A canal. A river. And two almighty architectural beauties.
Welcome to Worcester! A “swan sanctuary” on the River Severn and a rather lovely three mile riverside walk lies ahead, Sunday 21st August 2022 (Author’s Collection).
Prior to Sunday, the only visit to the city of Worcester that I can recall is for a sales meeting from which I gained no sales and from the top deck of the multi levelled car park I marvelled at the skyline and a cathedral spire and glimpse of the river Severn snaking its way around this central England city. I promised myself a return visit someday and Sunday 21st August 2022 was indeed that day.
More broadly, here is the headline paragraph to the city’s www.en.wikipedia.org page:
Worcester is a cathedral city and the ceremonial county town of Worcestershire, England, 30 miles (48 km) south-west of Birmingham, 101 miles (163 km) north-west of London, 27 miles (43 km) north of Gloucester and 23 miles (37 km) north-east of Hereford. The estimated population in 2019 was 102,791.[1]
More personally, I’ve always seen the city as a famed cathedral city, one which sits on the River Severn (and that raises my interest level significantly), a city not famous for its non-league football team but which shocked my footballing heroes in a famous FA Cup tie in 1959 and a city rightly proud as the home of the county’s cricket team and a team that has a rich vein of England and overseas international players on its honours roll.
I wasn’t however, aware of St Andrew’s Church or its famous spire before my visit on Sunday but I am now, and so will you after this long pictorial roll of a stroll around a majestic city on the banks of England’s central river.
I sincerely hope you enjoy this virtual stroll beside the river Severn and a stroll that will blossom and flower as we go, first from the city boundary and it’s formidable canal lock flowing into the River Severn before we round the locally known “Riverside Walk” around the river and back through the centre of the city and via it’s two magnificent structures from a bygone age before we end in the city’s quaint and picturesque central canal “basin”.
*All images captured by me on Sunday 21st August 2022*
Welcome to the cathedral city of Worcester and the “Diglis River Lock” that feeds into the River Severn.
The industrial and formidable “River Lock” as well as being the “largest and deepest” in England. It even requires its own traffic lights!
View from the footbridge over the river Severn before we continue the riverside walk to the left and circle back towards the city. This view aptly demonstrates the sheer size of the “River Lock” that separates the city’s Worcester and Birmingham Canal from the River Severn.
A taster first viewing of the city’s magnificent cathedral across the river.
The cathedral may be slightly obscured but this image perfectly defines this morning stroll beside the River Severn.
Welcome to Worcester!
All you could ever wish to know about “Glovers’ Needle” and the seven images that follow as I tried to capture its beautiful magnificence.
A first glimpse from the riverside of “Glovers’ Needle” and the magnificent final structure remaining of St Andrew’s Church.
A first glimpse of the “Needle” as she towers 245 feet high into the sky — Part 1.
A first glimpse of the “Needle” as she towers 245 feet high into the sky — Part 2.
A view from the far reaches of the other side of the nearby road in order to capture the entirety of “Glover’s Needle”.
(1) Three images of the architecture within it’s central arc as the needle towers into the sky.
(2) Three images of the architecture within it’s central arc as the needle towers into the sky.
(3) Three images of the architecture within it’s central arc as the needle towers into the sky.
Officially designated as a “swan sanctuary”. Boaters, rowers, canoeists and paddle boarders all slow and give right of way to the swans.
Yet another perfect image and summation of a beautiful morning in Worcester.
See above comments! Here the river stretches toward the canal Lock and “junction” seen earlier.
Please give a sun bleached welcome to Worcester Cathedral.
A close up view of the architectural designs that adorn the rear of the quite magnificent Worcester Cathedral.
In remembrance of the South African “Boer War”.
Building work and the cramped confines around a busy cathedral readying itself for a busy Sunday service restricted me to just this, albeit magnificent, capture of the architecture of one side of the cathedral.
A final rear image of the cathedral.
Approaching the canal Locks that lead to the central “basin”, a final look back on the River Severn and the beautiful city it accompanies.
Many of the 30 canal Locks that separate Worcester from Birmingham are covered within a special edition of my articles archived here within the “UK Travel” section.
We return to the canal but rather than the industrial Locks that bleed into the River Severn, here are simply a “Top” and “Bottom” Lock that leads to the central canal basin.
So terribly and quintessentially English!
“Welcome to Diglis Basin” — Part 1.
“Welcome to Diglis Basin” — Part 2.
“Welcome to Diglis Basin” — Part 3.
“Welcome to Diglis Basin” — Part 4.
Your humble narrator larking around inside the remains of Lilleshall Abbey, early August 2022 (Author’s Collection).
Thanks for reading. My “Summer Project” has taken me to the waterways and many historical castle ruins as I’ve crisscrossed the border between England and Wales and my three most recently published travel articles are linked below:
