WORCESTER - Extract from National Gazetteer, 1868

"WORCESTER, comprises the parishes of St. John Bedwardine, St. Clement, All Saints, St. Swithin, St. Oswald, St. Nicholas, St. Martin, St. Andrew, St. Alban, St. Michael Bedwardine, St. Helen, and St. Peter, it is a cathedral city and county of itself, market and assize town, a parliamentary and municipal borough, capital of the county of Worcestershire, and the seat of a bishopric, in the hundred of Oswaldslow, and in the union, diocese, archdeaconry, and deanery of Worcester, 29 miles N. of Gloucester, 26½ S.W. of Birmingham, and 111 N.W. of London by road, and 121 by Great Western railway.

The city is built on a gently undulating plain, on the eastern bank of the Severn, is situated in the midst of a well-wooded county, and is one of the most ancient cities in the kingdom. It is supposed to have been originally built and fortified by the Britons, subsequently occupied by the Romans, and considerably enlarged under the Saxons, who gave it the name of Weorganceaster. A strong wall at one time encircled it, remains of which still exist. It became the see of a bishop in 680. Its increase and prosperity were much checked by the continual inroads of the Welsh; nevertheless it was a place of importance at the time of the Norman conquest.

It suffered severely in the reign of John from the incursions of its old foes, was often besieged, and several times captured and pillaged. Henry I. granted it a charter. In 1622, by a charter of James I., it became a city and county of itself, and was governed by a mayor and corporation. In 1835, under the Municipal Reform Act, the city was divided into five wards, and is now governed by a mayor, 12 aldermen, and 36 councillors.

Worcester has generally played a conspicuous part in the great struggles that have successively rent the land, and has paid dearly for her partisanship. The city suffered much during the wars between the houses of York and Lancaster, but it was in the civil war between Charles I. and the parliament that it suffered most severely. Worcester espoused the royal cause, and from its faithful adherence to it received the motto still inscribed on its arms, "Civitas in hello et in pace fidelis". In 1642 took place the engagement between the Royalists under Prince Rupert and the parliamentary forces, when the former were defeated.

In 1646 the city was besieged by the Roundheads, and after a resistance of tour months was compelled to capitulate, but obtained honourable terms. But the most remarkable event in connection with the history of Worcester was the battle between the English army under Cromwell, and the Scotch, who had espoused the cause of Charles II. In 1651 Charles entered Worcester and repaired the fortifications. He was shortly followed by Cromwell, who laid siege to the city, and on the 3rd of September was fought the battle of Worcester.

The struggle continued for upwards of four hours, and ended in the total defeat of the Scotch, and the flight of the King to France. The Scotch loss was 2,000 killed, and 8,000 wounded or prisoners. Since this event Worcester has not been the scene of any remarkable occurrences. Worcester returns two members to parliament, and has done so since the year 1293. By the act of Edward I. the right of voting was conferred upon all £10 shareholders and resident freemen not receiving alms.

The population, according to the census of 1861, is 30,969. In 1851 it was 27,677. The area of the registrar's district is 6,699 acres. The population of the separate parishes is as follows:- St. John Bedwardine, 2,974; St. Clement, 2,434; All Saints, 2,421; St. Swithin, 764; St. Oswald, Whistones Tything, 3,191; St. Nicholas, 1,933; St. Martin, 5,601; Blockhouse, 1,671; St. Andrew, 1,768; College Precincts, 89; St. Alban, 323; St. Michael Bedwardine, 570; St. Helen, 1,484; St. Peter, 5,746.

The town has much extended within the last few years. The principal streets are broad, and are set off by many good shops and handsome commercial buildings; red brick has been chiefly employed in its architecture. The city is well supplied with gas, and an abundant supply of water is procured from works recently constructed at Popeiron. It has rail and water communication with all parts of the country. Both the Midland and the Great Western (late West Midland) Railway Companies have access to the city. There are two stations, that in Foregate-street belonging to the Great Western, and that on Shrub Hill, which is large and commodious, and occupied jointly by the two companies.

The extensive railway works belonging to the West Midland (Great Western) were destroyed by fire in 1864, and have not been rebuilt. The Severn is navigable for ships of eighty tons as high as Worcester, and extensive alterations have been effected to improve the navigation, and numerous canals connect the Severn with other rivers. A stone bridge spans the river, connecting the city with the suburb of St. John Bedwardine. It was erected in 1781, at a cost of £30,000, and widened in 1841. It consists of five arches, is 270 feet long, and 33 feet wide. An iron railway bridge of two spans also crosses the river.

The chief architectural ornament of Worcester is its cathedral. The see was founded by Ethelred, King of Mercia. Bishop Oswald completed the cathedral in 983, and it was burnt by Hardicanute's soldiers in 1041. The foundation of a new edifice was laid by Bishop Wolstan in 1084, and the building roofed in 1089. The church and monastery was injured by fire in 1113, and again in 1202. In 1207 King John visited the cathedral, and contributed 100 marks towards its restoration. In 1218 Bishop Sylvester dedicated the new building in the presence of Henry III. In 1224 the charnel house and Lady Chapel were erected by Bishop William de Blois. In 1320 Bishop Wakefield erected the W. window and the porch.

The cathedral is in the form of a double cross; the outside is plain and void of ornamentation. The beauty of the edifice consists in its height, space, and the lightness of its architecture, which is aided by numerous pinnacles rising from all points of the building. Its proportions are:- length 514 feet, breadth 78, height 68, and the tower, which rises from the centre of the W. transept, is 200 feet high. Portions of the old Norman structure remain in the walls, but the architecture generally is of the Early English and Decorated styles. The windows are of a later date.

The nave is Early English. The tracery of the W. window is of the Decorated style. The triforium and clerestory run the whole length of the edifice. The lancet window at the E. end has been filled with stained glass by Hardman. The choir, which is Early English, has a groined roof, stone altar-screen handsomely carved, and stone pulpit with ornamented sculptures. The bishop's throne and the stalls are not in keeping with the rest of the building, and are to be replaced by others.

The altar-screen it is intended to remove to the N. side of the altar, and a reredos by Skidmore, presented by the dean, is to take its place. The Lady chapel is in the Early English style of architecture. The cloisters are in very perfect preservation. Round the chapter house is a tier of Norman arches intersecting one another. There are numerous monuments in the cathedral, the most remarkable of which are the tomb of King John, whose remains are deposited in front of the altar, and the monumental chapel of Prince Arthur, eldest son of Henry VII.; the tabernacle work and groined roof of this chapel are beautiful; its stands at the S. side of the altar, and beneath it, in the Dean's chapel, are the tombs and monuments of Bishop Giffard and Lady de Clifford.

There are many other monuments of bishops, abbots, lady abbesses, and Templars, all in good preservation. There is a modern monument, by Chantrey, in the Bishop's chapel, of Lady Digby. In the Lady chapel is a tablet, with quaint inscription, to the memory of the wife of Izaac Walton. The whole of the interior of the cathedral has been restored, and the exterior, which was much weatherworn, has been refaced at an immense outlay. The chief restorations now in hand are the tower and the cloisters. The N. porch is nearly restored. A set of ten bells is to be placed in the tower, the former set of seven (originally eight) having been taken down.

The cathedral establishment consists of the dean (Very Rev. John Peel), four canons, and four minor canons. The present bishop is the Right Rev. Henry Philpot, late Master of St. Catherine's College, Cambridge: the value of the see is £5,000 per annum. The episcopal palace is Hartlebury Castle, near Kidderminster. The old bishop's palace near the cathedral is now the deanery. The see is in the province of Canterbury, and extends over the counties of Worcester and Warwick, has a population of 857,775, the number of benefices being about 450. The number of benefices in the archdeaconry is about 270. The bishop has 61 livings in his gift, and the dean and chapter 38.

In the College Green, near the cathedral, stands Edgar's tower, erected in the year 970, ornamented on the eastern front by statues of Edgar and his two queens, Elfleda and Elfreda. There are several public buildings in Worcester. The guildhall in High-street is of the Italian style, erected in 1723; over the doorway is the motto, "Floreat semper fidelis civitas", and a statue of Queen Anne, and on each side statues of Charles I. and II.; five statues, representing Justice, Peace, Plenty, Chastisement, and Hercules, adorn the top of the building. The shire hall, or assize court, is in Foregate-street; it is a stone building of the Ionic order, was built in 1835, and cost upwards of £35,000; a portico 100 feet long adorns the front. The county hall is 90 feet by 40.

The different courts are well adapted for their purposes. The judge's lodge is at the back of the hall in Sansome-walk. The county gaol is in Castle-street; it was originally constructed in 1809 at a cost of £19,000, but nearly treble that amount has since been expended on its enlargement and repairs. The city prison was built in 1824, on the site of the Grey Friars House, in Friar-street and Union-street. The Natural History Society's museum is in Foregate-street. In the corn market is the music hall. The corn exchange, in Angel-street, was erected in 1849; the interior is 70 feet by 60½ feet.

Opposite to the guildhall, in the High-street, is the market house, erected in 1804; behind it, in Friar-street, is the meat and fish market. The cattle market is in the Butts. The hop market is in the Foregate. The city library, with 13,000 volumes, is in Pierpont-street. The infirmary, which was erected by public subscription at a cost of upwards of £6,000, in 1770, is in Castle-street. The city possesses, in addition, a dispensary, Bank-street; an ophthalmic institution, Castle-street; and a homoeopathic dispensary in Taylor's-lane.

Besides the city library, there is a county library, a Friends' library, and a law society and reading-room. The theatre is in Angel-street. An extensive arboretum and pleasure-ground, erected in 1850 by a company, are situated in Sansome-walk. The workhouse is on Tallow Hill. The union embraces an area of 15 square miles. The temperance hall is in Silver-street. The city police-station is at Lowesmoor, and the county police-station is in Castle-place. the Society of Arts and the School of Design are in Pierpont-street. The grammar school is in Church-street.

The trade of Worcester is considerable, arising not only from the surplus products of the county and its own manufactures, but from the great conveniences of its extended rail and water carriage. The principal manufactures are gloves and porcelain; in connection with the glove-manufacture are leather dyeries and glove machine works. For its porcelain, Worcester has long been celebrated; in the manufacture of common pottery it has been superseded by Staffordshire; for the finer porcelain it still holds its place. Porcelain manufacture was first introduced in 1751; the porcelain works are objects of great interest to strangers; there are two of them, belonging to Messrs Grainger and Co., and to the Worcester Royal Porcelain Co., limited (late Kerr and Co.).

Worcester being in the midst of a hop-growing country, an extensive trade is carried on in hops, the annual sale realising upwards of 20,000 pockets, or nearly 40,000 cwt. After the gathering, the Shire Hall, Guildhall, and other public buildings, as well as the hop market, are devoted to their storage. Connected with the trade of Worcester are a large vinegar manufactory, an iron foundry, and engineering establishments, coach-works, British wine manufactory, organ works, &c. There are boat and barge building-yards. Extensive engine-works are being erected by a limited company at Shrub Hill.

Worcester possesses eleven parish churches. St. Alban's, an old building, supposed to have been first erected in the 8th century, is in Fish-street; in the interior are some old monuments; value £75, and patron the bishop. All Saints', in All Hallow's, in the gift of the lord chancellor, value £150, has a peal of ten bells. St. Andrew's, in Copenhagen-street, has a spire rising to the height of 245½ feet; it is in the gift of the dean and chapter, and is worth £106. St. Clement's, on the W. side of the river, was erected in 1823, in the Norman style, and is in the gift of the dean and chapter, and is valued at £150. St. Helen's, in High-street, was the first church established in the city; its value is £120, and is in the bishop's gift. St. Martin's, value £178, patrons the dean and chapter, is a brick building, with six bells, in the Corn Market.

St. Peter's, Church-street, Sidbury, is valued at £233, and in the patronage of the dean and chapter. St. Nicholas', in the bishop's gift, and value £264, in the Cross, has a Doric front; the tower has an illuminated clock, and six bells. St. Swithin's, in St. Swithin's-street, has a set of chimes and six bells; the pulpit is curious; it is in the gift of the dean and chapter, and is worth £170. St. John's Bedwardine is of the value of £635, and in the gift of the dean and chapter. St. Michael's Bedwardine, value £90, patrons the dean and chapter, is near the Cathedral; it was originally erected as early as 826; the present edifice is in the Decorated style.

There are besides, connected with the Establishment, St. Paul's, in St. Paul's-street, a perpetual curacy, value £150, in the gift of the bishop; St. George's chapel, a chapel-of-ease for the parish of Claines; St. Oswald's chapel, in the Tything; and Holy Trinity, in the bishop's gift, at Shrub Hill, erected in 1865, in the Decorated style; in the interior is some handsome stone carving about the altar, font, and pulpit. There are two chapels belonging to Lady Huntingdon's Connexion, one in Bridport, the other recently erected in Lowesmoor. The Independent chapel in Angel-place is a handsome building; the formation of the congregation dates from 1662. The new Baptist chapel in Sansome-walk is an elegant specimen of the Decorated style of architecture, and has a short, light spire.

The Roman Catholic chapel in Sansomewalk was rebuilt in 1828; in 1687 James II. attended mass in the old building. A Presbyterian chapel is being erected in Castle-street. There are also Wesleyan chapels, a Friends' meetinghouse, a Free Church chapel, and Plymouth Brethren and Methodist chapels. In addition to the grammar school (founded by Queen Elizabeth) are the College school, founded by Henry VIII., and Bishop Lloyd's school. There are a Roman Catholic school and several National and British schools.

The charities of Worcester are numerous, their income exceeding £4,000. They are mostly in the form of hospitals, as St. Oswald's, in the Tything; Mask's, in New-street; Berkeley's, in the Foregate; Wyatt's, in Friar-street; Inglethorpe's, in Foregate-street; Goulding's and Shrewsing's, in the Tything; Moore's, in Silver-street. They maintain collectively 105 poor men or women, who receive allowances of from 3s. 6d. to 8s. a week, and in some instances coals and clothing. Walsgrave's almshouses for 8 occupants are in Powick-street. Queen Elizabeth's charity, in the Trinity, maintains 29 women. Worcester participates in White's yearly gift of £100 in rotation with 23 other towns; it is disposed of in the form of a loan for 10 years of £25 for each of four young freemen. Worcester possesses a Dorcas society, mendicity society, lying-in charity, and many other benevolent institutions.

Worcester has three banks: the Worcester Old Bank, the National and Provincial, and the City and County; the latter company have erected a magnificent pile of buildings of the Italian order, with granite columns, at Doveway, in the Cross. The savings-bank is in Shaw-street, as also the post-office. There is a swimming-bath in Sansome-walk. Worcester is a polling place, and place of nomination for the western division of the county, possesses county, borough, and ecclesiastical courts; assizes, quarter sessions, and petty sessions are held here.

The race-course is on Pitchcroft; the races are held in July and end of October or beginning of November. Fairs are held the third Mondays in January, February, March, and April, the second Monday in May, first Tuesday in June, second Monday in July, first Tuesday in August, 19th of September, 8th of October, first Monday in November, and the second Friday in December. The market days are Wednesday and Saturday. The following weekly newspapers are published at Worcester:- Chronicle, Wednesday; Herald, Saturday; Journal, Saturday; News, Saturday; Advertiser, Saturday. The Journal dates from 1709, and the Herald from 1794. The old cemetery is on Tallow Hill, and the new one on Rainbow Hill, 1¼ mile from the city. The lunatic asylum is at Powick. The borough magistrates, aided by a stipendiary, sit daily"
"BLOCKHOUSE, an extra-parochial district, comprised within the bounds of the city of Worcester, in the county of Worcester."
"COLLEGE PRECINCTS, an extra-parochial place in the city of Worcester, in the county of Worcester."

[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]