Worcester

Worcester stands on the River Severn, its cathedral overlooking the crossing and the old city. A centre of the church and a market for the surrounding county, it occupied a strategic route between the Midlands and the west. The cathedral became a landmark for armies as well as merchants approaching the city.

In 1651 Charles II brought a Scottish army to Worcester, where Oliver Cromwell defeated him in the last major battle of the British Civil Wars on 3 September. Charles escaped after the defeat, while the city and its people suffered the consequences of fighting. A century later, in 1751, a partnership led by Dr John Wall established a porcelain manufactory beside the Severn, beginning a craft for which Worcester became celebrated.