Worcester ( ) is a cathedral city in Worcestershire, England, of which it is the county town. It is south-west of Birmingham, north of Gloucester, north-east of Hereford, and 50.8 mi (81 km) north-west of Oxford. The city is situated on the River Severn, 1.5 mi (2.4 km) north of the confluence with the River Teme. The population was 103,872 in the 2021 census.
The city has been a centre of education since the foundation of Worcester Cathedral in 680. It is home to The University of Worcester. It has been home to The King's School, Worcester since 1541, and The Royal Grammar School, Worcester traditionally since 685, reputedly making the school the sixth oldest school in the world.
Worcester is famous for Worcestershire Sauce, traditionally made by Lea & Perrins, as well as for its former manufacturing of porcelain by Royal Worcester Porcelain, and its significant 19th century trade of glove making. It is home to Berrow's Worcester Journal, established in 1690, and claimed as the world's oldest newspaper in continuous and current publication.
The composer Edward Elgar (1857–1934) grew up in the city and spent much of his life in nearby Malvern.
Worcester was nicknamed 'The Faithful City' due to its status as a Royalist stronghold in the English Civil War, where it was host to the final battle of the war when Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army defeated the future Charles II's Royalists. It is the beginning of Charles II's escape route, now named the Monarch's Way; a 625 mi (1,006 km) public footpath following the route.
Toponymy
The disputed first record of Worcester's name is the Latin Vertis, a latinisation of the Gaulish river-name Vigorna, from pre-Celtic Weogorena.
The earliest definitive record is the Latin Weogorna civitas (literally "City of the Weogoran"), a name which appears following the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain in an ecclesiastical charter of c. 691. The Anglo-Saxons interchangeably used Latin civitas and Old English caester (from Latin castrum, meaning fortress; the same root as English Chester). Anglo-Saxon forms slowly merged the two elements of Weogorna civitas into Wigranceastre (c. 717), Weogernaceastre (c. 884-901), and Wigracaestre (904).
Following the Norman conquest it was recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) as Wirecestre. This became Latin Wigornia in c. 12th century, Middle English Worcestre in c. 14th century, and Early Modern English Worcester in c. 15th century.
History
Early history A trade route past Worcester dating from Neolithic times became the Roman Icknield Street included a ford crossing the River Severn, which was tidal below Worcester, and around 400 BC linked Celtic built British hillforts.City of Worcester. "The First Settlers". Worcester City Council (Worcester), 2005. Evidence exists that Iron Age defensive ditches may have been constructed in the first century AD, while there are no signs of Roman military use or of municipal buildings to indicate an administrative role.City of Worcester. "Vertis—The Roman Industrial Town, 1st–4th centuries A.D." Worcester City Council (Worcester), 2005. By the 3rd century AD, Roman Worcester was larger than the later medieval city but shrank to a defended position on the river's southern end.City of Worcester. "The Late Roman and Post-Roman Settlement, 4th century – 680". Worcester City Council (Worcester), 2005.
By the 7th century, following centuries of warfare with the Vikings, Worcester had become a centre for the Anglo-Saxon army. In 680, Worcester was chosen by the Hwicce as their fort over the larger Gloucester fort.
Following their conquest of England, in 1069 the Normans completed a Motte and Bailey castle just south of the cathedral on what had been a cemetery for the cathedral monks.Williams "Introduction" Digital Domesday "Norman Settlement" sectionHolt "Worcester in the Time of Wulfstan" St Wulfstan and His World pp. 132–133.Barlow William Rufus p. 152 Nothing now remains of the former Worcester Castle.Pettifer English Castles p. 280
During the early medieval period, Worcester's position as the only river crossing between the bridges at Gloucester and Bridgnorth led to its growth as a market town on the main road from London to mid-Wales running through to Kidderminster, Bridgnorth, and Shrewsbury. Worcester continued to be a centre of religious life. Several monasteries were established which provided a hospital and education, including Worcester School. Parts of the city were destroyed by fire during a civil war between King Stephen and Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I in 1139, 1150 and 1151. A later fire in 1189 destroyed much of the city for the fourth time that century. In 1189 the city received a royal charter and in 1227 a further charter allowed the creation of a Gild Merchant.
The late 12th century saw persecution and expulsion of the small Jewish community of Worcester. The bishop of Worcester wrote an anti-Judaic treatise around 1190,, and in 1219 strict rules were imposed on Jews within the diocese. In 1263 the Jews were attacked by baronial forces and most were killed. In 1275 the remaining Jews were expelled to Hereford.
By late medieval times the population had reached 1,025 families, excluding the cathedral quarter, so that it probably stood under 10,000,See Green, in History of Worcester Volume ii. and the suburbs extended beyond the city walls. Manufacture of cloth and allied trades developed into an important local industry. Worcester elected its Member of Parliament and the city council was organised into two chambers whose committees agreed the city's finances, rules and ordinances.
The Dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII between 1536 and 1541, forced the city to found schools to replace monastic education. The city was designated a county corporate in 1621, giving it autonomy from local government and permitting governance by a mayor and co-opted councillors.
Modern era
The English Civil Wars broke out in 1642, lasting until 1651, and were marked with several major events in and around Worcester including the Battle of Powick Bridge of September 1642. The Battle of Worcester, the final conflict of the wars, was fought from the Royalist Headquarters at the Commandery but ended with a victory for the Oliver Cromwell forces of 30,000 men.
After the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, and during the 18th century Worcester experienced significant economic growth, and in 1748 Daniel Defoe could note that 'the inhabitants are generally esteemed rich, being full of business, occasioned chiefly by the clothing-trade'. The Royal Worcester Porcelain Company was established in 1751. However, significant poverty existed, and in 1794 a large workhouse was built at Tallow Hill. Worcester's Georgian architecture, has been described as 'one of the most impressive Georgian streetscapes in the Midlands'. Many public buildings were built or rebuilt in this period, including the Grade I listed Worcester Guildhall, the city bridge, and the Royal Infirmary (since 2010 the city campus of the University of Worcester).
The annual Three Choirs Festival and horse races on Pitchcroft attracts many visitors.
By the late 18th century Worcester's cloth industry had developed into a major centre for glove-making industry, employing around 30,000 people in the area at its peak employed by over 150 firms making half the gloves in Britain and with large worldwide exports. The industry had declined by the mid 20th century due to low import duty on foreign competitors and cheaper products. Surviving manufacturers concentrated on high-end fashionable goods with one company still making gloves for the Royal Family as of 2011. Riots took place in 1831 reflecting discontent with the city administration and the lack of democratic representation. Citizens petitioned the House of Lords for permission to build a County Hall. Local government reform took place in 1835 creating elections for councillors. The Shire Hall, which was designed by Charles Day and Henry Rowe in the Greek Revival style, was completed in 1835.
In 1815 the Worcester and Birmingham Canal opened. Railways reached Worcester in 1850 with Shrub Hill station and in 1860 when Foregate Street station was opened. The railways created many jobs building passenger coaches and signalling in the Worcester Engine Works alongside Shrub Hill Station. Their 1864 polychrome brick building was probably designed by Thomas Dickson.Richard Morriss The Archaeology of Railways, 1999 Tempus Publishing, Stroud. Plate 93 p147
The British Medical Association (BMA) was founded in 1832 in the board room of the old Worcester Royal Infirmary building in Castle Street.
The Kays was one of the most successful mail-order business in the UK and was founded in Worcester in 1889. It and operated from a large warehouse and many premises in the city where it remained as a major employer until 2007. The warehouse was demolished in 2008 and replaced by housing. In 1882 in the huge former railway factory alongside Shrub Hill station, the city hosted the Worcestershire Exhibition with sections for fine arts, historical manuscripts and industrial items, receiving over 222,000 visitors.
20th century to present
The Foregate Street cast-iron railway bridge was remodelled by the Great Western Railway in 1908 with a decorative cast-iron exterior serving no structural purpose.Richard Morriss The Archaeology of Railways, 1999 Tempus Publishing, Stroud, p. 89.
By the mid-20th century, only a few Worcester glove firms survived, as gloves became less fashionable and free trade enabled cheaper imports from Eastern Asia. Nevertheless, at least three glove manufacturers survived into the late 20th century: Dent Allcroft, Fownes and Milore. In the 1940s, some Jewish refugees from Europe settled in Worcester. Emil Rich, a refugee from Germany, founded one of Worcester's last remaining glovemakers, Milore Glove Factory. Queen Elizabeth II's coronation gloves were designed by Emil Rich and manufactured in the Worcester factory.
Worcester was a centre for recruitment of soldiers to fight in World War I , into the Worcestershire Regiment, based at Norton Barracks. The regiment took part in early battles in the war, most notably at the Battle of Gheluvelt in 1914, which is commemorated by a park near the city centre.
Rapid growth in leading engineering and machine-tool manufacturing firms took place in the inter-war years and all became major employers in the city.
During World War II, the city was chosen to be the seat of The British Government if they evacuated London 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), north of Worcester. Nearby Madresfield Court was reserved for use as a refuge by the evacuating British Royal Family. The Perdiswell Aerodrome on the north-east edge of the city was the first municipal aerodrome in the world. It was the base for the former RAF station RAF Worcester and was an important pilot training and aircraft testing site during World War II .
In the 1950s and 1960s large areas of the medieval centre of Worcester were demolished and rebuilt. This was condemned by many such as Nikolaus Pevsner who described it as a "totally incomprehensible... act of self-mutilation".The Buildings of England – Worcester, Penguin, 1968 A significant area of medieval Worcester remains, with well-preserved examples of half-timbered Tudor houses in the shopping streets of City Walls Road, Friar Street and New Street.
Governance