Worcestershire - More than just the Sauce!
Last updated: Saturday August 14th, 2021
Report this blog
Introduction
Worcestershire (abbreviated Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands region of England in the United Kingdom. Between 1974 and 1998, it was part of the county of Hereford and Worcester. Worcestershire borders the counties of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and West Midlands. Worcestershire's county town and largest city is Worcester.
Geography
Worcestershire has many hills, such as Malvern Hills, Clent Hills, Lickey Hills and Bredon Hill. On its border with Herefordshire, there is a long stretch of the Malvern Hills. The highest point of the Malvern Hills, Worcestershire Beacon, is also the highest point of Worcestershire, with its summit at 425 metres (1,394 feet) high.[1] Malvern water is the name of natural spring water from the Malvern Hills, which is said to have some beneficial properties. Queen Victoria apparently refused to travel without it, and Queen Elizabeth I drank it in public![2]
There are two main rivers which flow through Worcestershire: River Severn and River Avon. The River Severn is the longest river in the United Kingdom, and flows through Bewdley, Stourport-on-Severn, Upton-upon-Severn and Worcester. The River Avon flows through Pershore and Evesham, and its confluence with the River Severn is at the southern border, near Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire.[3]
Worcestershire also has a lot of woodland and forested areas. In the southeast of the county, north of the Cotswolds, there is the Vale of Evesham, a garden region known for its fruit and vegetables. Asparagus, Brussels sprouts and peas are able to grow here due to its fertile soil from the River Avon.[4] Meanwhile, in the northwest of the county on the border with Shropshire, there is the Wyre Forest. It is a large semi-natural woodland, which measures around 26 km2. The forest is one of the largest remaining ancient woodlands in Britain.[5]
Largest Settlements
Here are the 10 largest settlements in Worcestershire:[6]
Rank | Town | Population |
---|---|---|
1 | Worcester | 102,791 |
2 | Redditch | 83,010 |
3 | Kidderminster | 57,929 |
4 | Great Malvern | 38,204 |
5 | Bromsgrove | 36,215 |
6 | Evesham | 28,482 |
7 | Droitwich Spa | 24,179 |
8 | Stourport-on-Severn | 20,591 |
9 | Catshill | 10,741 |
10 | Bewdley | 8,686 |
Districts of Worcestershire
Worcestershire is split into 6 districts.
Each district has its own council.
1 - City of Worcester
2 - Malvern Hills District
3 - Wyre Forest District
4 - Bromsgrove District
5 - Borough of Redditch
6 - Wychavon District
Population
Worcestershire Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce is a fermented liquid condiment created in Worcester during the 19th century. It was created by John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins (Lea & Perrins). The original ingredients for Worcestershire Sauce included molasses, barley malt vinegar, anchovies, shallots and spirit vinegar.[9]
Worcestershire sauce has many names worldwide.[10]
- "English sauce" = Brazil, Denmark, Portugal, Venezuela
- "Spicy soy sauce" = Shanghai area
- "Worcester sauce" = Taiwan, Japan
- "gip-sauce" = Hong Kong, and the surrounding Chinese area
In Costa Rica, a local variation is called Salsa Lizano, or Lizano Sauce.
In El Salvador, it is known colloquially as salsa inglesa (English sauce) or salsa Perrins (Perrins sauce). It is so popular in El Salvador that, as of 1996, it had the highest per-capita consumption, with 71g consumed per person annually!
In Thailand, Gy-Nguang Worcestershire Sauce has been produced since 1917. There are 2 versions: Formula 1, Asian taste, and Formula 2, international taste.
Industry of Worcestershire
Worcestershire played a big role in the British Industrial Revolution:
- Dudley, Stourbridge, Netherton and the Wyre Forest specialised in iron and coal production.
- Kidderminster specialised in carpet production.
- Stourbridge specialised in glass production.
- Bromsgrove and southern Birmingham specialised in nail making.
- Redditch specialised in needles and fish hooks.
- Droitwich Spa was a centre of salt production.
- Worcester specialised in glove and porcelain manufacturing, but also the production of Worcestershire Sauce.
Canals and railways aided with the exporting of goods.[11][12]
During the late 18th and early 19th century, Worcester employed nearly half of the glovers in England (over 30,000 people)![13]
Nowadays, there is less industry in Worcestershire. Lea & Perrins is still produced in Worcester. Morgan cars are produced in Malvern - around 800 are made every year, all assembled by hand.[14]
Notable People
Bewdley
- Stanley Baldwin, British Prime Minister, was born in Bewdley
- Becky Hill, singer, was born in Bewdley
- Robert Plant, lead singer of Led Zeppelin, lives nearby
Bromsgrove
- Michael Ball, singer and actor, was born in Bromsgrove
Kidderminster
- Sir Rowland Hill, inventor of the Penny Black and modern postal system, was born in Kidderminster
Malvern
- Jacqui Smith, the first female Home Secretary of the UK, was born in Malvern
Redditch
- John Bonham, drummer of Led Zeppelin, was born in Redditch
- Harry Styles, singer, was born in Redditch
Upton-upon-Severn
- Nigel Mansell, Formula One world champion, was born in Upton
Worcester
- Sir Edward Elgar, composer, was born in Lower Broadheath, just outside Worcester
- King John, King of England, is buried in Worcester Cathedral.
Facts about Worcestershire
1 | At one point, Redditch produced 90% of the world's needles![15] |
2 | Travelling due east from the Worcestershire Beacon, the next highest point is on the western slope of the Ural Mountains![16] |
3 | The village of Belbroughton was once the world's leading producer of scythes.[17] |
4 | Berrow's Worcester Journal is the world's oldest surviving newspaper. It has been continuously printed weekly for over 330 years![18] |
5 | The town of Droitwich Spa is situated on massive salt deposits. The natural Droitwich brine contains 250g of salt per litre - ten times stronger than regular sea water, and rivalled by only the Dead Sea.[19] |
6 | C.S. Lewis is said to have been inspired to write parts of "Narnia" by his experiences in Worcestershire.[20] |
7 | The Malvern Hills are older than the Alps and Himalayas. The Malvern Hills are around 680 million years old; the Alps are around 300 million years old; and the Himalayas are around 50 million years old.[21][22][23] |
8 | Worcestershire is very prone to flooding, especially around the River Severn. Some of the worst years were 2007, 2014 and 2020 - Prime Minister Boris Johnson even visited Bewdley after flooding in 2020![24] |
9 | The first and last battles of the English Civil War happened in Worcestershire. The first "battle" was the Battle of Powick Bridge, and the last battle was the Battle of Worcester. Both battles happened near Worcester.[25][26] |
10 | There are places in Worcestershire called Broadway and Hollywood.[27][28] |
11 | Worcestershire as a whole is not very densely populated. The county has a population density of 342/km2. However, Evesham has a population density of 4,971/km2.[29][30] |
Final Thoughts
Worcestershire is a very underrated and unique county, with its urban areas (like Worcester, Redditch and Kidderminster) and its rural areas (like Malvern Hills and the Cotswolds). Worcestershire has played a largely unknown role in 19th and 20th century industry, especially with gloves, needles and glass. It isn't just about the county's sauce, but about its beautiful natural geography and brilliant industrial history.
Thanks for reading!
Edit: Why did you delete the link blog?!?!
Edit: I don't really know. It wasn't a good blog anyway, so I just thought to delete it.
Glad to see you're still active on jp;)(nice first blog Fuse!)
I'll give you a 1 month deadline to complete the Gloucs onestershire”, but this blog is the opposite! Congrats, and nice facts!Q. S. Sorry if the joke was offensive.
Source
Also the Belbroughton fact really shocked me, since the village only has a population of 2,500
Would definitely recommend Worcestershire, it really is a nice place to visit.