HEREFORD and
WORCESTER |
| Almonry Museum, Evesham |
Near Abbey Park, in centre of Evesham |
The Almonry is a stone and half timbered building which
grew from the 14th century onwards near the site of the ruined Evesham Abbey. Now it is a
museum of local history from prehistoric times to the present day. There are many Roman
and Saxon exhibits and other displays include a 14th century psalter and the Great Chair
of Evesham Abbey and a room devoted to Simon de Montfort, father of England's Parliament. |
| Avoncroft Museum of Buildings |
Off A38, 2 miles south of Bromsgrove |
The Avoncroft Museum of Buildings offers fascinating
insights into the past. Some 20 buildings spanning seven centuries of English history have
been rescued from destruction and re-erected on this 15 acre, open-air site in the
Worcestershire countryside. The museum's first acquisition was a 15th century merchant's
house from Bromsgrove, opened to the public in 1967, and since then the collection has
steadily expanded. Besides the buildings, Avoncroft has a display of carts and caravans.
On certain days a Shire horse gives wagon rides, and there are train rides on a miniature
track. |
| Berrington Hall |
Off A49, 3 miles north of Leominster |
Built in 1781, Berrington Hall was designed by the
architect Henry Holland for Thomas Harley, a banker and privy councillor who was Lord
Mayor of London at the age of 37. Though austere outside, the house has much elegant
detailing inside, including plaster friezes and painted ceilings. The hall on the ground
floor is patterned with black, white and greeny-grey marble, which partly reflects the
ceiling design. French furniture and works of art furnish the drawing room and boudoir. |
| Bewdley Museum |
In centre of Bewdley |
Housed in the Shambles - an 18th century butcher's row,
the past life, trade and industries of the townspeople are the museum's concern: Bewdley
was once a thriving little inland port and a centre for the craftsmen of the Wyre Forest.
Displays in the historical galleries include charcoal-burning, basket-making, coopering
and the making of besoms, or birch-twig brushes. Rope-making was another important
concern, and hand-turned machinery from an old local ropeworks demonstrates how ropes were
made. In a restored foundry, complete with forge, grinding wheel and finishing shop, brass
founding may be seen on most days. The museum also makes workshops available to
present-day craftspeople. |
| Bretforton Manor |
On B4035, 4 miles east of Evesham |
Built on the site of a ruined monastery, this gabled
450-year-old mansion is reputedly haunted. Inside there is much carved oak, some said to
come from a Spanish ship wrecked at the time of the Armada, and there is a priest-hole in
the library. The grounds contain the old village stocks and a thatched barn with a
horse-drawn cider mill. There is also a 15th century stone dovecote - one of five in the
village. In the village square, the half-timbered Fleece Inn contains Stuart pewter, among
other antiquities. A farmhouse in medieval times, the Fleece is one of a small number of
inns owned by the National Trust. |
| Broadway Tower Country Park |
Off A44, 5 miles south-east of Evesham |
Broadway Tower was built by the 6th Earl of Coventry in
the 1790s - simply, it seemed, to have something to look at from his family seat at
Worcester, some 20 miles away. Crenellated in sham medieval style, the building was
designed by the architect James Wyatt. It was erected on Broadway Hill - at 1024ft above
sea level the second highest natural point on the Cotswolds - and climbing the spiral
staircase, 65ft further, to the summit of the tower, the visitor can enjoy a stupendous
panorama. Three exhibitions are mounted in the building: one to William Morris, another to
sheep farming and a third to the story of the tower itself. In the country park around
there are rural walks. |
| Croft Castle |
Off A49, 5 miles north of Leominster |
A fortress built on the once turbulent Welsh border,
Croft Castle stands in ancient parkland and woods. The Croft family has occupied the land
almost without interruption since the time of Domesday. Their castle contains evidence of
its original defensive intent in the four circular corner towers, dating to the 14th
century, which guard the inner courtyard. In later centuries, Croft grew from a stronghold
to a house. Windows replaced arrow slits, and in the 18th century many Gothic-style
alterations were made for picturesque effect, both inside and outside the house.
Chippendale furniture, oak panelling and portraits by Sir Thomas Lawrence and Thomas
Gainsborough all contribute to the civilised air. |
| Droitwich Spa Brine Bath |
In centre of Droitwich |
Deep under Droitwich are deposits of rock salt from
which briny waters well up. Before the Romans came Ancient Britons produced salt from
these waters by evaporation, but it was the health-conscious Victorians who built the
first brine baths for therapeutic purposes. Droitwich brine is ten times as salty as
normal seawater, and taking a dip in it is comparable to relaxing in the Dead Sea: the
water in amazingly buoyant, making it possible to float without effort. From 1836,
Droitwich became a fashionable spa town. After its Victorian heyday the spa trade
languished for many decades, but it revived in the 1980s. |
| Eastnor Castle |
Off A438, 2 miles east of Ledbury |
Eastnor Castle is shaped like a medieval fortress with
massive towers at each corner. The building was built for the 1st Earl of Somers between
1810 and 1816. It has a good collection of armour, pictures, carvings and tapestry, laid
out in six large rooms. |
| Goodrich Castle |
Off A40, 5 miles south of Ross-on-Wye |
The red-sandstone ruins of Goodrich Castle seems to
almost grow from the living rock. This once mighty stronghold dates back to the 12th
century. It was a Royalist bastion during the Civil War, and in 1646, when the garrison
was forced to surrender, Cromwell's mortars rendered it uninhabitable. The remains include
a deep moat, the hulk of the Norman keep and the great 13th century corner towers guarding
the inner ward. |
| Hanbury Hall |
Off B4090, 2.5 miles east of Droitwich |
The red brick Queen Ann house was built for Thomas
Vernon, a prosperous barrister, and has its completion date, 1701, carved above the front
door. Not much has changed since then. The house has fine furniture and eye-catching
staircase murals and ceilings. The Long Room contains English porcelain from the Watney
Collection. |
| Hartlebury Castle |
Off A449, 3 miles south of Kidderminster |
Nothing remains of the medieval exterior of Hartlebury
Castle, for the original fortress was sieged, looted and ruined by Roundhead troops in
1646. The present three-wing mansion was built 30 years later with 18th century
alterations including many arched windows. The Bishop of Worcester's House is in the south
wing by a chapel, the north wing holds the Worcester County Museum and the central block
contains the State Rooms, which are used for various public and religious events. |
| Hereford Cathedral |
In centre of Hereford |
Much of the Red Sandstone cathedral seen today is early
Norman, the rounded arches of the nave, patterned with decisive zigzags. Other features
are of later date including the 13th century Lady Chapel and the little chantry of Bishop
John Stanbury, built in the 15th century. The cathedral has two great treasures, its
medieval world map and chained library. |
| Herefordshire Beacon |
Off A449, 4 miles south-west of Great Malvern |
The ramparts of a 32 acre Iron Age hill-fort, known as
British Camp, contour the summit of Herefordshire Beacon. Built around 200 BC, the
stronghold commanded a pass at the southern end of the Malvern Hills and supported some
2000 people. Today a metalled path leads up from the car park, above a small reservoir and
almost to the top of the beacon. The soaring crest of the Malverns themselves give the
vistas their beautiful perspectives. |
| Kilpeck Church |
Off A465, 8 miles south-west of Hereford |
One of the most perfect small Norman churches in
England, it was built in the 12th century, and its fascination derives partly from its
array of intricate carvings in red sandstone. The south doorway has a stylised tree of
life with serpentine monsters and other fantastical creations, while running around the
whole exterior of the building are many lively and often comic figures. There is an
example of a Sheila-na-gig, or female fertility figure; the Victorians removed some other
bawdy images, which accounts for certain gaps. |
| Pershore Abbey |
In centre of Pershore |
People have worshipped on the site of this abbey since
AD 689, when Ethelred, King of Mercia, endowed a monastery there. Much of what is seen
today is Early English work, dating from the 13th century, but there are also the remains
of a Norman building, including a window and a corner of the original tower. When the
monastery was surrendered to Henry VIII in 1540, the townspeople paid £400 to save part
of it as a parish church. |
