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Worcestershire

Did You Know?

Worcestershire was founded by an Anglo Saxon churchman known as Archbishop Theodore. The first bishop took up office here in 680 AD and a cathedral was built. Dedicated to St. Peter, there's little surviving evidence as to how it looked. All we know is that it was probably made of stone.

The Battle of Worcester in 1651 was the final battle of the English Civil War, where Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army defeated King Charles II's Royalists. 

In 961 AD, the post of the Bishop of Worcestershire was taken up by Oswald, later to become Archbishop of York and then St. Oswald. Unfortunately, in 1041, the town came under attack from Danish forces for not paying its taxes. The cathedral suffered badly during this assault.

After the Norman invasion, a new era in history began when William the Conqueror gave the lordship of the manor of Worcestershire to Urso D'Abitot. During the 12th century, the town saw a number of royal visits, including those made by Henry I and Henry II.

Worcestershire played a key role during the English Civil War. The city started off as a Royalist garrison, with most of its inhabitants being loyal to the king. In 1644, it was occupied by Parliamentarians, only to be taken by Royalists a year later, when a triumphant King Charles arrived in the city.

Other connections to Worcestershire include that it’s the home of Royal Worcester Porcelain, composer Edward Elgar spent most of his life here, and of course its synonymous with the name of Lea & Perrins.

Croome Court is described as one of the “grandest of English landscapes” and was in fact Capability Brown’s masterful first commission, which commands views over the glorious Malverns.

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, It was a major centre for glove making, employing nearly half the glovers in England at its peak (over 30,000 people)

Just of the sights connected to the composer include the Elgar Statue and Priory Gatehouse, which is now the Malvern Museum in Abbey Road, and you can even follow a suggested driving route around Elgar’s Worcestershire too or Elgar’s Trail on bike or on foot.

It boasts the largest collection of Worcester porcelain in the world. More than 10,000 ceramic objects are housed in these old Victorian buildings with galleries which focus on different eras, including the Georgian, Victorian and 20th centuries.

For car enthusiasts a tour of the Morgan Motor Factory is a must. The company’s famous sports cars have been manufactured in Worcestershire for 100 years.

The George Marshall Museum at Worcestershire Royal Hospital reveals 250 years of history, and its artefacts include a collection of death masks of hanged criminals if the macabre is more your thing.