Worcestershire

Worcestershire [ˈwʊstəʃə] is a county in the West Midlands region of England.

Worcestershire borders the counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, West Midlands, Warwickshire and Gloucestershire.

To the west, the county borders the Malvern Hills. There lies the former seaside resort of Malvern (where the Morgan brand of sports cars are manufactured). The western part of the Hills belong to the county of Herefordshire.

The southern part of the county is bordered by the county of Gloucestershire and the northern edge of the Cotswolds. Finally, to the east is Warwickshire. The largest rivers in the county are the Severn and the Avon.

Although there are several other larger towns in the county, such as Kidderminster and Bromsgrove, in addition to the city of Worcester, the landscape is still largely agricultural. In addition to fruit growing, hops are grown here, although their cultivation has declined since the Second World War.

The coat of arms of the city of Worcester shows three black pear-shaped ­fruits, which are a rare pear variety of the region: the Worcester Black Pear.

The area is also known for its china making and the famous Worcestershire sauce.

History

The area of present day Worcestershire has been occupied since the Palaeolithic period. Several hillforts survive from the Iron Age. The Roman conquest of Britain from AD 43 onwards saw the area conquered relatively quickly, probably around the year 48. The Anglo-Saxon conquest probably took place at the turn of the 6th and 7th centuries. During the Heptarchy, the Worcestershire area was part of the Kingdom of Hwicce, later Mercia. Around 679 the important diocese of Worcester (at that time Episcopus Hwicciorum) was founded, which continued to play a leading role after the Norman conquest of England. Later in the Middle Ages, sheep farming became one of the most important economic activities.

Worcestershire became famous for the Battle of Evesham, where Simon V de Montfort died on 4 August 1265, and later in the English Civil War for the Battle of Worcester (1651). Since Roman times salt has been extracted from the town of Droitwich Spa to the north, through which one of the main Roman roads passed. The oldest continuously published newspaper in the world, Berrow's Journal (since 1690), is published in the county.

Worcestershire was united with Herefordshire from 1974 to 1998 to form the county of Hereford and Worcester. However, the area of the county in 1998 no longer corresponds to that of the pre-1974 period.

Cities and towns

• Abberley, Ashton under Hill
• Barnt Green, Beckford, Bewdley, Birlingham, Bredon, Bredon's Norton, Bretforton, Broadway, Bromsgrove
• Cleeve Prior, Conderton
• Droitwich Spa
• Eckington, Elmley Castle, Evesham
• Fladbury
• Great Comberton, Great Malvern
• Hanley Castle, Hartlebury, Harvington, Himbleton Hollywood
• Kemerton, Kidderminster, Kington
• Lindridge, Little Comberton, Little Malvern
• Malvern Link, Malvern Wells
• Naunton Beauchamp
• Overbury
• Pebworth, Pershore
• Redditch, Ripple
• Severn Stoke, Stourport-on-Severn
• Tenbury Wells, Tibberton
• Upper Arley, Upper Strensham, Upton Snodsbury, Upton-upon-Severn
• Wadborough, West Malvern, Wildmoor, Worcester, Wychbold