|
Worcestershire city, 30 miles SW of Birmingham.
Cathedral city and county town, dominated by the beautiful River Severn. It is celebrated for its china (especially from the Royal Porcelain Works, founded in 1750) and glove-making. Along with Gloucester and Hereford, Worcester is the home of the Three Choirs Festival once every three years.
William Harrison Ainsworth (1805-1882) describes the city in loving detail in Boscobel (1872), his novel about the English Civil War.
The novelist, Ann Julia Kemble Hatton (1764-1848) was born in Worcester. Also known as Ann of Swansea she wrote about the lower classes in popular genre of the time, social satire and gothic novels.
Florence L. Barclay (1862-1920) loved the cathedral and used it as setting for her historical novel The white ladies of Worcester (1917).
Samuel Butler (1612-1680), poet and satirist, was educated at the King's School, Worcester.
Lord Alfred Douglas (1870-1945), the poet and friend of Oscar Wilde, was born at Ham Hill, near Worcester.
Rosemary Hawley Jarman, author of historical novels set in the fifteenth century, was born in the city and went to the Alice Ottley School here between the age of eleven and eighteen.
Mary Martha Sherwood (1775-1851), children's author, lived in and around the city for most of her life.
Ellen Price, as a novelist known as Mrs. Henry Wood (1814-1887), was born and lived in the city until 1834. Her father was a glovemaker. She depicts the area in many of her novels, "Helstoneleigh" being Worcester.
W.S. Symonds (1818-1887), novelist, set part of his novel Hanley Castle in Worcester.
Francis Brett Young (1884-1954) novelist and poet, set many of his works in the area. His ashes were interred in the cathedral.
Location map of Worcester courtesy of Streetmap.co.uk
Page created 1 October 2002 and last updated
10 January 2003
For your literary enquiries and comments please see the Who to contact page.
Please read the general terms and conditions and about accessibility on this site, including the use of the UK government accesskeys system.
|
