A visit to Worcester is a pilgrimage of sorts. Less to visit majestic Worcester Cathedral, which was founded in 680 and occupies a picturesque spot overlooking the River Severn, than to walk down a nondescript street in a suburb. Here, in an ordinary-looking red brick building, Lea & Perrins make a legendary condiment that has enlivened British food for two centuries and become a global phenomenon – anyone who has spent time in Latin America will be familiar with salsa inglesa.
Invented by the pharmacists John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins in Worcester in 1837, the original mix of ingredients was generally considered inedible by those who tried it. Instead of throwing it away and starting over, the two business partners left it in a barrel in the cellar. Here it fermented for 18 months until it magically transformed into what today is the vital ingredient in a Bloody Mary: Worcestershire sauce. Perseverance, it seems, pays off.
Despite the fact that there is nothing to see or do when you get there – no factory tour, not even a shop – a visit to Worcester cannot be considered complete without seeing this culinary and cultural icon. If there was a shop on site, I would likely have come away with my own bodyweight in sauce. As it was, I had to make do with wandering the historic and attractive streets of Worcester.
Founded by the Romans in 50 AD, Worcester is an ancient town that has played a central role in English history. It was an important city from an early period, from the granting of a bishopric and cathedral in 680, right through the medieval period and into the Industrial Revolution, when its namesake sauce was created. One of its claims to fame is that King John is buried in the cathedral.
Made notorious by Disney and Hollywood as Bad King John of Robin Hood and his band of merry men fame, the truth is a bit more prosaic. The younger brother of Richard I, or Coeur de Lion as he became known, John was gifted money and lands by their father, Henry II. Yet, when Richard was imprisoned in Germany while returning from the Third Crusade, John immediately attempted to usurp the throne.
He eventually became the king only after Richard had died but was a disaster as a ruler. He famously lost the Crown Jewels in The Wash, a shallow bay on the east coast of England, he lost Normandy to the French King, and was forced to sign the Magna Carta, restricting his powers, by a group of English Barons. As if matters couldn’t get worse, he died in 1216 from a “surfeit of peaches”, a euphemism for dysentery.
Worcester also trades heavily on its role in the English Civil War between the Royalists and Parliamentarians. The city sided with Parliament but was occupied by the Royalists. It was here in 1651 that the final and decisive battle of the war took place, ending with a humiliating defeat for King Charles II. The King was forced to flee to France, or risk losing his head, but not before having to hide in an oak tree at Boscobel House.
A lot of the fighting during the Battle of Worcester took place in the city, which witnessed much bloodletting. A stroll on the banks of the Severn and the pretty pedestrianised streets today reveals a more peaceful scene. Its attractive historic centre has preserved a number of timber framed houses, no thanks to urban planners in the 1950s and 60s who wilfully destroyed many more ancient buildings.
The river walk brought us to the peaceful and pretty area around the cathedral, nearby is The Commandery and Fort Royal Park where a lot of fighting took place in 1651. Nearby Friar Street is where you’ll find the best examples of surviving medieval houses. We only had time for a day in Worcester en route to the Lake District, but it’s a town with plenty of sights and museums. It would definitely benefit from a second visit.
St Andrew’s spire has the nickname of glover’s needle linking it to the long gone leather tanning and glove making industry. I enjoyed studying, working, and living in Worcester.
Thanks for the bits of history, Paul. I had no idea “Jean sans terre” was buried there, nor did I know about the local history.
I found the architecture of the old houses interesting. Not very different at first sight from those houses across the Channel. Either in Normandy or even “Bretagne”. Continuity indeed.
All well? Enjoying a bit of sun in the UK?
Cheers
A nice place, Worcester. The timber houses reminded me a bit of places like Troyes or even Alsace. There aren’t as many as you find there though.
All well here thanks, Brian. We’re just about to head off to Galicia for a while. Greatly looking forward to having some very good seafood!
Hope everything is good with you?
Indeed. Troyes or Alsace would “foot the bill.” Even Vernon.
Buenas vacaciones en Galicia…