Worcester

Historic Worcester sits on the banks of the River Severn, with the underlying rocks being composed of Triassic mudstones. The City provided the most suitable bridging point between Bridgnorth and Gloucester up until the 14th century, with tidal influences making the river fordable at low tide. As a result of numerous events such as medieval fires, sieges and more
modern urban redevelopment in the 1960s and 1970s, the City today retains few of its medieval buildings and no structures are visible which pre-date the late Saxon period. The city walls and medieval street pattern are still clearly visible and the monastic ruins in the Cathedral Close and the Edgar Tower entrance provide a hint of the city’s medieval grandeur.
There are also numerous stone buildings and structures in the city centre, the material for which must have been sourced from far and wide. Indeed there is evidence that some stone was been sourced from Triassic and Carboniferous quarries in the north of Worcestershire. The remains of the city walls present an interesting opportunity for research, as does the cathedral and its associated buildings. Other buildings of interest include the former St Helen’s Church and the numerous stone paving slabs across the city and along the riverside. Some of these stones are likely to be locally sourced. However, as is the nature of a strategically important settlement, there is likely to also be the story of ‘exotic’ stone being imported into the county.

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