Worcester (England)

Worcester (pronounced "wuster") is an historic English cathedral city on the river Severn. Worcester is the county town of Worcestershire.

Understand
Worcester began as a Roman period settlement. It is famous for the part it played in the English Civil War: the scene of some of the decisive battles, and of Prince Charles' escape, after in his defeat. Parts of the town still have buildings from this period, particularly Friar Street.

It has pleasant river walks, a medieval cathedral and the ruins of monastic cloisters. The medieval city walls remain in traces. Around the cathedral are picturesque Georgian residences.

Worcester is the ancestral home of the famous Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce. It's produced by the Heinz Corporation on its factory on Midlands Road in the city, where it has been produced since 1897. Worcester is also the home of one of England's better known county cricket teams.

Town planners
The city was heavily renovated during the 1960s and 70s and not very sympathetically. Numerous old roads and courtyards were demolished. The last cathedral lychgate in England was demolished along with Sir Edward Elgar's shop to make way for a charmless hotel and a multi-storey car park. This is known locally as "the Rape of Worcester". However this overlooks the fact that many of the old buildings were little better than slums and were deeply unpleasant. Nevertheless, a look at old OS maps shows that the city centre was perforated by intricate old 'courts' which were almost all removed. A few wide roads were driven into the city to facilitate easy traffic movements. A feature of today's city is that many roads have historic buildings on one side and modern ones on the other due to road widening. Even the remaining historic roads are superficial: for example Friar Street has many beautiful buildings but look behind them and you'll see the concrete backs of nearby buildings. Worcester is nonetheless a pleasant city which is safe and relaxed. More recent development is a lot more sympathetic, if a little conservative. There are still many interesting things to see and these are taken advantage of by several guided walks offered through the local tourist centre.

Orientation
The ancient city of Worcester is on the east bank of the River Severn. As the city's boundaries were redefined in modern times it has come to encompass the village of St. Johns, which is on the opposite bank. From the M5 motorway it is accessed either from junction 6 (when approaching from the north), or junction 7 (when travelling from the south).

The main axis of the city runs roughly north to south. The cathedral sits at the southern end of the High Street (now pedestrianised). As you proceed north from the cathedral you will walk along the High Street which is the main shopping street in the city. Where this becomes a road again (at the taxi rank) its name changes to The Cross, and its name then changes (again) to Foregate Street (where one of Worcester's railway stations is located). Continuing northwards, the street changes its name (again) to the Tything where Castle Street joins it and is also known as the A38 trunk road. The road then goes through several more name changes before it reaches the limits of the modern city about 2 miles from the city centre.

To the east of the High Street, and running parallel to it, is the Shambles, another pedestrianised shopping street. To the east of the Shambles is New Street, which going southwards, becomes Friar Street. These streets are amongst the most picturesque streets (as long as you ignore the concrete circular ramp that disgorges from the multistorey car park into Friar street). Broad Street runs westwards from where the High Street becomes The Cross and runs down to the only road bridge across the Severn in the city.

There is only the one road bridge across the river as it dictates the rather confusing one way system. At rush hour (and if the M5 motorway is closed) it is usually quicker walking around Worcester than driving! There is also a railway bridge, and two foot bridges. The first one, the Sabrina Bridge, is about 550 yards (500 m) north of the road bridge just before the Racecourse stadium. A new foot bridge was opened in 2010 about a mile (1.6 km) to the south of the cathedral.

The area to the south east of the cathedral is known as Sidbury and is effectively the end of the city centre. Just after the Commandery the road forks: the lefthand fork, London Road (A44), heads south eastwards towards the motorway network, and the other fork heads towards Tewkesbury (as Commandery Road/Bath Road/A38). On the river Severn, about half a mile south of the cathedral is Diglis Basin where the Worcester and Birmingham canal terminates and joins the river Severn. The warehouses, factories and wharfs in this area had fallen into severe dereliction, but most are now converted into apartments (though some are still in progress). The basin itself is now the home to large number of canal boats and other leisure craft and, particularly on a sunny day, makes for a pleasant stroll around. This area lacks facilities: there is the Anchor pub, and not far away the Diglis Hotel. The lanes around Diglis are a labyrinth to strangers; the easiest way to get to it is to walk down the canal path from the Commandery (at the Commandery walk to the canal lock, and facing the lock turn left under the road bridge).

Visitor information

 * Visit Worcester

By car
From London (113 miles), drivers should take the M40 motorway north-westwards until the junction with the M42. From here, head westwards to the M5, where you should head south and watch for signs to Worcester.

Alternatively, from London, drivers could take the M4 west towards Bristol. At Junction 15 (Swindon) take the A417/A419 northwards. This will eventually bring you out at J11A on the M5, where you should join the M5 Northwards. The A417/A419 is mainly a good dual carriageway, but there are a couple of miles of single carriageway road near the "Air Balloon" pub which can be rather congested at peak times. Alternatively, continue along the M4 westwards until after Bristol where you can join the M5 heading north. Look for signs to Worcester.

Worcester is 27 miles from Birmingham, 111 from Manchester, 57 from Oxford, 25 from Cheltenham, 26 from Stratford-upon-Avon and 63 miles from Bristol.

By park & ride
Visitors approaching Worcester on the A38 from the north may wish to make use of the Perdiswell Park and Ride.

The corresponding bus is number W1 and runs every 10 to 15 minutes throughout the day and takes about 10 minutes to reach the city centre. It stops at a limited number of stops en route, but one of them is Foregate Street railway station. The standard charge is £2.20 per person (which includes all-day parking). A group ticket is also available for up to 7 people in the same vehicle and costs £3.50 in total. For under 19s, the charge is £1. All tickets are available on board the bus or from a ticket machine at the car park.


 * Worcester City Council list of parking sites

By train

 * Wikivoyage has a guide to Rail travel in Great Britain

Worcester has two train stations:

Worcester is not on the main railway line between Bristol to Birmingham, but on a slower side line. It has regular trains from London Paddington via Reading; this journey takes approximately 2 hr 15 min. It's also within easy reach from Cheltenham, Stratford-upon-Avon, Gloucester, Malvern, Evesham, Oxford, and Hereford. Trains come on a relatively regular schedule.

By bus
The Bus Station is at the bottom of CrownGate Shopping Centre. National Express coachway stop on the edge of the City and links with a scheduled city bus services that takes passengers into Worcester City Centre.

By air
is linked directly to Worcester by a twice daily National Express Coach service. Journey time approximately 2 hours. is Worcester's nearest airport from which there is a regular local rail service, from Birmingham International station via Birmingham New Street.

By boat
The City stands on the banks of the River Severn and the Worcester - Birmingham Canal. There are some moorings available. Distances to Worcester from:
 * York - 228 miles, 110 locks, 115 hours cruising time.
 * London - 174 miles, 223 locks, 140 hours cruising time.
 * Birmingham - 32.5 miles, 61 locks, 34 hours cruising time
 * Liverpool - 182 miles, 168 locks, 122 hours cruising time.

See




While it undoubtedly true that the planning decisions of the 1960s and 1970s robbed Worcester of a cohesive collection of period buildings a large number do survive. The trick is to look around (and up), particularly in the shopping areas. A good example, which is easily overlooked, is 61 Broad Street (now used by the Skipton Building Society) which dates from the mid 18th century and has Venetian style windows with Gothic glazing, each window being topped by a carving of a head.

Canoeing and rowing
You can canoe and row on the River Severn.

Golf
Numerous golf courses include:

River walks
On a sunny day, the best way to see Worcester is to walk along the river. The paths are well maintained and being river bank walks they are all flat and easygoing.

On either side of the main bridge on the East bank are the and  (their names now echo of when the city was an important river port).

The river bank by South Quay is a popular area to stroll and pass away sometime. There are fountains set in the pavement near Brown’s restaurant, and usually a large number of swans congregate on the river nearby as they rely on the steady stream of visitors to feed them. Continuing south down the footpath you will come across Watergate (with marks on the wall to record the heights reached by various floods since the 17th century). Passing through Watergate will take you up into College Green and the cathedral environs. Carrying on along the river path will take you towards Diglis basin, and then, about a mile south of the Cathedral, Diglis Lock (a set of large locks on the river) and the new footbridge. The area on the east bank of the river leading up to the new footbridge is a derelict industrial wasteland awaiting its turn for re-development. However, crossing over the footbridge and heading north takes you along a leafy path through fields up to the main bridge. On certain days during the summer, a rowing boat acts as a ferry across the river near the Watergate.

An alternative is to head north along North Quay and under the railway viaduct. This doesn't start as nicely as the area is host to several car parks and across the river is a prominent car hire firm based in a redundant petrol station. However, as you pass under the railway bridge you will reach the race course (an area known as Pitchcroft). Just before the stadium you can cross the river using the Sabrina bridge and turn south again back to the main bridge (you can head north and continue along the Severn Way footpath, but there are no more crossing points until Holt Bridge many miles to the north). Or you can stay on the east bank and continue to walk along Pitchcroft; as you leave the race course stadium area the path is between a splendid row of mature trees and it is possible to walk a loop around Pitchcroft. The trees on the eastern side have fallen victim to disease and many have been removed. Many of their replacements however ‘drowned’ in the prolonged summer floods of 2007.

Learn

 * University of Worcester.
 * Adult learners may wish to study at Worcester College of Technology.
 * Worcester 6th Form College for the 16-19 learners and some adult courses.

Buy
The Post Office is in WHSmiths on the High Street. Numerous second-hand bookshops and minor antique shops on The Tything (the main northbound road out of Worcester city centre).

There are also several arcades:



Eat


There are numerous curry houses along The Tything (the main northbound road out of Worcester city centre).

Drink


The largest local brewery Malvern Hills Brewery (MHB) does some nice, pale but hoppy beers such as Black Pear available in several local pubs.



Stay safe
As with the rest of the UK, in any emergency call 999 or 112 (from a land-line if you can) and ask for Ambulance, Fire or Police when connected.

If you are a deaf user requiring emergency assistance from Police, Fire or Ambulance text 80992 or use Minicom 0845 6000 303.

Worcester is generally a very safe place and has a much safer feel than most other cities in the West Midlands. However, there is a strong police presence at night time in the city centre (as with most UK towns cities the vicinity around some pubs and clubs can become fairly unpleasant late on a Friday or Saturday night). Avoid Dines Green, Warndon (not Warndon Villages) and Brickfields.

For non-emergency situations use 101 or 0300 333 3000 to contact West Mercia Police. If you wish to speak to a police officer in person, visit the police station on Castle Street in Worcester.

Hereford and Worcester Fire & Rescue Service - for General Enquiries contact 0845 1224454.

Hereford and Worcester Health Service - for General Enquiries contact +44 1886 834200.

Severn Area Rescue Association is the Inshore Rescue boat and Land Search organisation covering the Severn Estuary, including the parts of the River Severn around Worcester. For General enquiries contact 0844 8460226.

Go next
Map of places with Wikivoyage articles nearby


 * Malvern Hills &mdash; a dramatic range of hills approximately 8 miles to the south west of Worcester. Great views on a clear day into Wales and to the Cotswold Hills.
 * Harvington Hall &mdash; a moated medieval and Elizabethan manor house with numerous secret "priest holes", 14 miles north of Worcester.
 * Witley Court and Gardens &mdash; a spectacular ruined stately home, 10 miles north west of Worcester near Stourport-on-Severn. The ornamental fountain has been restored - when running its central plume shoots up over 100 feet.
 * Broadway &mdash; a stunningly beautiful Cotswold village, 22 miles south east from Worcester just off the A44.
 * Shelsley Walsh &mdash; first used in 1905 it is the site of the oldest motor sport venue in the world. Regular meetings through the year. Good for petrol heads and lovers of vintage cars amidst a beautiful rural landscape. 11 miles to the north west of Worcester.