in the local authority district of Tewkesbury, in Gloucestershire, England. Its population according to the 2001 census was 4,379.-Early history:...
– to be the Episcopal See
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
of a new diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
covering the area suggests that there may have been a well established, and powerful, Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
community living on the site when it fell into English hands.
The town was almost destroyed in 1041 after a rebellion against the punitive taxation of Harthacanute. The town was attacked several times (in 1139, 1150 and 1151) during "The Anarchy
The Anarchy
The Anarchy or The Nineteen-Year Winter was a period of English history during the reign of King Stephen, which was characterised by civil war and unsettled government...
", i.e. civil war between King Stephen
Stephen of England
Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...
and Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda , also known as Matilda of England or Maude, was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to survive to adulthood...
, daughter of Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
. This is the background to the well-researched historical novel The Virgin in the Ice, part of Ellis Peters' "Cadfael
Cadfael
Brother Cadfael is the fictional main character in a series of historical murder mysteries written between 1977 and 1994 by the linguist-scholar Edith Pargeter under the name "Ellis Peters". The character of Cadfael himself is a Welsh Benedictine monk living at Shrewsbury Abbey, in western England,...
" series, which begins with the words:
"It was early in November of 1139 that the tide of civil war, lately so sluggish and inactive, rose suddenly to wash over the city of Worcester, wash away half of its lifestock, property and women, and send all those of its inhabitants who could get away in time scurrying for their lives northwards away from the marauders". (These are mentioned as having arrived from GloucesterGloucesterGloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, leaving a long lasting legacy of bitterness between the two cities.)
By late medieval times the population had grown to around 10,000 as the manufacture of cloth started to become a large local industry. The town was designated a county corporate
County corporate
A county corporate or corporate county was a type of subnational division used for local government in England, Ireland and Wales.Counties corporate were created during the Middle Ages, and were effectively small self-governing counties...
, giving it autonomy from local government.
Worcester was the site of the Battle of Worcester
Battle of Worcester
The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 at Worcester, England and was the final battle of the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians defeated the Royalist, predominantly Scottish, forces of King Charles II...
(3 September 1651), when Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
's attempt to regain the crown by force was decisively defeated, in the fields a little to the west and south of the city, near the village of Powick
Powick
Powick is a Worcestershire village two miles south of the city of Worcester and four miles north of Great Malvern, close to the River Teme. It is a civil parish of the Malvern Hills District, and it includes the village of Callow End and the hamlets of Bastonford, Clevelode, Colletts Green, and...
. After being defeated, Charles returned to his headquarters in what is now known as King Charles house in the Cornmarket, before fleeing in disguise to Boscobel House
Boscobel House
Boscobel House is a building in the parish of Boscobel in Shropshire, as is clear from all Ordnance Survey maps, although the boundary of the property is contiguous with the county's boundary with Staffordshire, and it has a Stafford post code. It is near the city of Wolverhampton...
in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
and his eventual escape to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Worcester was one of the cities loyal to the King in that war, for which it was given the epithet "Fidelis Civitas" ("The Faithful City"). This motto has been incorporated into the city's coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
.
In 1670, the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
broke its banks and the subsequent flood was the worst ever seen by Worcester. A brass plate can be found on a wall on the path to the cathedral by the path along the river showing how high this flood went, and other flood heights of more recent times are also shown in stone bricks. The closest flood height to what is known as The Flood of 1670 was when the Severn flooded in the torrential rains of July 2007.
The Royal Worcester Porcelain Company
Royal Worcester
Royal Worcester is believed to be the oldest remaining English pottery brand still in existence today.-Overview:Royal Worcester is a British brand known for its history, provenance and classically English collections of porcelain...
factory was founded by Dr John Wall in 1751, although it no longer produces goods. A handful of decorators are still employed at the factory and the Museum is still open.
During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Worcester was a major centre for glove making, employing nearly half the glovers in England at its peak (over 30,000 people). In 1815 the Worcester and Birmingham Canal
Worcester and Birmingham Canal
The Worcester and Birmingham Canal is a canal linking Birmingham and Worcester in England. It starts in Worcester, as an 'offshoot' of the River Severn and ends in Gas Street Basin in Birmingham. It is long....
opened, allowing Worcester goods to be transported to a larger conurbation.
The British Medical Association
British Medical Association
The British Medical Association is the professional association and registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association’s headquarters are located in BMA House,...
(BMA) was founded in the Board Room of the old Worcester Royal Infirmary building in Castle Street in 1832. While most of the Royal Infirmary has now been demolished to make way for the University of Worcester
University of Worcester
The University of Worcester is a British university, based in Worcester, Worcestershire, England. It was granted university status in September 2005.-History:...
's new city campus, the original Georgian building has been preserved. There are plans to reopen the building as a medical museum.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the city was chosen to be the seat of an evacuated government in case of mass German invasion
Operation Sealion
Operation Sea Lion was Germany's plan to invade the United Kingdom during the Second World War, beginning in 1940. To have had any chance of success, however, the operation would have required air and naval supremacy over the English Channel...
. The War Cabinet
War Cabinet
A War Cabinet is a committee formed by a government in a time of war. It is usually a subset of the full executive cabinet of ministers. It is also quite common for a War Cabinet to have senior military officers and opposition politicians as members....
, along with Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
and some 16.000 state workers, would have moved to Hindlip Hall
Hindlip Hall
Hindlip Hall is in Worcestershire. The first major hall was built before 1575. It played a significant role in both the Babington and the Gunpowder plots . It was Humphrey Littleton who told the authorities that Edward Oldcorne was hiding here after he had been heard saying Mass at Hindlip Hall...
(now part of the complex forming the Headquarters of West Mercia Police), 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Worcester, and Parliament would have temporarily seated in Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
.
In the 1950s and 1960s large areas of the medieval centre of Worcester were demolished and rebuilt as a result of decisions by town planners. There is still a significant area of medieval Worcester remaining, but it is a small fraction of what was present before the redevelopments.
The current city boundaries date from 1974, when the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
transferred the parishes of Warndon
Warndon
Warndon is a suburb and civil parish of the City of Worcester in Worcestershire, England.The parish, which includes the villages of Trotshill and Warndon was part of Droitwich Rural District until 1974 when it was annexed to Worcester under the Local Government Act 1972...
and St. Peter the Great County into the city.
Governance
The ConservativesConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
had a majority on the council from 2003 to 2007, when they lost a by-election to Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
meaning the council had no overall control
No overall control
Within the context of local councils of the United Kingdom, the term No Overall Control refers to a situation in which no single party achieves a majority of seats and is analogous to a hung parliament...
. The Conservatives remained with the most seats overall with 17 out of 35 seats after the 2008 election
Worcester Council election, 2008
The 2008 Worcester Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Worcester District Council in Worcestershire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control....
. Worcester has one member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, Robin Walker of the Conservative Party, who represents the Worcester constituency
Worcester (UK Parliament constituency)
Worcester is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Since 1885 it has elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election; from 1295 to 1885 it elected two MPs....
as of the May 2010 general election.
The County of Worcestershire's local government arrangement is formed of a non-metropolitan county (Worcestershire County Council) and six non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
s, with Worcester City Council being the district for most of Worcester, with a small area of the St. Peters suburb actually falling within neighbouring Wychavon District
Wychavon
Wychavon is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in Pershore. Other towns in the district include Droitwich Spa, Evesham and Broadway. The district extends from the south-east corner of Worcestershire north and west...
. The Worcester City Council area includes two parish councils, these being Warndon Parish Council and St Peter the Great Parish Council.
Geography
Notable suburbs in Worcester include Barbourne, ClainesClaines
Claines is a small village just to the north of Worcester, England, on the left bank of the River Severn. Claines is situated in the heart of Worcestershire on the A449 between Worcester and Kidderminster. It has a church which dates from the 10th Century....
, Northwick, St Peter the Great
St Peter the Great
St Peter the Great is a suburb of the City of Worcester in Worcestershire, England. It is almost due south of the city centre, on the east side of the river Severn, and has a population of 5,620....
(also simply known as St Peters), Red Hill
Red Hill, Worcester
Red Hill is an area of Worcester, Worcestershire, England. It is in the south-east of the city on the A44. It has historically been used as high ground to attack the city and as a place of execution.-History:...
, Ronkswood
Ronkswood
Ronkswood is a suburb of the city of Worcester, the county seat of Worcestershire, England. It is around one mile east of the city centre, centred on Newtown Road . Much of the Ronkswood housing estate was built in the late 1940s....
, Tolladine, Blackpole, Warndon
Warndon
Warndon is a suburb and civil parish of the City of Worcester in Worcestershire, England.The parish, which includes the villages of Trotshill and Warndon was part of Droitwich Rural District until 1974 when it was annexed to Worcester under the Local Government Act 1972...
and Warndon Villages (which was once the largest housing development in the Country when the area was being constructed in the late 1980s/very early 1990s). Most of Worcester is on the eastern side of the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
; Henwick
Henwick
Henwick is a village in Worcestershire, England....
, Lower Wick
Lower Wick, Worcester
Lower Wick is a suburb of Worcester situated to the south-west of the city. Lower Wick is located to the south of St. John's and to the west of the River Severn...
Diglis, Cherry Orchard and St. John's
St. John's, Worcester
St Johns is a large suburb of Worcester, England, west of the city centre and the River Severn. There is also a road of the same name, part of which is the A44.- Location :St Johns is the home of the Worcestershire County Cricket Club...
are on the western side.
Climate
Demography and religion
The 2001 census recorded Worcester's population at 93,353. About 96.5% of Worcester's population was white; of which 94.2% were White BritishWhite British
White British was an ethnicity classification used in the 2001 United Kingdom Census. As a result of the census, 50,366,497 people in the United Kingdom were classified as White British. In Scotland the classification was broken down into two different categories: White Scottish and Other White...
, greater than the national average. The largest religious group are Christians
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, who made up 77% of the city's population. People who reported having no religion or who did not state their religion made up 21% of the city's population. Other religions totaled less than 2% of the population. Ethnic minorities include people of Chinese
British Chinese
British Chinese , including British-born Chinese are people of Chinese ancestry who were born in, or have migrated to, the United Kingdom. They are part of the Chinese diaspora, or overseas Chinese...
, Indian
British Indian
The term British Indian refers to citizens of the United Kingdom whose ancestral roots lie in India. This includes people born in the UK who are of Indian descent, and Indian-born people who have migrated to the UK...
, Pakistani, Italian and Polish
Polish British
Polish migration to the United Kingdom describes the temporary or permanent migration of Poles to the United Kingdom . Most Polish migrants to the UK emigrated after two major events, the Polish Resettlement Act 1947 and the 2004 enlargement of the European Union...
origin, with the largest single minority group being British Pakistanis, numbering around 1,200, approximately 1.3% of Worcester's population. This has led to Worcester containing a small but diverse range of religious groups; as well as the commanding Worcester Cathedral
Worcester Cathedral
Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, England; situated on a bank overlooking the River Severn. It is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Worcester. Its official name is The Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Mary the Virgin of Worcester...
(Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
), there are also Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
and Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
churches, a large centre for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
s), an Islamic mosque, and a number of smaller interest groups regarding Eastern Religions such as Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
and the Hare Krishnas
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness , known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organization. It was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada...
.
Worcester is the seat of a Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
bishop. His official signature is his Christian name followed by Wigorn, which is also occasionally used as an abbreviation for the name of the county.
Economy
Industry is now quite varied. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century, Worcester was a major centre for glove manufacture, but this has declined greatly. The late-Victorian period saw the growth of ironfounders, like Heenan & Froude, Hardy & Padmore and McKenzie & Holland.Manufacturing
The inter-war years saw the rapid growth of engineering, producing machine tools James Archdale, H.W. Ward, castings for the motor industry Worcester Windshields and Casements, mining machinery Mining Engineering Company (MECO) which later became part of Joy Mining MachineryJoy Mining Machinery
Joy Mining Machinery is a manufacturer of surface and underground mining machinery based in Warrendale, Pennsylvania, United States. They are an operating subsidiary of Joy Global Inc.-Parent Company Overview:...
and open-top cans Williamsons, though G H Williamson and Sons had become part of the Metal Box Co in 1930. Later the company became Carnaud Metal Box PLC.
Worcester Porcelain operated in Worcester until 2008 when the factory was closed down due to the recession. However, the site of Worcester Porcelain still houses the Worcester Porcelain Museum which is open daily to visitors.
One of Worcester's most famous products, Lea & Perrins
Lea & Perrins
Lea & Perrins is a United Kingdom based food division of the H.J. Heinz Company, originating in Worcester, England, with a subsidiary in the United States which manufactures Lea & Perrins in New Jersey...
Worcestershire sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Worcestershire sauce , or Worcester sauce is a fermented liquid condiment; primarily used to flavour meat or fish dishes.First made at 60 Broad Street, Worcester, England, by two dispensing chemists, John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins, the Lea & Perrins brand was commercialised in 1837 and...
is made and bottled in the Midland Road factory in Worcester, which has been the home of Lea & Perrins since 16 October 1897. Mr Lea and Mr Perrins originally met in a chemist's shop on the site of the now Debenhams store in the Crowngate Shopping Centre.
The surprising foundry heritage of the city is represented by Morganite Crucible at Norton which produces graphitic shaped products and cements for use in the modern industry.
The Kays
Kays Catalogues
Kay and Co Ltd was a mail-order catalogue business, with offices and warehouses throughout the United Kingdom. It was a very successful company, especially during the latter part of the 20th century....
mail order business was founded in Worcester in the 1880s and operated from numerous premises in the city until 2007. It was then bought out by Reality, owner of the Grattan catalogue. Kays' former warehouse building was knocked down in 2008. Worcester is the home of what is claimed to be the oldest newspaper in the world, Berrow's Worcester Journal
Berrow's Worcester Journal
Berrow's Worcester Journal claims to be "the oldest surviving newspaper in the World", It is owned by Newsquest, the second largest publisher of regional and local newspapers in the United Kingdom.The common belief that Berrow's Worcester Journal, or its...
, which traces its descent from a news-sheet that started publication in 1690. The city is also a major retail centre with several covered shopping centres that has most major chains represented as well as a host of independent shops and restaurants, particularly in Friar Street and New Street.
Retail trade
Worcester’s main shopping centre is the High Street, home to the stores of major retail chains such as Marks & SpencerMarks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
, Pandora (jewelry), House of Fraser
House of Fraser
House of Fraser is a British department store group with over 60 stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established in Glasgow, Scotland in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser. By 1891 it was known as Fraser & Sons. The company grew steadily during the early 20th century, but after the Second...
, TK Maxx, Primark
Primark
Primark is a clothing retailer, operating over 223 stores in Ireland , the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Belgium...
, Next
Next (retailer)
Next plc is a British retailer marketing clothing, footwear, accessories and home products with its headquarters in Enderby, Leicestershire, England. The company has over 550 stores throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland, and 50 franchise branches in Europe, Asia and the Middle East...
, and Debenhams
Debenhams
Debenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
. Part of the High Street was modernised in 2005 amid much controversy, many comments were reported in the Worcester News
Worcester News
The Worcester News is a tabloid newspaper based in Worcester, UK. The Worcester newspaper, which was re-branded from the Worcester Evening News in July 2005, is the largest selling daily local newspaper in Worcester. The Worcester News is published Monday to Saturday...
. Many of the issues focussing on the felling of long-standing trees, the duration of the works (caused by the weather and an archaeological find) and the removal of flagstones outside the city’s eighteenth century Guildhall. The other main thoroughfares are The Shambles and Broad Street, while The Cross (and its immediate surrounding area) is the city’s financial centre and location of the majority of Worcester’s main bank branches.
There are three main covered shopping centres in the City Centre, the CrownGate Shopping Centre
CrownGate Shopping Centre
CrownGate Worcester is a shopping centre in Worcester, England. It contains 60 stores, with a range of both large and smaller units, including anchor tenants House of Fraser, Debenhams and Primark. There are also three restaurants, a large car park with Bus Station and The Huntingdon Hall Theater...
, Cathedral Plaza and Reindeer Court. There are three retail parks, the Elgar and Blackpole Retail Parks, which are located in the Blackpole area of the city, and the Shrub Hill Retail Park which is located immediately outside the city centre.
Landmarks
Worcester Cathedral
Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, England; situated on a bank overlooking the River Severn. It is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Worcester. Its official name is The Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Mary the Virgin of Worcester...
. The current building, formally named The Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, was begun in 1084 while its crypt dates from the tenth century. The chapter house is the only circular one in the country while the cathedral also has the distinction of having the tomb of King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
. Limited parts of the city wall
Worcester city walls
Worcester's city walls are a sequence of defensive structures built around the city of Worcester in England between the 1st and 17th centuries. The first walls to be built around Worcester were constructed by the Romans...
still remain.
There are three main parks in Worcester, Cripplegate Park, Gheluvelt Park and Fort Royal Park
Fort Royal Hill
Fort Royal Hill, is in a park in Worcester, England, and the site of the remains of an English Civil War fort.-History:Fort Royal was a Civil War redoubt on a small hill to the southeast of Worcester overlooking the Sidbury Gate...
, the latter being on one of the battles sites of the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. In addition, there is a large open area known as Pitchcroft to the North of the city centre on the east bank of the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
, which, apart from those days when it is being used for horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
, is a public space.
Gheluvelt Park was opened as a memorial to commemorate the Worcestershire Regiment
Worcestershire Regiment
The Worcestershire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 29th Regiment of Foot and the 36th Regiment of Foot....
's 2nd Battalion after their part in the Battle of Gheluvelt, during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
There are also two large woodlands in the city, Perry Wood, at twelve hectares, and Nunnery Wood, covering twenty-one hectares. Perry Wood is often said to be the place where Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
met and made a pact with the devil. Nunnery Wood is an integral part of the adjacent and popular Worcester Woods Country Park, itself next door to County Hall on the east side of the city.
Destinations from Worcester
Road
M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from a junction with the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley...
runs north-south immediately to the east of the City, and is accessed by Junction 6 (Worcester North) and Junction 7 (Worcester South). This makes the city easily accessible by car to most parts of the country, including London which is only 120 miles (193.1 km) away (via the M5, M42
M42 motorway
The M42 motorway is a major road in England. The motorway runs north east from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire to just south west of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, passing Redditch, Solihull, the National Exhibition Centre and Tamworth on the way. The section between the M40 and M6 road forms...
and M40
M40 motorway
The M40 motorway is a motorway in the British transport network that forms a major part of the connection between London and Birmingham. Part of this road forms a section of the unsigned European route E05...
).
Several A roads pass through the city. The A449 road
A449 road
The A449 is a major road in the United Kingdom. It runs north from junction 24 of the M4 motorway at Newport in South Wales to Stafford in Staffordshire....
runs south-west to Malvern and north to Kidderminster. The A44
A44 road
The A44 is a major road in the United Kingdom that runs from Oxford in southern England to Aberystwyth in west Wales.-History:The original route of the A44 was Chipping Norton to Aberystwyth. No changes were made to the route of the A44 in the early years...
runs south-east to Evesham
Evesham
Evesham is a market town and a civil parish in the Local Authority District of Wychavon in the county of Worcestershire, England with a population of 22,000. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon...
and west to Leominster
Leominster
Leominster is a market town in Herefordshire, England, located approximately north of the city of Hereford and south of Ludlow, at...
and Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
and crosses Worcester Bridge. The A38
A38 road
The A38, part of which is also known as the Devon Expressway, is a major A-class trunk road in England.The road runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It is long, making it one of the longest A-roads in England. It was formerly known as the Leeds — Exeter Trunk Road,...
trunk road runs south to Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury is a town in Gloucestershire, England. It stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon, and also minor tributaries the Swilgate and Carrant Brook...
and Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
and north-north-east to Droitwich and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. The A4103
A4103 road
The A4103 is an A-road in England, which runs west-south-west through rural surroundings from Worcester to Stretton Sugwas, a village a couple of miles west of Hereford. The road is a primary route until the junction with the A465 road east of Hereford...
goes west-south-west to Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
. The A422 heads east to Alcester
Alcester
Alcester is an old market town of Roman origin at the junction of the River Alne and River Arrow in Warwickshire, England. It is situated approximately west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 8 miles south of Redditch, close to the Worcestershire border...
, branching from the A44 a mile east of the M5. The city is encompassed by a partial ring road (A4440) which is formed, rather inconsistently, by single and dual carriageways. The A4440 road provides a second road bridge across the Severn (Carrington Bridge) just west of the A4440-A38 junction. Carrington Bridge links the A38 from Worcester towards Gloucester with the A449 linking Worcester with Malvern.
Rail
Worcester has two stations, Worcester Foregate StreetWorcester Foregate Street railway station
Worcester Foregate Street railway station, opened by the Great Western Railway in 1860, is situated in the centre of the city of Worcester, in Worcestershire, England. It is physically the smaller of the two stations serving the city, but is more centrally located...
and Worcester Shrub Hill
Worcester Shrub Hill railway station
Worcester Shrub Hill railway station is one of two railway stations serving the city of Worcester in Worcestershire, England. It is managed by London Midland, and it is also served by First Great Western....
.
Worcester Foregate Street is located in the city centre, on Foregate Street. Although featuring two tracks Foregate Street consists of two bi-directional single working lines, one of which is the Birmingham to Worcester line while the other is the Cotswold Line
Cotswold Line
The Cotswold Line is an railway line between and in England.-Route:The line comprises all or part of the following Network Rail routes:*GW 200 from Oxford*GW 310 from Wolvercot Junction*GW 300 from Norton Junction*GW 340 from Worcester Shrub Hill...
, which Shrub Hill also serves.
Worcester Shrub Hill is located just outside the city centre on Shrub Hill Road. The station is on the Cotswold Line as well being a spur off the Birmingham to Worcester line. Unlike Foregate Street, Shrub Hill does not have single working lines. Being the much bigger of Worcester's stations, due to a large number of tracks and sidings, Shrub Hill is often used as a stabling point and a through route for freight trains.
Both stations frequently serve Birmingham and nearby towns and cities, with services primarily provided by London Midland
London Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
, while London is also served frequently by both stations via the Cotswold Line and, infrequently, via the Birmingham-Bristol/Gloucester-Swindon/Bristol-London lines. Train services to London are operated by First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
.
Although connected to the Birmingham-Bristol 'Cross Country' mainline only two miles away, Worcester is not served by Inter City Cross Country services therefore making Worcestershire the only county in England where Inter City Cross Country services pass through but do not stop in during normal scheduled timetables. The proposed station, Worcestershire Parkway
Worcester (Norton) Parkway railway station
Worcester Parkway is a proposed new railway station in Norton, Worcester, England. The project is currently enjoying renewed interest, and the business case and technical development work is currently being undertaken by and on behalf of Worcestershire County Council...
is expected to end this.
Bus
The main operator of bus services in and around the city is First Midlands, while Diamond Bus CompanyDiamond Bus
Diamond is a bus operator in the West Midlands, formed in 1986 as The Birmingham Coach Company.-Birmingham Coach Company:The company was created in 1986 as the Birmingham Coach Company operating a single route, 16, in competition with West Midlands Travel....
, trading as Red Diamond, and Worcestershire County Council, trading as Woosh, operate many other services. A few other smaller operators provide services in Worcester, most notably Astons (Veolia Transport
Veolia Transport
Veolia Transport is the international transport services division of the French-based multinational company Veolia Environnement...
) and Bromyard Omnibus Company. The terminus and interchange for many bus services in Worcester is Crowngate Bus Station located in the city centre.
Park and ride
There are two park and ride sites serving Worcester, one located off the A38 in the Perdiswell area of the city and the other located at Worcester Rugby Football Club's Sixways StadiumSixways Stadium
Sixways Stadium is a stadium in Worcester, England. It is currently used mostly for rugby union matches and is the home stadium of Worcester Rugby Football Club. The stadium is able to hold 12,068. It opened in 1975 and is located off junction 6 of the M5 motorway, hence the name Sixways.An...
next to junction 6 of the M5 motorway.
Perdiswell site
A direct and limited stop bus service (W1), operated by Worcestershire County Council under the Woosh name, runs every ten minutes between the Perdiswell site and the cityity centre and vice versa, between 7am and 6:45pm Monday to Saturday.The stops on the W1 service are at:
• Perdiswell Park & Ride
• St Stephen’s Church (Barbourne area)
• St George’s Square (Barbourne area)
• Little London for Royal Grammar School (Barbourne area)
• Foregate Street Rail Station (city centre)
• Worcester Bus Station (city centre)
Sixways Stadium site
Two circular bus services (W2 and W3), operated by Worcestershire County Council under the Woosh name, link the Sixways site to the Worcestershire Royal Hospital and the government offices on Whittington Road, Monday to Friday.Air
Worcester's nearest major airport is Birmingham International approximately 45 minutes by road via the M5 and M42 motorways.Education
Worcester is home to the University of WorcesterUniversity of Worcester
The University of Worcester is a British university, based in Worcester, Worcestershire, England. It was granted university status in September 2005.-History:...
, which was awarded university status in 2005 by HM Privy Council. From 1997 to 2005 it was known as University College Worcester (UCW) and prior to 1997 it was known as Worcester College of Higher Education. From 2005 to 2010 it was the fastest growing university in the UK, more than doubling its student population. The University is also home to the independent Worcester Students Union institution. The city is also home to two colleges, Worcester Sixth Form College
Worcester Sixth Form College
Worcester Sixth Form College in Worcester, England, in the south-east of the city, was founded on the site of the former Worcester Grammar School for Girls following reorganisation in 1983. -Admissions:...
and Worcester College of Technology
Worcester College of Technology
Worcester College of Technology is a Further Education College situated in the city of Worcester in the United Kingdom. It also has a Construction Centre located in the nearby town of Malvern.- History :...
.
High schools
The High schools located in the city are Bishop Perowne CofE CollegeBishop Perowne CofE College
Bishop Perowne CE College is a Church of England school in Worcester, Worcestershire, England. It is a co-educational school, secondary school with a capacity of 1,050 pupils aged between 11 and 16...
, Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College
Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College
Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College is a school in Worcester, England. It is a co-educational school, in which there are about 1050 students enrolled, aged between 11 and 16...
, Christopher Whitehead Language College
Christopher Whitehead Language College
Christopher Whitehead Language College is a school in Worcester, Worcestershire, England. It is a co-educational school, in which there are about 1100 students enrolled, aged between 11 and 16...
, Tudor Grange Academy Worcester (on the site of the defunct Elgar High School), Nunnery Wood High School
Nunnery Wood High School
Nunnery Wood High School is a school in Worcester, Worcestershire, England. It is a co-educational school and a Science College with about 1350 students on roll aged from 11 to 16. It has years from 7 - 11...
and New College Worcester
New College Worcester
New College Worcester is a residential secondary school for students, aged 11–19, who are blind or partially sighted. It caters for around 80 students including those who have other special needs or disabilities along with their visual impairment. It is located in the city of Worcester, England...
which caters for blind and partially sighted students from the ages of 11 to 18.
Independent schools
Worcester is also the seat of three independent schools. The Royal Grammar SchoolRoyal Grammar School Worcester
The Royal Grammar School Worcester is an independent coeducational school in Worcester, United Kingdom. Founded before 1291, it is one of the oldest British independent schools....
, founded in 1291, and Alice Ottley School merged in 2007. The King's School, Worcester
The King's School, Worcester
The King's School, Worcester is an English independent school refounded by Henry VIII in 1541. It occupies a site adjacent to Worcester Cathedral on the banks of the River Severn in the centre of the city of Worcester...
was re-founded in 1541 under King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. Saint Mary's Convent School
Saint Mary's Convent School
Saint Mary's is an independent school in Worcester. The school has a mixed kindergarten, with the senior school being for girls only. It has in recent years been noted as "Worcester's Girls School" due to the closure of Alice Ottely School, also within Worcester.It is set in large grounds with an...
, now the only all-girls school in the city, is the third private school in the city. Other independent schools include the Independent Christian school, the River School
River School
The River School is an independent Christian School, affiliated with the Christian Schools Trust. The school is located in a large late Georgian Grade 2 listed building with many outbuildings, set in of attractive wooded and open grassed areas, near the A38 road in the Fernhill Heath suburb of...
in Fernhill Heath
Fernhill Heath
Fernhill Heath is a village in Worcestershire, England.Fernhill Heath is located on the A38 main road on the north-side of the City of Worcester and is approximately 3 miles north of Worcester and 3 miles south of Droitwich. The population of Fernhill Heath is around 3,000 people...
.
Sport
- Worcester Warriors, an Aviva Premiership Rugby UnionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team who play at Sixways StadiumSixways StadiumSixways Stadium is a stadium in Worcester, England. It is currently used mostly for rugby union matches and is the home stadium of Worcester Rugby Football Club. The stadium is able to hold 12,068. It opened in 1975 and is located off junction 6 of the M5 motorway, hence the name Sixways.An...
. - Worcestershire County Cricket ClubWorcestershire County Cricket ClubWorcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
whose home ground is New RoadNew Road, WorcesterNew Road, Worcester, England, has been the home cricket ground of Worcestershire County Cricket Club since 1896. Immediately to the northwest is a road called New Road, part of the A44, hence the name.- Overview :...
. - Blue Square Conference SouthConference SouthConference South is one of the second divisions of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National...
side Worcester City F.C.Worcester City F.C.Worcester City Football Club is an English football club based in Worcester, Worcestershire. The club are currently members of the Conference North and play at St George's Lane.-History:...
who play at St George's Lane. - Worcester St Johns Cycling Club
- Worcester WolvesWorcester WolvesWorcester Wolves is a basketball team from the city of Worcester which plays in the British Basketball League. The Wolves currently play at in the 800-seat capacity Sports Hall of the University of Worcester, although they are to use the new Worcester Arena as their home venue once completed in...
, a professional basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team in the British Basketball LeagueBritish Basketball LeagueThe British Basketball League, often abbreviated to the BBL, is the premier men's professional basketball league in the United Kingdom. The BBL runs two knockout competitions alongside the league championship; the BBL Cup and the BBL Trophy....
. - Worcester RacecourseWorcester RacecourseWorcester Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in the city of Worcester, Worcestershire, England.The course is laid out as an oval circuit of about 13 furlongs in length and situated by the south side of the River Severn....
is on an open area known as "Pitchcroft" on the east bank of the River SevernRiver SevernThe River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
. - Worcester has King George's Field in memorial to King George VGeorge V of the United KingdomGeorge V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
. - Worcester Rowing Club which is situated near the city centre on the River Severn.
- University of Worcester Rowing Club which shares accommodation with Worcester Rowing Club.
- University of Birmingham Rowing Club
- Worcester Athletics Club who meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Nunnery Wood Sports Centre
- Worcester University Climbing and Mountaineering Club
Festivals and shows
Every three years Worcester becomes home to the Three Choirs FestivalThree Choirs Festival
The Three Choirs Festival is a music festival held each August alternately at the cathedrals of the Three Counties and originally featuring their three choirs, which remain central to the week-long programme...
, which dates from the eighteenth century and is credited with being the oldest music festival in Europe. The location of the festival rotates each year between the Cathedral Cities of the Three Counties
Three Counties
The Three Counties of England are traditionally the three agrarian counties of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.Including towns and cities such as Worcester, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Hereford, Leominster, Stourbridge and Kidderminster, they extend from the southern boundaries of...
, Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
and Worcester. Famous for its championing of English music, especially that of Elgar
Edward Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
, Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song: this activity both influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, beginning in 1904, in which he included many...
and Gustav Holst
Gustav Holst
Gustav Theodore Holst was an English composer. He is most famous for his orchestral suite The Planets....
, Worcester last hosted the festival in August 2011.
The Worcester Festival is a relatively new venture established in 2003. Held in late August, the festival consists of a variety of music, theatre, cinema
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and workshops, as well as the already established Beer Festival
Beer festival
A Beer Festival is an organised event during which a variety of beers are available for tasting and purchase. Beer festivals are held in a number of countries...
, which runs as an event within the Worcester Festival.
For one weekend the city plays host to the Worcester Music Festival
Worcester Music Festival
Worcester Music Festival Is an annual music festival held in Worcester town centre during the 3rd week of August founded in 2008 by Chris Bennion as a platform to encourage live, local and original music in Worcester and the surrounding areas and is staged in over 30 pubs, clubs, cafes, and...
. Now in its 4th year (2011) the festival comprises a weekend original music by predominantly local bands and musicians. All performances are free, and take place throughout the city centre in bars, clubs, community buildings, churches and the library. In 2010 the festival comprised 230 unique acts.
Worcester Festival ends with a spectacular firework display on the banks of the River Severn on the Monday of the August bank holiday.
The Victorian-themed Christmas Fayre is a major source of tourism every December. Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
came to the Worcestershire Cricket Ground, New Road on Saturday 9 June 2006. Status Quo came to Sixways Stadium (Worcester Warriors) on Saturday 28 July 2007.
The twelfth CAMRA
Campaign for Real Ale
The Campaign for Real Ale is an independent voluntary consumer organisation based in St Albans, England, whose main aims are promoting real ale, real cider and the traditional British pub...
Worcester Beer and Cider festival took place for three days from the 17 August 2010 and was held as usual on Pitchcroft Race Course.
The Worcester Beer, Cider and Perry festival is the largest beer festival within the West Midlands with the 2009 event being attended by 11,000 people.
Arts and cinema
Famous eighteenth century actress Sarah SiddonsSarah Siddons
Sarah Siddons was a Welsh actress, the best-known tragedienne of the 18th century. She was the elder sister of John Philip Kemble, Charles Kemble, Stephen Kemble, Ann Hatton and Elizabeth Whitlock, and the aunt of Fanny Kemble. She was most famous for her portrayal of the Shakespearean character,...
made her acting début here at the Theatre Royal in Angel Street. Her sister, the novelist Ann Julia Kemble Hatton, otherwise known as Ann of Swansea, was born in the city. Matilda Alice Powles, better known as Vesta Tilley
Vesta Tilley
Matilda Alice Powles , was an English male impersonator. At the age of 11, she adopted the stage name Vesta Tilley becoming the most famous and well paid music hall male impersonator of her day...
, a leading male impersonator and music hall artiste was born in Worcester.
In present-day Worcester the Swan Theatre stages a mixture of professional touring and local amateur productions. The Countess of Huntingdon's Hall is a historic church now used as venue for an eclectic range of musical performances, while the Marrs Bar is a venue for gigs and stand-up comedy. Worcester has two multi-screen cinemas; a Vue Cinema complex located on Friar Street, and an Odeon Cinema on Foregate Street – both of which were 3D-equipped by March 2010.
In the northern suburb of Northwick
Northwick (Worcestershire)
Northwick is a district of Worcester, England, located in the north of the city on the left bank of the River Severn.- History :Historically, Northwick was a manor in the parish of Claines, and in the Middle Ages the manor house was a residence of the Bishops of Worcester.- References :...
is the Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
Northwick Cinema. Built in 1938 it contains one of the only two remaining interiors in Britain designed by John Alexander
John Alexander (painter)
John Alexander was a Scottish painter and engraver of the 18th century.Alexander was the son of a clergyman, and was descended from Jamisone. In the early part of the 18th century he visited Rome, about 1717, but was not established there, as Heineken says, and etched some plates after Raphael's...
(the original perspective drawings are still held by RIBA
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
). It was a Bingo Hall from 1966 to 1982 and then empty until 1991; it was then run as a music venue until 1996, and was empty again until Autumn 2006 when it became an antiques and lifestyle centre, owned by Grey's Interiors, who were previously located in The Tything.
There are a number of other arts organisations in Worcester. Based at the University and also Bishop Perowne Performing Arts College is C&T (formerly Collar & Tie), an educational theatre company that specialises in theatre for young people tackling topical issues using a blend of drama and new media technologies.
Media
Worcester is home to Worcester NewsWorcester News
The Worcester News is a tabloid newspaper based in Worcester, UK. The Worcester newspaper, which was re-branded from the Worcester Evening News in July 2005, is the largest selling daily local newspaper in Worcester. The Worcester News is published Monday to Saturday...
, Worcester Standard and Berrow's Worcester Journal
Berrow's Worcester Journal
Berrow's Worcester Journal claims to be "the oldest surviving newspaper in the World", It is owned by Newsquest, the second largest publisher of regional and local newspapers in the United Kingdom.The common belief that Berrow's Worcester Journal, or its...
newspapers and radio stations BBC Hereford & Worcester, Wyvern
Wyvern FM
Wyvern is a radio station broadcasting to Herefordshire and Worcestershire in England. Wyvern is predominantly music-based, playing pop from the 1980s through to the present day...
and Youthcomm Radio
Youthcomm Radio
106.7 Youthcomm Radio is a youth community radio station, licensed by Ofcom, broadcasting to Worcester, England, on 106.7FM. The station officially launched on FM on Sunday 13 January 2008 after running online for seven years....
.
Twinning and planned twinning
Worcester is twinned with the German city of KleveKleve
Kleve , is a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Dutch border and the River Rhine. From the 11th century onwards, Kleve was capital of a county and later a duchy...
, the Parisian commune of Le Vésinet
Le Vésinet
Le Vésinet is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the center....
, and its larger American namesake Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, Massachusetts.
In February 2009 Worcester City Council's Twinning Association began deliberating an application to twin Worcester with the Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
city of Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
. Councillor Alan Amos introduced the application, which was passed at its first stage by a majority of 35-6. The proposal was later rejected by the Executive Committee of the City of Worcester Twinning Association for lack of funding due to its present commitment to existing twinning projects.
Notable people
- Composer Sir Edward ElgarEdward ElgarSir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
's father ran a music shop at the end of the High Street; a statue of Elgar stands near the original location of that shop. His birthplace is a short way outside Worcester in the village of BroadheathBroadheath, WorcestershireBroadheath with Lower Broadheath is a civil parish officially known as Lower Broadheath, in the Malvern Hills district of Worcestershire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,713...
. - Hannah SnellHannah SnellHannah Snell was a British woman who disguised herself as a man and became a soldier.Hannah Snell was born in Worcester, England on 23 April, 1723. Locals claim that she played a soldier even as a child. In 1740, she moved to London and later married James Summs on 6 January, 1744.In 1746, she...
, famous for impersonating a man and being enlisted in the Royal MarinesRoyal MarinesThe Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
in the eighteenth century was born and raised here. - Sir Charles HastingsSir Charles HastingsSir Charles Hastings was a medical surgeon and a founder of the British Medical Association, the BMA, originally Provincial Medical and Surgical Association on July 19, 1832....
, founder of the British Medical AssociationBritish Medical AssociationThe British Medical Association is the professional association and registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association’s headquarters are located in BMA House,...
lived in Worcester for most of his life. The newly built Worcestershire Royal Hospital stands in a road named in his honour. - William Stephenson 2007 British streetluge and buttboard champion and 2009 world number three streetluger and number two buttboarder was born and lives in Worcester.
- Philip Henry GossePhilip Henry GossePhilip Henry Gosse was an English naturalist and popularizer of natural science, virtually the inventor of the seawater aquarium, and a painstaking innovator in the study of marine biology...
, naturalist, was born in the city in 1810. - Sir Thomas BrockThomas BrockSir Thomas Brock KCB RA was an English sculptor.- Life :Brock was born in Worcester, attended the School of Design in Worcester and then undertook an apprenticeship in modelling at the Worcester Royal Porcelain Works. In 1866 he became a pupil of the sculptor John Henry Foley. He married in 1869,...
, sculptorSculptureSculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
most famous for the Imperial Victoria MemorialVictoria Memorial (London)The Victoria Memorial is a sculpture in London, placed at the centre of Queen's Gardens in front of Buckingham Palace and dedicated to Queen Victoria....
in London was born here in 1847. - Edward Leader WilliamsEdward Leader WilliamsSir Edward Leader Williams was an English civil engineer, chiefly remembered as the designer of the Manchester Ship Canal, but also heavily involved in other canal projects in north Cheshire.-Early life:...
, designer of the Manchester Ship CanalManchester Ship CanalThe Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...
, was born and raised in Worcester, living at Diglis House (now the Diglis House Hotel) with his brother, noted landscape artist Benjamin Williams LeaderBenjamin Williams LeaderBenjamin Williams Leader RA was an English landscape painter.-Early years and training:Leader was born in Worcester as Benjamin Leader Williams, the son, and first child of eleven children, of notable civil engineer Edward Leader Williams and Sarah Whiting...
. - William Morris, Lord NuffieldWilliam Morris, 1st Viscount NuffieldWilliam Richard Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield GBE, CH , known as Sir William Morris, Bt, between 1929 and 1934 and as The Lord Nuffield between 1934 and 1938, was a British motor manufacturer and philanthropist...
, (founder of the Morris Motor CompanyMorris Motor CompanyThe Morris Motor Company was a British car manufacturing company. After the incorporation of the company into larger corporations, the Morris name remained in use as a marque until 1984 when British Leyland's Austin Rover Group decided to concentrate on the more popular Austin marque...
and philanthropist), spent the first three years of his life in the city. - Geoffrey Anketell Studdert KennedyGeoffrey Anketell Studdert KennedyGeoffrey Anketell Studdert Kennedy, MC , was an Anglican priest and poet. He was nicknamed 'Woodbine Willie' during World War I for giving Woodbine cigarettes along with spiritual aid to injured and dying soldiers.-Early Life:...
, poet and author, famously known as "Woodbine Willy", was for some time the Vicar of St. Paul's Church in the city. He rose to fame during World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
when he became an army chaplain, his sermons and poetry helping boost morale to the troops. He acquired his nickname from his habit of handing out "Woodbine" cigarettes to the men in the trenches. - Mrs. Henry WoodEllen Wood (author)Ellen Wood , was an English novelist, better known as "Mrs. Henry Wood". She is best known for her 1861 novel East Lynne.-Life:...
writer, was born in Worcester. - Fay WeldonFay WeldonFay Weldon CBE is an English author, essayist and playwright, whose work has been associated with feminism. In her fiction, Weldon typically portrays contemporary women who find themselves trapped in oppressive situations caused by the patriarchal structure of British society.-Biography:Weldon was...
writer, was born in Worcester. - Revd Thomas DavisThomas Davis (clergyman)Thomas Davis was a Church of England clergyman and hymn writer.-Life:The son of the Rev. Richard Francis Davis DD , by his marriage to Sarah Stable, Davis was born at Worcester, where his father had been Rector since 1795, and was educated at Queen's College, Oxford, graduating Bachelor of Arts in...
, hymn-writer, was born in Worcester in 1804. He is an ancestor of The Duchess of Cambridge. - Worcester was home to electronic musicElectronic musicElectronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
producer and collaborator Mike ParadinasMike ParadinasMichael Paradinas , who works primarily under the name μ-Ziq in addition to a large number of aliases, is a British musician in the field of electronic music.-History:...
and his record labelRecord labelIn the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Planet MuPlanet MuPlanet Mu is an electronic music record label run by Mike Paradinas . It was based in Worcester until March 2007, then moved to London and has recently relocated to Broadstairs, Kent...
, until the label moved to London in 2007. - Dave MasonDave MasonDavid Thomas "Dave" Mason is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Worcester, who first found fame with the rock band Traffic...
musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist, was born in Worcester. - Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power of experimental musicExperimental musicExperimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
group Fuck ButtonsFuck ButtonsFuck Buttons are a two-piece electronic group formed in Bristol in 2004 by Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power.-Biography:Hung and Power grew up in Worcester. Hung was influenced by Aphex Twin, while Power was a fan of Mogwai. They developed a friendship in 2004 while attending art school in...
were both raised in Worcester. - George Webb, better known to the population of Worcester as Chicken GeorgeChicken GeorgeChicken George may refer to:*An ancestor of Alex Haley, popularized both in the book and TV miniseries Roots and played by Ben Vereen*Chicken George , the name for a man costume who shadowed George H. W. Bush through a portion of the 1992 U.S. presidential election*"Chicken" George Boswell, a...
became synonymous with Worcester for about half a century, dancing along to the music of street buskers, much to the amusement of the general public. No one knows how the nickname Chicken George came about but common rumour is that his erratic dancing reminded people of a pecking chicken. Chicken George was fiercely patriotic and claimed to have fought in the war at Dunkirk for the Worcestershire regiment. He was well known for his attendance at Remembrance DayRemembrance DayRemembrance Day is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. This day, or alternative dates, are also recognized as special days for war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth...
parades at the cathedral and religiously attended regimental reunions. - Ernest PayneErnest PayneErnest "Ernie" Payne was a British track cycling racer. Born in Worcester, he won a gold medal in the team pursuit at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London and went on to play football, including two games as an amateur for Manchester United.-Background:Payne was born in a cottage at 221 London Road,...
was born in Worcester and rode for the local Worcester St Johns Cycling Club. He won a gold medal in the team pursuit at the 1908 Summer Olympics1908 Summer OlympicsThe 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...
in London. - Sheila ScottSheila ScottSheila Scott OBE , was an English aviatrix.Born Sheila Christine Hopkins in Worcester, Worcestershire, England in 1922, educated at the Alice Ottley School, she broke over 100 aviation records through her long distance flight endeavours, which included a "world and a half" flight in 1971...
, aviatrixAviatorAn aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne... - James White (1775–1820), founder of the first advertising agency in 1800 in London, was born in Worcester.
- Ann HattonAnn HattonAnn Julia Hatton , was a popular novelist in Britain in the early 19th century.-Biography:...
, writer of the Kemble familyKemble familyKemble is the name of a family of English actors, all distinguished actors and actresses who reigned over the British stage for decades. The most famous were Sarah Siddons and her brother John Philip Kemble , the two eldest of the twelve children of Roger Kemble , a strolling player and manager of...
was born in Worcester.
- See also People from Worcester.
See also
- List of Bishops of Worcester
- Worcester CathedralWorcester CathedralWorcester Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, England; situated on a bank overlooking the River Severn. It is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Worcester. Its official name is The Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Mary the Virgin of Worcester...
- Worcester City Art Gallery & MuseumWorcester City Art Gallery & MuseumThe Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum is an art gallery and local museum in Worcester, the county town of Worcestershire, England.The museum was originally founded in 1833 by members of the Worcestershire Natural History Society. It is located in a Victorian building in central Worcester, which...
- Worcester Porcelain MuseumWorcester Porcelain MuseumThe Royal Worcester porcelain factory's former site in Worcester, England, includes a visitor centre and the independent Worcester Porcelain Museum , owned by the Dyson Perrins Museum Trust....