Worcester

Worcester (pronounced wooster) is a cathedral city and the county town of Worcestershire in the west midlands of England. It lies on the banks of the River Severn. The population of the city is 95,927 (2000).^[1]

Worcester was an important settlement in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia and was created the seat of a bishopric in AD 680.^[2] In the late ninth century a fortified burh was created at Worcester; following the Norman Conquest a castle was constructed south of the cathedral. Worcester was a prosperous medieval city, although it fell into relative decline in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was known as a centre for glove-making,^[3] Royal Worcester Porcelain,^[4] and for the manufacture of the piquant Worcestershire Sauce. This was begun by Lea & Perrins in the 19th century.^[5]

Worcester is best known for its fine cathedral, a venue of the annual Three Choirs Festival,^[6] and for its associations with the composer Sir Edward Elgar.

References[edit]

1. ↑ http://www.worcester.gov.uk/index.php?id=1273
2. ↑ http://www.cityofworcester.gov.uk/index.php?id=556
3. ↑ http://www.cityofworcester.gov.uk/index.php?id=551
4. ↑ http://www.royal-worcester.co.uk/
5. ↑ http://www.leaperrins.com/selecta.php
6. ↑ http://www.3choirs.org/