Market days--Wednesdays and Saturdays Fair days--Saturday before Palm
Sunday, Saturday before Easter Day, August 15th, September 19th, and
first Monday in December.
Our engraving represents the "faithful city" as it appears from a point
between the bridges, with the Cathedral rising from an eminence above the
river. The venerable pile was raised by the brave and pious bishop
Wulstan, upon the site of an earlier edifice, formerly the church of a
priory founded by one of the Saxon kings. Recent restorations, carried
on under the direction of the Dean and Chapter, have led to the
correction of defects, resulting from time, and ignorance on the part of
past builders, and have disclosed features which add much to the grandeur
of the edifice; so that in addition to impressions its magnificence
creates upon the mind of the general visitor, it now affords a rich treat
to all who delight to trace the boundary lines of ecclesiastical
architecture, as they approach or recede from the present time. First,
there is the Norman or Romanesque of the period of its erection, of which
the crypt and part of the central transept are specimens; secondly, the
First Pointed or Early English, as seen in the eastern transept; thirdly,
the Middle Pointed or Decorated, as in the tower, guesten hall, and
refectory; and, fourthly, the Third Pointed or Perpendicular, as in the
north porch, in the cloisters, and Prince Arthur's Chapel. Amongst
ancient mural monuments, covering the dust or commemorating the virtues
of the great, will be found King John's tomb, in the centre of the choir;
one in white marble of Prince Arthur; and those of bishops Sylvester,
Gauden, Stillingfleet, Thornborough, Parry, and Hough, the latter a _chef
d'oeuvre_ of Roubilliac's; also that of Judge Lyttleton, "the father of
English law;" and others of men renowned for learning, piety, or bravery.
Near this fine old ecclesiastical edifice once stood the feudal
stronghold that protected it, the only remaining portion of which is a
crumbling mass of stone known as Edgar's Tower. From standing in the
college precincts it is sometimes mistaken for a portion of the
cathedral; it is, however, a relic of the old castle, the keep of which
rested on a mound of sand and gravel, which was found to contain, upon
its removal in 1833, Roman remains of the reigns of Augustus, Nero,
Vespasian, and Constantine. In High Street, leading from the Cathedral
to the Cross, is the Guildhall, erected from a design by a pupil of the
great Sir Christopher Wren, and considered to be one of the most handsome
brick-fronted structures in the kingdom. It is decorated with statues of
Charles I., Charles II., Queen Anne, and with emblematic figures of
Justice, Peace, Labour, &c.; whilst over the doorway is the city coat of
arms, with the motto, "_Floreat semper fidelis civitas_." The lower hall
contains a collection of interesting specimens of ancient armour, gleaned
from the battlefields of Worcester, and one of those quaint old
instruments of punishment formerly used for scolds, called a "brank." In
the municipal hall, on the second floor, is a portrait of George III.,
who presented it to the inhabitants, and others of citizens who have done
good service to the town, or in some way distinguished themselves, the
last added being that of Alderman Padmore, one of the members for the
city.
The churches are fifteen in number, some being ancient edifices, others
recent erections built on the sites of older structures, whilst a few are
copies of the originals. There are nearly as many dissenting and other
chapels, several of which are handsome specimens of modern architectural
skill. Among instances of domestic architecture of past centuries may be
mentioned, "The Old House" in "New Street," from which Charles II.
escaped after the battle of Worcester. It was the house also in which
Judge Berkeley was born, and has over the door the inscription, "Love God
(W. B. 1557, R. D), Honor the King."
Worcester is rich in schools, almshouses, and institutions, whose united
incomes, representing a total of 4,000 pounds, speak much for the public
spirit and large-hearted benevolence of the inhabitants.
The Museum and Natural History Society, in Foregate Street, to which
visitors are admitted on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, {6} with its
collection of antiquities, fossils, and objects of natural history,
should be visited. Also, the Arboretum and Public Pleasure Grounds, near
Sansome Walk, where fetes are given and bands frequently play. The
grounds are tastefully laid out, portions being set apart for games of
archery, cricket, bowls, and quoits. The usual admission fee is
sixpence, but on Mondays they are free to the inhabitants.
In describing Worcester it would be unpardonable not to allude to its
hops, from 2,000 to 3,000 pockets of which, it is said, not unfrequently
change hands, in the market in the Foregate, during the season.
Glove making also is still one of the staple trades, nearly half a
million being annually manufactured by Messrs. Dent and others.
Worcester is celebrated for Porcelain of a very superior kind; and
facilities are afforded to strangers visiting the manufactory, both in
Diglis, and in Lowesmoor. The productions of the former are highly
esteemed by connoisseurs. The works have the good fortune to receive
distinguished and even royal patronage; and the show-rooms form one of
the attractions of the city.
The Iron trade, so far as regards the manufacture of bridges, machinery,
and general castings, notwithstanding the distance from the iron making
districts, is well represented by the Vulcan Works, and those of Messrs.
Padmore and Hardy. Other establishments on a large scale have sprung
into existence in the city and its suburbs, in which chemistry and
machinery, singly or combined, produce results the most astounding. Among
them are those of Hill, Evans, and Co., where the visitor wanders amidst
enormous vats, from which as many as 1,208,600 gallons of vinegar have
been produced in a single year; and those of Lewis, Watkins, and Co.,
where a large portion of the vinegar is used in preparing pickles, and
where hundreds of tons of preserved fruits and jam are annually produced
for sale. There are also those of the well-known firm of Lea and Perrin;
the chemical works of Webb; the extensive carriage manufactory of
McNaught and Smith, and others upon which space forbids us to dwell.
[Old waterworks: 7.jpg]
The Severn supplies the inhabitants with water, which is purified by
means of extensive filter-beds at the upper end of Pitchcroft, and then
thrown by machinery to the top of Rainbow Hill, a position sufficiently
elevated to ensure its distribution over the upper stories of the highest
houses. The "Old Waterworks" remain, and, as will be seen from our
sketch, form a picturesque object in the landscape. The Severn is,
however, no longer the fast-flowing stream poets have described it, but
what it has lost in speed it has gained in depth, breadth, and majesty;
the locks and weirs at Diglis--the former two abreast, and the latter
stretching 400 feet across the stream--giving to it the aspect of a lake,
an aspect aided by the appearance upon its surface of a number of swans.
Its contrast with itself, whilst yet in its rocky cradle on Plinlimmon,
will be seen from the accompanying sketch of _Blaen Hafren_, or the "Head
of the River," two miles from its source. Anglers will find pleasant
spots at which to indulge in the "gentle art," near Henwick, where the
old Worcester monks had weirs; also near Bevere Island, and Holt Castle;
at the confluence of the Severn with the Teme (two miles
[Blaen Hafren: 8.jpg]
below Worcester), thence to the tail of Kempsey Lake; and still better
near the Rhydd (the seat of Sir E. A. H. Lechmere, Bart.). Worcester is
surrounded by very many spots of interest to lovers of natural scenery,
to archaeologists, botanists, and geologists. Among those within easy
reach, and deserving of special notice, may be mentioned Croome Court,
the seat of the Earl of Coventry (nine miles); and Witley Court, backed
by the Abberley and Woodbury hills, (ten miles); also Madresfield Court,
the seat of the Earl of Beauchamp (six miles); Cotheridge Court, the seat
of W. Berkeley, Esq. (four miles); and Strensham village, the birthplace
of Butler, the author of "Hudibras" (three miles from Duffore station, on
the Bristol line). Leaving Worcester at Shrub Hill--a portion of a long
natural terrace commanding pleasing views of the city and of the Malvern
range of hills--we pass the cemetery; then Hindlip Hall, the residence of
Henry Alsop, Esq., a handsome modern mansion standing in the midst of a
very pleasant country on the left, and approached by an avenue of trees
nearly a mile in length. The "Old Hall," upon the site of which the
present one is built, was constructed by some quaint architect having
less peaceful times in view, who contrived numerous secret chambers, of
which the conspirators Garnet and Oldcorn are known to have availed
themselves. Here also lived the sister of Lord Monteagle, whose letter
to her brother is said to have led to the discovery of Gunpowder Plot.
Near the hall is the old ivy-towered church of the hamlet, with its
rustic graveyard. At a distance of six miles from Worcester is the
borough town of