Worcester

Worcester City Centre is of great architectural interest with sites dating back over 2000 years. Number 52, Rohan Worcester, is a Grade 2 listed building, likely a house and shop 200 years ago. According to English heritage records, the facade of the building is constructed from stucco over brick and dates back to around 1820. For many years the building belonged to the Woolwich Building Society, their safe room remains intact on the first floor.

Though there are many to choose from, our personal favourites are the Boston Tea Rooms opposite the shop for great food, coffee and quirky interior décor - the seats are ex-church pews. They pride themselves on ethically sound products; offering fairly traded coffee and use only free-range ingredients.

Sights to take in would include the magnificent Guild Hall, the Tudor buildings of the Shambles, beautiful Worcester Cathedral, the Royal Worcester Porcelain Museum and The Commandery which has a warren of rooms that once served as the Royalist Headquarters for the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The Guildhall is an ornate building by Thomas White, a protégée of Sir Christopher Wren.

Worcester is also very popular with sporting enthusiasts. Worcestershire County Cricket Club play at what has been described as the most beautiful cricket ground in the world, playing beneath Worcester Cathedral and beside the River Severn. Other popular sporting venues include Worcester Racecourse and ‘Sixways’ – home of rugby premiership side Worcester Warriors.

Close to Worcester, the SVR is a full-size standard-gauge railway line running regular steam-hauled passenger trains between Kidderminster in Worcestershire and Bridgnorth in Shropshire, a distance of 16 miles. The route follows the meandering course of the River Severn for most of the way. When it comes to walking, there are many routes around Worcester including the River Severn, the beautiful Malvern Hills and the picturesque Wyre Forrest.