Worcester is a cathedral city in Worcestershire, England, of which it is the county town. It is 30 miles (48 km) south-west of Birmingham, 27 miles (43 km) north of Gloucester and 23 miles (37 km) north-east of Hereford. The population was 103,872 in the 2021 census.
The River Severn flanks the western side of the city centre, overlooked by Worcester Cathedral. Worcester is the home of Royal Worcester Porcelain, Lea & Perrins (makers of traditional Worcestershire sauce), the University of Worcester, and Berrow’s Worcester Journal, claimed as the world’s oldest newspaper. The composer Edward Elgar (1857–1934) grew up in the city.
The Battle of Worcester in 1651 was the final battle of the English Civil War, during which Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army defeated King Charles II’s Royalists.
The trade route past Worcester, later part of the Roman Ryknild Street, dates from Neolithic times. It commanded a ford crossing over the River Severn, which was tidal below Worcester, and fortified by the Britons about 400 BC.
Charcoal from the Forest of Dean enabled Romans to operate pottery kilns and ironworks. They may also have built a small fort. While there is some evidence that the late Iron Age defensive ditches on the east bank may have been dug out during the first century AD, there is no other evidence to suggest that this was used as a fort by the Romans. Scatters of military equipment and coins found in the city centre from this early period may instead have been lost during the course of road building, or won by the local inhabitants in battle, rather than being left by a Roman military garrison. There is no sign of municipal buildings to indicate an administrative role.
In the 3rd century AD, Roman Worcester occupied a larger area than the subsequent medieval city, but silting caused the abandonment of Sidbury. Industrial production ceased and the settlement contracted to a defended position along the lines of the old British fort at the river terrace’s southern end.