(
Pronounced ; abbreviated '''Worcs''') is a county located in the
West Midlands Region of central
England . From
1974 to
1998 it was administered as part of
Hereford And Worcester .
The county borders
Herefordshire ,
Shropshire ,
Staffordshire ,
West Midlands ,
Warwickshire , and
Gloucestershire . To the west, the county is bordered by the
Malvern Hills , by which is located the former spa town of
Malvern . The western side of the hills is in the county of
Herefordshire . The southern part of the county is bordered by
Gloucestershire and the northern edge of the
Cotswolds , and to the east is
Warwickshire . The two major rivers flowing through the county are the
Severn and the
Avon .
Other than the city of
Worcester , and several large towns (notably
Kidderminster ,
Bromsgrove and
Redditch (the county's largest settlement)) in the northern part of the county, the area is still largely rural.
''Main article:
History Of Worcestershire .''
Worcestershire was the site of the
Battle Of Evesham in which
Simon De Montfort was killed (4th August,
1265 ), and later, in the
English Civil War , the
Battle Of Worcester (
1651 ).
In the
Nineteenth Century , Worcester was a centre for the manufacture of gloves; the town of
Kidderminster was a centre for carpet manufacture, and
Redditch specialised in the manufacture of needles and hooks.
Droitwich Spa , being situated on large deposits of salt, was a centre of salt production from
Roman times, one of the principal roman roads running through the town. These old industries have since declined, to be replaced by other, more varied light industry. The county is also home to the world's oldest continually published newspaper, the ''Berrow's Journal'' (established
1690 ).
Worcestershire's boundaries have been fluid for over a hundred years since the abolition of the form of administration known as the
Hundreds , though the continual expansion of
Birmingham and the
Black Country considerably altered the county map. Worcestershire County Council came into existence in 1889 and administrated the whole of the traditional county, except two
County Borough 's -
Dudley and
Worcester . The county used to also oversee 'islands' which were completely surrounded by the adjoining counties of
Warwickshire ,
Staffordshire ,
Gloucestershire ,
Herefordshire and
Oxfordshire . The most noticeable were
Dudley known as the 'County Borough of Dudley annexed to Worcestershire' and the area around
Shipston-on-Stour . In return
Staffordshire ,
Warwickshire and
Shropshire had islands within Worcestershire. These were found at
Clent ,
Tardebigge and
Halesowen /
Oldbury respectively though the latter originally was outside Worcestershire for nine-hundred years. The southern boundary of the county was especially confusing with parish boundaries penetrating deep into
Gloucestershire and vise-versa.
Dudley 's historical status within the Diocise of Worcester and through its aristocracy links ensured to a certain extent that the island was self-governing.
Worcester was also self-governing and was known as The City and County of Worcester. During the Local Government reorganisation of 1966 -
Dudley expanded beyond its historical boundaries and took in
Sedgley ,
Brierley Hill ,
Coseley and parts of
Amblecote , but lost its Worcestershire status and became part of
Staffordshire . Worcestershire in return gained a new
County Borough known as
Warley which included
Oldbury ,
Smethwick and
Tividale .
Since the establishment of the administrative county, Worcestershire has lost a considerable amount of territory including
Yardley ,
Northfield and
Kings Heath to
Birmingham , the surrounding islands to their respective counties,
Oldbury to
Warley County Borough and
St. John's ,
Warndon ,
Claines and
St. Peter's Parishes to
Worcester . In return - Worcestershire's expansion was limited to
Stourbridge taking in the majority of
Amblecote Urban District and the designation of
Redditch in 1964 as a
New Town which saw expansion into
Matchborough in
Warwickshire .
From
1974 to
1998 , the county was combined with
Herefordshire and
Worcester County Borough to form a single administrative county of
Hereford And Worcester ; the
County Borough s of
Dudley and
Warley along with
Stourbridge and
Halesowen were incorporated into the
West Midlands Metropolitan County . The
West Midlands County Council was only in existence for a short period before abolition in 1986. The new administrative County of Worcestershire was established in 1998 following a decision to abolish
Hereford And Worcester , though it does not correspond to the pre-1974 boundaries. The post-1974 districts of
Redditch ,
Worcester ,
Wychavon and
Wyre Forest were retained in the new
Administrative County with little or no change. However
Malvern Hills District Council 's boundaries were altered to include
Tenbury Wells following the loss of
Bromyard and
Ledbury to the new
Herefordshire Unitary Authority . Meanwhile
Dudley ,
Stourbridge and
Halesowen are still part of
Dudley Metropolitan Borough , whilst
Oldbury forms part of
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough . Both
Metropolitan Borough 's are currently within the
West Midlands Ceremonial County .
Despite the countless Local Government reorganisations since 1889, the
Traditional County boundaries of Worcestershire have never been altered. The Central Government and local/national media do not usually acknowledge these boundaries.
Recent observations regarding the future of local and regional government include an idea to create a '
City Region ' known as
Greater Birmingham , which could incorporate
Redditch and
Bromsgrove in some capacity either into a new-style and enlarged
West Midlands Metropolitan County or under direct control of a '
Mayor Of Birmingham ' office. Other plans could include creating 'unitary authorities' across Worcestershire, either as a single county authority or a divide into two areas - North Worcestershire (
Wyre Forest ,
Bromsgrove and
Redditch ) and South Worcestershire (
Malvern Hills ,
Wychavon and
Worcester ).
The county is home to the
Worcestershire County Cricket Club , traditionally first stop on for the touring national side's schedule in England. The Club's players have included
Tom Graveney ,
Ian Botham ,
Glenn McGrath ,
Graeme Hick ,
Kapil Dev ,
Vikram Solanki ,
Don Kenyon and
Basil D'Oliveira . Worcester Rugby Football Club, the
Worcester Warriors , whose ground is at Sixways, Worcester, were promoted to the
Guinness Premiership in
2004 .
There are three radio stations which broadcast to the county as well as ,
Stourport &
Bewdley , known as The Wyre. Recently two community radio stations have been licensed within Worcestershire; these are currently known as Youth Community Radio in
Worcester and The ‘Bridge in
Stourbridge . In addition, there are local and regional radio stations broadcasting into Worcestershire from surrounding areas such as
Birmingham ,
Wolverhampton ,
Gloucestershire and
Warwickshire .
A large area of the county used to be devoted to fruit-growing and the cultivation of
Hops ; this has decreased considerably since
World War II , though in the southern area of the county, around the
Vale Of Evesham , there are still sufficient orchards that the British
Automobile Association signposts a route (the "
Blossom Trail ") where the orchards can be seen in spring. Worcester City's
Coat Of Arms includes a depiction of three black pears, representing a now rare local fruit variety, the Worcester Black Pear. The county's coat of arms follows this theme, having a pear tree with black pears. The apple variety known as Worcester Pearmain originates from Worcestershire, and the
Pershore plum comes from the small Worcestershire town of that name, and is widely grown in that area.
Worcestershire is also famous for a number of its non-agricultural products. The city of Worcester and the surrounding county are best known for
Worcestershire Sauce and for its porcelain works.
Worcestershire Sauce (also known as ''Worcester sauce'') is a savory sauce made with vinegar,
Anchovies ,
Molasses ,
Tamarind s, onions and spices, used in flavouring various foods and the
Bloody Mary drink which is drunk worldwide. The village of
Broadheath , about 10km North-West of the city of Worcester, is the birthplace of the composer
Edward Elgar . The town of Malvern is the home of the
Morgan traditional
Sports Car ). The painting, ''
A Worcestershire Cottage '' by
Arthur Claude Strachan is also of general renown.
The ,
Bewdley ,
Evesham ,
Droitwich Spa ,
Pershore , and
Tenbury Wells .
''For a full list of settlements, see
List Of Places In Worcestershire .''
