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History :
Occupation of the site of Worcester can be dated back to Neolithic
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 1st 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
kilns and iron-smelting plants.
Tudor Buildings Friar Street
Tudor Building New Street
Roman Worcester (which may have been the Vertis mentioned in the 7th
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-7th century when documents mention
the Anglo-Saxon settlement Weorgoran ceaster (settlement of the people
by the winding river).[1] 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:
"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 Gloucester, 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, giving it autonomy from local
government.
Worcester was the site of the Battle of Worcester (September 3, 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.[loft conversion worcester
cost price ]
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 18th century Worcester's trade languished compared to more
modern towns of the West Midlands. The Worcester and Birmingham Canal
opened in 1815 allowing Worcester goods to be transported to a larger
conurbation.
The British Medical Association (BMA) is reputed to have been founded
in the Board Room of the old Worcester Royal Infirmary building in
Castle Street around 1860. This building has now been closed and (as of
2006) will be redeveloped as the University of Worcester city campus.
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 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