Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is a private university located in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States.

Founded in 1865 in Worcester, WPI was one of the United States' first engineering and technology universities. WPI's 14 academic departments offer more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering, technology, management, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts, leading to bachelor's, master's and PhD degrees. WPI's faculty works with students in a number of research areas, including biotechnology, fuel cells, information security, materials processing, and nanotechnology.

Students may participate with worldwide communities and organizations through the university's innovative Global Perspective Program. There are 25 WPI project centers throughout North America and Central America, Africa, Australia, Asia, and Europe.

History[link]

Worcester Polytechnic Institute was founded in 1865 as the Worcester County Free Institute of Industrial Science by John Boynton and Ichabod Washburn, two prominent Worcester industrialists. Stephen Salisbury II, Emory Washburn, George Frisbee Hoar, Phillip Moen, Seth Sweetser, David Whitcomb, and Charles O. Thompson were also instrumental in the founding of the school. The collaboration between Boynton, who wanted to teach science, and Washburn, who wanted to teach vocational skills, led to the university's philosophy of "theory and practice." Funding and land grants for the university were given by Stephen Salisbury II, who was an influential merchant and later served as the first president of the Institute's board of directors.^[2] Though Boynton died before the first class entered in 1868, and Washburn died shortly afterwards, their contributions to WPI in its infancy are memorialized by Boynton Hall and Washburn Shops, the first two buildings on the campus.^[3][4]

Boynton Hall, WPI's main administrative building.

WPI was led in its early years by president and professor of chemistry Charles O. Thompson.^[5] Early graduates of WPI went on to become mechanical and civil engineers, as well as artisans, bankers, and enter other prominent occupations. WPI continuously expanded its campus and programs throughout the early twentieth century, eventually including graduate studies and a program in electrical engineering. During World War II, WPI offered defense engineering courses and was selected as one of the colleges to direct the V-12 Navy College Training Program.^[6]

During this time, WPI suffered from the lack of a unified library system, well-maintained buildings, and national recognition. This changed under the leadership of president Harry P. Storke from 1962 to 1969. Storke brought significant change to the school in what would be known as the WPI Plan. The Plan called for the creation of three projects and drastically redesigned the curriculum to address how a student learns. The Storke administration also launched a capital campaign that resulted in the creation of the George C. Gordon Library, added residence halls, an auditorium, and a modern chemistry building. Furthermore, women were first allowed to enter WPI in February 1968.^[7] The WPI Plan is the guiding principle behind undergraduate education at the Institute today, and is arguably the most notable contribution WPI has made towards science and engineering education.

Today, WPI is primarily an undergraduate focused institution, though expansion of graduate and research programs is a long-term goal. The WPI Bioengineering Institute is currently a significant contributor to Worcester's growing biotechnology industry. Significant research in other fields such as metallurgy, untethered health care, fuel cells, the learning sciences, applied mathematics and fire protection currently help establish WPI as an important, specialized research university.

Campus[link]

WPI is an urban school in New England's second largest city after Boston.^[8] The main campus is not gated, but it is entirely WPI owned and no public roads cross this part of the school. WPI sits on Boynton Hill, which sets it apart from the surrounding neighborhood, which includes restaurants and stores on Highland Street.

Once a laboratory for electromagnetic research, the "Skull tomb" [8] was built entirely without ferrous metals. Several years after its construction, electrified trolley tracks were built in Worcester which led to the building's disuse. It served for a time as a site for Robert Goddard's rocket fuel research as the building is relatively isolated from other buildings on campus and Dr. Goddard's research had previously led to explosions on campus. Subsequent to the building earning its present nickname, "Skull", a secret honor society, inherited the building. The building was reconditioned in 2004. The building contains three sequential doors to gain entry and it contains three floors.

The 'Two Towers' shown in old WPI logos show the clock tower of Boynton Hall and the arm and hammer weathervane of the Washburn Shops. The original weathervane was stolen in October 1975 and never recovered. Boynton and Washburn were the university's first buildings, housing the classrooms and laboratories, respectively. The Two Towers symbolize Theory and Practice, which are the foundation of the university and still the approach used today.^[9][10]

Academics[link]

WPI offers a variety of majors in engineering, science, management, liberal arts, and social science at the undergraduate and graduate level. It is most well known for its engineering disciplines and is one of the top-ranked schools to attend for engineering in North America and the world over. Unlike many peer universities, WPI currently does not combine related departments into colleges or schools.

WPI's undergrad schedule is also unusual compared to most universities. Instead of a normal semester, WPI has 7-week terms, labeled A-D, with an optional E term in the summer. A term typically begins on the second to last Thursday in August, while D term is usually scheduled to end on the first Tuesday of May. Each term is claimed to be roughly equivalent to a third of a year at another university. Thus, students are able to complete a year's worth of Chemistry, Physics, and Math in only a semester and a half. This faster pace allows for more study (by a student's senior year, they have already completed a normal four-year course track, essentially giving them an "extra" year). The graduate student calendar follows a conventional two semester schedule.

WPI's student performance evaluation system uses grades A, B, or C. If a student were not to satisfactorily complete the course or they elect to drop the course, they would receive a No Record (NR). The NR designation is used since there is no differentiation between a dropped course or an unsuccessful attempt to complete it.

WPI Corporate and Professional Education (CPE) also offers academic opportunities to individuals and companies. Programs can be offered online, onsite, on campus, or in a blended format. CPE has graduate programs, online degrees and professional development workshops. Most recently, CPE launched its Lean Six Sigma Green Belt program that helps companies with process improvement.

Project System[link]

WPI's project-based curriculum makes it unique by requiring undergraduate students to complete a Sufficiency in the Liberal Arts (or a Technical Sufficiency for liberal arts majors), an Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) to study the social effects of technology with students from other disciplines, and a Major Qualifying Project (MQP) within their own discipline. These projects are based on WPI's founding principle of theory alongside practice, though were introduced in the last 40 years. Usually, the Sufficiency, IQP, and MQP are completed in the sophomore, junior, and senior years, respectively. The MQP is similar to other schools' "senior thesis," while the IQP is a bit more unusual and sometimes difficult to explain on resumes.

Global Perspective Program[link]

At WPI, the opportunity to complete significant project work off campus is an integral element of an academic program that emphasizes the practical application of knowledge to meaningful technical and societal problems. Through the Global Perspective Program, over 60% of WPI students complete at least one of their required projects at an off-campus Project Center. Typically, students work under faculty guidance in small teams at Project Centers to address problems posed by external agencies and organizations.

Through the Global Perspective Program, WPI sends more engineering students abroad than any US college or university. As of the 2009-2010 academic year, the program included established Project Centers for society-technology projects (IQPs) in Worcester; Boston; Nantucket; Washington, DC; Santa Fe, New Mexico; San Juan, Puerto Rico; San Jose, Costa Rica; Copenhagen, Denmark; London, England; Venice, Italy; Windhoek, Namibia; Cape Town, South Africa; Bangkok, Thailand; Hong Kong, PRC; and Melbourne, Australia. Project Centers for senior design or research projects (MQPs) included MIT Lincoln Laboratory; Wall Street, New York; Silicon Valley; Gallo Wineries, California; Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Limerick, Ireland; Nancy, France; Budapest, Hungary; and Wuhan, PRC. Between 1974, when the first WPI Project Center was established in Washington, DC, and 2006, over 7,000 students had completed over 2,000 projects in locations around the globe.

The Global Perspective Program was cited by the Association of American Colleges and Universities in 2000, when it named WPI one of 16 Greater Expectations Leadership Institutions to serve as models for the future of undergraduate education in the United States.

Alden Memorial is the main building for the performing arts at WPI, consisting of a performance hall, music rooms, and a computer music lab.^[11]

Humanities Project[link]

The Humanities Project, also known as a Sufficiency, is designed to assess well-roundedness in areas outside of technological knowledge. The project consists of five thematically-related courses in the humanities and arts (such as Western literature, musical composition, etc.), and culminates with a course-long independent project. This can be a variety of different things; recent Sufficiency projects include research into contemporary music history, a student giving a flute recital, original screenplays, and critiques of philosophy. Students interested in foreign languages often skip the project and take an additional course, though there are opportunities to do a project. Students who are majoring in a humanities and arts related field do a similar Sufficiency project in a science or engineering discipline.

The Humanities Project, or Sufficiency, was replaced by a new Humanities requirement starting with the class of 2011. Current students have the option of either fulfilling the Sufficiency or the new requirement. More information regarding the change could be found here.

For more information regarding the Sufficiency, including a list of award-winning projects, visit this page.

The Fountain at WPI was designed as part of a student's IQP. An anemometer adjusts the height of the water based on the wind velocity.

Interactive Qualifying Project[link]

The Interactive Qualifying Project, or IQP, is described as a "project which relates technology and science to society or human needs."^[12] This project is very broad in scope, encompassing a wide variety of topics and actions. Generally, IQPs are designed to solve a societal problem using technology. This can range from improving high school science education to redesigning an irrigation system in Thailand. This project is often done off-campus through WPI's Global Perspective Program. From an educational perspective, the IQP serves to emphasize team-based work and introduces a real-world responsibility absent from courses. Many IQPs have made a significant impact on the community in which it is done.

Major Qualifying Project[link]

The Major Qualifying Project, or MQP, assesses knowledge in a student's field of study. As mentioned above, this project is similar to a senior thesis, with students doing independent research or design. MQPs are often funded by either WPI or external corporations. Topics of MQPs done in the recent past include the design of the MIR 2 space station life support system module, a study of the effects of stress and nicotine on ADHD, the design of a research rocket, a mathematical viscoelastic cell motility model, experimental research of liquid crystals using atomic force microscopy, and the design of polymers for medicine delivery.^[13]

Rankings and Reputation[link]

WPI consistently ranks as a tier-one (highest tier) university according to U.S. News & World Report. As of 2011, WPI's undergraduate program ranks at #62 out of all doctoral universities. ^[14]

WPI is also renowned for producing high earning graduates. It placed in PayScale.com's top ten for median starting salaries since 2008 where it ranked 7th with graduates earning starting salaries averaging at $61,200 in the 2011-2012 report.^[15] Businessweek currently ranks WPI 15th nationwide for return on investment beating out three Ivy League schools^[16] while Forbes ranked it #9 in a 2008 study, "Top Colleges for Getting Rich", based on median and top salary of graduates at the start and end of their career.^[17]

WPI has also been named the 22nd "Most Connected Campus" by The Princeton Review for 2006.

WPI's innovative undergraduate program also enjoys a strong reputation among education officials; the New England Association of Schools and Colleges favorably commented on the Institute's dedication and unique approach to science and engineering education.^[18] Furthermore, WPI's emphasis on international education through the Global Perspective Program has received much acclaim, including awards such as the 2003 TIAA-CREF Theodore Hesburgh Certificate and inclusion in NAFSA: Association of International Educators's list of fifteen universities to be used as models for internationalization.^[19]

BusinessWeek has ranked Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) #1 in the nation for its part-time Master of Business Administration (MBA) program, and #1 in the nation for student satisfaction in the program.

Also, in 2010, WPI undergraduate major IMGD ranked 7th out of hundreds of universities in Top Undergraduate Game Design Programs according to The Princeton Review.^[20] In 2011, WPI managed to rank 6th. ^[21]

Student Life[link]

WPI is host to a number of annual and weekly events. These events usually only attract students, though some events, such as Gaming Weekend and Quadfest, are large enough to draw in off-campus visitors. Some are listed below in order of occurrence.

• Homecoming - sponsored by the Office of Alumni Relations, this fall event brings numerous alumni back to campus to celebrate the past, present, and future of the University.
• Gaming Weekend - A bi-annual three-day event hosted by the SFS that revolves around games of all sorts: board games, RPGs, video games, and even "Duck, Duck, Goose." It usually takes place around Labor Day weekend and the first weekend of D term. The SFS has a burgeoning stock of various games in a library at the basement of Riley Hall allowing for such an event to take place.^{[citation needed]}

• Tuesday Dance Socials - Every week, the Social Dance Club takes over the Campus Center stage from 7:00pm to 12:00am. A variety of music is played for dancers to break out their moves to Argentine tango, Salsa, Swing, and Discofox, among other dances. Socialization is promoted through the media of dance as well as conversation.
• Greek Week - An annual week-long event that begins the week prior to homecoming. Each of the Greek houses compete in several events that include but are not limited to: Capture the flag, water balloon toss, talent show competition, and a float parade on the morning of homecoming.^{[citation needed]}
• Saturday Night Gaming - A weekly video game night hosted by the Game Development Club. Games include Rock Band, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Dance Dance Revolution, and others. Members of the WPI Pokémon Trainers League also meet and play Pokémon games together. Games are located in the Taylor and Chairman's Room on the first floor of the Campus Center.
• Weekend Movies - Hosted by SocComm's Films committee. Every Saturday and Sunday, a new film is shown on the WPI campus in Fuller Laboratoires weeks prior to its DVD release. The projection of these movies is handled by LnL. WPI is one of the few universities capable of showing both 35 mm film and 70 mm film in the same hall.^[22]
• Penny Wars - Created and operated by Alpha Chi Rho, Penny Wars is an annual fund raiser where clubs and Greek organizations on campus compete to raise money for charity. The goal is to collect the most pennies, however, any money other than pennies counts against your score. Most of the money raised is from competing clubs offsetting the competition with dollars or larger denominations, since it all goes to charity.
• Costume! Dance! Party! - An annual event held by the Game Development Club. The event falls near Halloween, and includes a costume contest, over 100 pounds of free candy, and many giveaways.
• Winter Carnival - Another event hosted by WPI's Social Committee (SocComm), this event is a week long grouping of smaller events, ending in a major event (such as a concert or a well known performer).
• Service Auction - Alpha Phi Omega asks the students, faculty, and staff to donate services such as baking a pie, horseback riding, or building a sandcastle and then auctions them off to the student body and surrounding community. The person who donated the highest bid item then selects a charity where all of the raised funds are donated.^{[citation needed]}
• Diya - An annual celebration of the Indian festival Diwali, hosted by WPI's Indian Student Organization (ISO). Diya usually features performances of Indian songs, Bollywood dances, skits, and other events signifying Indian culture, with Indian food served at dinner.^{[citation needed]}
• Dragon Night - An annual celebration, generally meant to tie into Chinese New Year, hosted by WPI's Chinese Student Association (CSA). Dragon Night usually features Chinese food, lion dancing, and other elements of Chinese culture.^{[citation needed]}
• Quadfest - The largest event held on campus by the WPI Social Committee (SocComm). It takes place during the final week of the WPI school year. Events include musical acts, movies, and special booths created by WPI clubs and organizations. Information about past Quadfest events can be found in the QuadFest Archives.
• WPI Talent and Fashion Show - Beginning in 2007, the National Society of Black Engineers chapter combined their 7th annual Fashion Show and 3rd annual Talent Show into a single event. The Talent Show part gives every WPI student an opportunity to showcase their talent to each other, and the Fashion show is meant to promote professionalism and how to dress for success, tying into the core purpose of the NSBE.
• Winter Ball - A ballroom dance social hosted by WPI's Ballroom Dance Team during the winter where couples in evening wear can learn and dance ballroom dances such as Waltz, Foxtrot, ChaCha, and Rumba in Alden Memorial.^[23]
• Wall of Sound - This event is hosted annually by the Lens and Lights Club. It consists of about 70,000 Watts worth of speakers blasting music over 120dB volumes. For the price of $1, students can get a song of their choice to be played. Proceeds benefit a local charity.
• Comedy Festival - A biennial comedy festival hosted by WPI's Student Comedy Productions (SCP) at the end of the academic year, first produced in 2002. A several-day event showcasing the comedic talents of college students both inside and outside WPI, the festival has featured the school's three comedy troupes, KILROY Sketch Comedy, Guerilla Improv, and {Empty Set} as well as collegiate and alumni comedy groups from across New England.
• New Voices - An annual play festival produced by WPI Masque and the Department of Humanities and Arts in the middle of D-Term. The festival features original, unproduced works submitted each January and voted on by a collective of dramaturgs. First run in 1983, New Voices is the longest-running annual collegiate new works festival in the world, and has produced over 400 plays written by over 200 students, alumni, faculty, and members of the WPI community.

Thirty percent of the undergraduate students participate in Greek Life. There are currently 13 fraternities and 5 sororities at WPI.^[24] There is also one co-ed community service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega. See the List of WPI fraternities and sororities.

Other Opportunities at WPI[link]

Since 1982 WPI has offered a summer-program for high school science & engineering students named Frontiers. Also, beginning in 1997, WPI began offering a summer outreach program for girls entering the sixth grade, Camp REACH, to promote women in math & science. WPI participates in a collaborative effort with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the high schools of Massachusetts to support a school called the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI. Mass Academy is an 11th and 12th grade public high school for 100 academically accelerated youths. Juniors receive advanced high school classes at the academy building, with seniors taking the WPI freshman curriculum at the university. The program emphasizes math and science within a comprehensive, interactive program and is the only public school in Massachusetts whose students attend a university full time as seniors in high school.

A team of Worcester students led by Paul Ventimiglia of won the $500,000 first prize in the 2009 NASA Regolith Excavation Challenge in October 2009. Twenty teams qualified for the event held at the NASA Ames Research Park in Mountain View, California managed by the California Space Education and Workforce Institute. Teams design, build and operate robotics that dig up and deposit at least 150 kilograms of simulated lunar material and deposit it in a collection bin, an important in any lunar construction in the future. Of the three teams who placed in the competition, all were represented by team members who are WPI alumni.^[25]

There are also opportunities for companies through Corporate and Professional Education (CPE). CPE offers graduate programs and professional development programs that focus on a wide variety of industries and topics. Programs can be delivered online, onsite, on campus or in a blended format.

Notable Alumni[link]

• Elwood Haynes (Class of 1881) was an early alumnus, prominent chemist and inventor and credited for aiding in the development of the automobile and the creation of stainless steel.
• William Hobbs (Class of 1883) was a noted 19th century geologist
• Kotaro Shimomura (Class of 1888) was a chemical engineer. After graduating, he became president of Doshisha University and Osaka Gas Co., Ltd in Japan.
• Atwater Kent (dropped out in 1895 and 1896) went on to found the Atwater Kent Manufacturing Company which was the world's leading producer of radios in the late 1920s (there is now a building on campus called the Atwater Kent Laboratories).
• John Woodman Higgins (Class of 1896) was the founder of Worcester Pressed Steel Company and of the Higgins Armory Museum
• Robert H. Goddard (Class of 1908) is WPI's best-known alumnus, and is widely regarded as the Father of Modern Rocketry.
• Gilbert Vernam (Class of 1914) is credited with the dawn of modern cryptography
• William Stevens Lawton (transferred out in 1918) was a United States Army Lieutenant General, who attended from 1917 to 1918 and then transferred to the United States Military Academy. Lawton served in World War II and the Korean War and was the Army's Comptroller
• Burton Marsh, (Class of 1920) is credited with being America's first traffic engineer. The Institute of Transportation Engineers highest award is the Burton W. Marsh Award.
• Harold Stephen Black (Class of 1921) revolutionized electronics by inventing the negative feedback amplifier in 1927.
• Richard T. Whitcomb (Class of 1943) was aeronautical engineer responsible for the "area rule" of high-speed aircraft design, the supercritical airfoil, and winglets
• Robert Stempel (Class of 1955) was the inventor of the catalytic converter and former Chairman and CEO of General Motors
• Paul Allaire (Class of 1960) was the previous CEO of Xerox.
• Curtis Carlson (Class of 1967) is a famous researcher into imaging systems and current president and CEO of SRI International.
• Daniel Robbins (dropped out) is the founder and former chief architect of the Gentoo Linux project.^[26]
• W. Todd Akin (Class of 1971) is a United States Representative from Missouri (2001- )
• Michael J. Dolan (Class of 1975) is the current vice president of ExxonMobil Corporation and president of the ExxonMobil Chemical Company.
• Dean Kamen (dropped out in 1976) left the school without finishing his degree, invented the first portable insulin pump and started the company that invented the Segway Human Transporter
• Dan Itse (Class of 1980, 1986) engineer, inventor, member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
• David Gewirtz (Class of 1982) is a CNN columnist, cyberterrorism advisor, and leading presidential scholar. He was also a candidate for the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in Letters.
• Nancy Pimental (Class of 1987) earned a Chemical Engineering degree, is one of the writers of South Park and the movie The Sweetest Thing. She also replaced Jimmy Kimmel as co-host of Win Ben Stein's Money. She is an alumna of Phi Sigma Sigma.
• Dr. Anup K. Ghosh (Class of 1991) is an electrical engineer and computer scientist who was awarded the National Security Agency's Frank Byron Rowlett Award in 2005.
• Andy Ross (Mass Academy Class of 1997) guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist for the rock band OK Go since 2005 spent a year at WPI as part of the Mass Academy program.
• Naveen Selvadurai (Class of 2002) is the co-founder of Foursquare
• John W. Geils Jr. (dropped out in 1967) founded The J. Geils Band and played lead guitar. Bandmates Danny Klein and Richard "Magic Dick" Salwitz also left WPI.

For more information on notable alumni, please see the WPI Library's Online Exhibition of Distinguished Alumni or the WPI International Corporate Leaders Roundtable.

Notable Faculty[link]

WPI has employed several professors whose achievements have made them notable across the nation and the world.

• In 1995, Biology professor David Adams was the first to create a mouse who suffered from Alzheimers.
• Former History of Science and Technology professor Michael Sokal is currently serving as the President of the History of Science Society.
• Kaveh Pahlavan, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of the Center for Wireless Information Network Studies (CWINS) who, during the 1990s, helped develop the 802.11 wireless protocols.
• Umberto Mosco, professor of mathematical sciences and eponym of Mosco convergence.
• George Phillies, physics professor and 2008 Libertarian presidential candidate.
• Current Professor of Practice, James Lyneis, serves as the President of the System Dynamics Society. He is the third WPI faculty member to serve in this post, the other two being Michael J. Radzicki (SDS President 2006), and Khalid Saeed (SDS President 1995).
• Jonathan Barnett, professor in Fire Protection Engineering, was selected by the American Society of Civil Engineers and FEMA to investigate the collapse of the World Trade Center after the attacks of September 11, 2001. He has been interviewed in documentaries on BBC, NOVA and The Learning Channel about the collapse of the towers.
• Brian Moriarty, professor of Interactive Media and Game Development.

See also[link]

• Association of Independent Technological Universities

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Worcester Polytechnic Institute

• Official WPI Web site
• WPI's Undergraduate Concentrations
• WPI's Graduate Programs
• WPI's Wikia Page
• WPI Physics Department Wiki Site
• WPI Robotics Engineering Web Site

City of Worcester
—  City & Non-metropolitan district  —
Coat of arms of City of Worcester Coat of arms
City of Worcester shown within Worcestershire
Coordinates: 52°11′28″N 2°13′20″W / 52.19123°N 2.22231°W / 52.19123; -2.22231
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	West Midlands
Non-metropolitan county	Worcestershire
Status	Non-metropolitan district, City
Admin HQ	Worcester
Incorporated
Government
• Type	Non-metropolitan district council
• Borough council	Worcester City Council (TBA (council NOC))
• Mayor	Dr. David Tibbutt
• MPs	Robin Walker (Conservative)
Area
• Total	12.85 sq mi (33.28 km2)
Area rank	305th (of 326)
Population (2010 est.)
• Total	94,800
• Rank	237th (of 326)
• Density	7,400/sq mi (2,800/km2)
Time zone	GMT (UTC0)
• Summer (DST)	BST (UTC+1)
Postcodes	WR1-5
Area code(s)	01905
ONS code	47UE
OS grid reference	SO849548
Website	www.worcester.gov.uk

Worcester skyline from the River Severn

The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, (ⁱ/ˈwʊstər/ WUUS-tər), is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Birmingham and 29 miles (47 km) north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the middle of the city, overlooked by the twelfth-century Worcester Cathedral. The site of the final battle of the Civil War, Worcester was where Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army defeated King Charles II's Cavaliers, resulting in the English Interregnum, the ten-year period during which England and Wales became a republic. Worcester was the home of Royal Worcester Porcelain and the birthplace of the composer Sir Edward Elgar. It houses the Lea and Perrins factory where the traditional Worcestershire Sauce is made, and is home to one of the UK's fastest growing universities, the University of Worcester.

History[link]

Occupation of the site of Worcester can be dated back to Neolithic times, a village surrounded by defensive ramparts having been founded on the eastern bank of the River Severn in around 400 BC. The position, which commanded a ford on the river, was used in the first century by the Romans to establish what may at first have been a fort on the military route from Glevum (Gloucester) to Viroconium (Wroxeter) but which soon developed – as the frontier of the empire was pushed westwards – into an industrial town with its own pottery kilns and iron-smelting plants.

A map of Worcester in 1806

Tudor buildings in Friar Street

Tudor building with jettied upper storey in New Street.

Roman Worcester (which may have been the Vertis mentioned in the seventh century Ravenna Cosmography) was a thriving trading and manufacturing centre for some three hundred years, though by the time of the Roman withdrawal from Britain in 407 it had dwindled considerably in size and is not recorded again until the mid-seventh century when documents mention the Anglo-Saxon settlement Weorgoran ceaster (settlement of the people by the winding river).^[1] The fact that Worcester was chosen at this time – in preference to both the much larger Gloucester and the royal centre of Winchcombe – to be the Episcopal See of a new diocese covering the area suggests that there may have been a well established, and powerful, Christian community living on the site when it fell into English hands.

The town was almost destroyed in 1041 after a rebellion against the punitive taxation of Harthacanute. The town was attacked several times (in 1139, 1150 and 1151) during "The Anarchy", i.e. civil war between King Stephen and Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I. This is the background to the well-researched historical novel The Virgin in the Ice, part of Ellis Peters' "Cadfael" series, which begins with the words:

"It was early in November of 1139 that the tide of civil war, lately so sluggish and inactive, rose suddenly to wash over the city of Worcester, wash away half of its lifestock, property and women, and send all those of its inhabitants who could get away in time scurrying for their lives northwards away from the marauders". (These are mentioned as having arrived from Gloucester, leaving a long lasting legacy of bitterness between the two cities.)

By late medieval times the population had grown to around 10,000 as the manufacture of cloth started to become a large local industry. The town was designated a county corporate, giving it autonomy from local government.

Worcester was the site of the Battle of Worcester (3 September 1651), when Charles II attempted to forcefully regain the crown, in the fields a little to the west and south of the city, near the village of Powick. However, Charles II was defeated and returned to his headquarters in what is now known as King Charles house in the Cornmarket, before fleeing in disguise to Boscobel House in Shropshire from where he eventually escaped to France. Worcester was one of the cities loyal to the King in that war, for which it was given the epithet "Fidelis Civitas" ("The Faithful City"). This motto has been incorporated into the city's coat of arms.^[2]

In 1670, the River Severn broke its banks and the subsequent flood was the worst ever seen by Worcester. A brass plate can be found on a wall on the path to the cathedral by the path along the river showing how high this flood went, and other flood heights of more recent times are also shown in stone bricks. The closest flood height to what is known as The Flood of 1670 was when the Severn flooded in the torrential rains of July 2007.

The Royal Worcester Porcelain Company factory was founded by Dr John Wall in 1751, although it no longer produces goods. A handful of decorators are still employed at the factory and the Museum is still open.

During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Worcester was a major centre for glove making, employing nearly half the glovers in England at its peak (over 30,000 people).^[3] In 1815 the Worcester and Birmingham Canal opened, allowing Worcester goods to be transported to a larger conurbation.

The British Medical Association (BMA) was founded in the Board Room of the old Worcester Royal Infirmary building in Castle Street in 1832.^[4] While most of the Royal Infirmary has now been demolished to make way for the University of Worcester's new city campus, the original Georgian building has been preserved.^[5] There are plans to reopen the building as a medical museum.^[6]

During World War II, the city was chosen to be the seat of an evacuated government in case of mass German invasion. The War Cabinet, along with Winston Churchill and some 16.000 state workers, would have moved to Hindlip Hall (now part of the complex forming the Headquarters of West Mercia Police), 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Worcester, and Parliament would have temporarily seated in Stratford-upon-Avon. The former RAF station RAF Worcester was located east of Northwick.

In the 1950s and 1960s large areas of the medieval centre of Worcester were demolished and rebuilt as a result of decisions by town planners. There is still a significant area of medieval Worcester remaining, but it is a small fraction of what was present before the redevelopments.

The current city boundaries date from 1974, when the Local Government Act 1972 transferred the parishes of Warndon and St. Peter the Great County into the city.

Governance[link]

The Conservatives had a majority on the council from 2003 to 2007, when they lost a by-election to Labour meaning the council had no overall control.^[7] The Conservatives remained with the most seats overall with 17 out of 35 seats after the 2008 election.^[8] Worcester has one member of Parliament, Robin Walker of the Conservative Party, who represents the Worcester constituency as of the May 2010 general election.^[9]

The County of Worcestershire's local government arrangement is formed of a non-metropolitan county (Worcestershire County Council) and six non-metropolitan districts, with Worcester City Council being the district for most of Worcester, with a small area of the St. Peters suburb actually falling within neighbouring Wychavon District. The Worcester City Council area includes two parish councils, these being Warndon Parish Council and St Peter the Great Parish Council.

Geography[link]

Notable suburbs in Worcester include Barbourne, Blackpole, Cherry Orchard, Claines, Diglis, Northwick, Red Hill, Ronkswood, St Peter the Great (also simply known as St Peters), Tolladine, Warndon and Warndon Villages (which was once the largest housing development in the Country when the area was being constructed in the late 1980s/very early 1990s). Most of Worcester is on the eastern side of the River Severn; Henwick, Lower Wick, St. John's and Dines Green are on the western side.

Climate[link]

Worcester enjoys a temperate climate with warm summers and mild winters generally. However, the city can experience more extreme weather and flooding is often a problem.^[10] During the winters of 2009-10 and 2010-11 the city experienced prolonged periods of sub-freezing temperatures and heavy snowfalls. In December 2010 the temperature dropped to −18 °C (−0.4 °F) in the city and in nearby Pershore the temperature fell to −19.5 °C (−3.1 °F).^[11] The Severn and the Teme partially froze over in Worcester during this cold snap. In contrast, Worcester recorded 37 °C (98.6 °F) on 3 August 1990.^[12]

Skyline of Worcester viewed from Worcester Cathedral

Demography and religion[link]

The 2001 census^[14] recorded Worcester's population at 93,353. About 96.5% of Worcester's population was white; of which 94.2% were White British,^[15] greater than the national average.^[16] The largest religious group are Christians, who made up 77% of the city's population.^[17] People who reported having no religion or who did not state their religion made up 21% of the city's population. Other religions totaled less than 2% of the population. Ethnic minorities include people of Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, Italian and Polish origin, with the largest single minority group being British Pakistanis, numbering around 1,200, approximately 1.3% of Worcester's population.^[17] This has led to Worcester containing a small but diverse range of religious groups; as well as the commanding Worcester Cathedral (Church of England), there are also Catholic and Baptist churches, a large centre for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), an Islamic mosque, and a number of smaller interest groups regarding Eastern Religions such as Buddhism and the Hare Krishnas.^[18]

Worcester is the seat of a Church of England bishop. His official signature is his Christian name followed by Wigorn, which is also occasionally used as an abbreviation for the name of the county.

Economy[link]

The city of Worcester, located on the River Severn and with transport links to Birmingham and other parts of the Midlands through the vast canal network, became an important centre for many light industries. The late-Victorian period saw the growth of ironfounders, like Heenan & Froude, Hardy & Padmore and McKenzie & Holland.

Glove industry[link]

One of the flourishing industries of Worcester was glove making. Worcester's Gloving industry peaked between 1790 to 1820 when about 30,000 where employed by 150 companies. At this time nearly half of the Glove manufacturers of Britain were located in Worcestershire.

In the 19th century the industry declined because import taxes on foreign competitors, mainly from France, were greatly reduced. By the middle of the 20th century, only a few Worcester gloving companies survived since gloves became less fashionable and free trade allowed in cheaper imports from the Far East.
Nevertheless at least 3 large glove manufacturing companies still survived until the late 20th century: Dent Allcroft, Fownes and Milore. Queen Elizabeth II's coronation gloves were designed by Emil Rich and manufactured in the Worcester based Milore factory.^[19][20]

Manufacturing[link]

The inter-war years saw the rapid growth of engineering, producing machine tools James Archdale, H.W. Ward, castings for the motor industry Worcester Windshields and Casements, mining machinery Mining Engineering Company (MECO) which later became part of Joy Mining Machinery and open-top cans Williamsons, though G H Williamson and Sons had become part of the Metal Box Co in 1930. Later the company became Carnaud Metal Box PLC.

Worcester Porcelain operated in Worcester until 2008 when the factory was closed down due to the recession. However, the site of Worcester Porcelain still houses the Worcester Porcelain Museum which is open daily to visitors.^[21]

One of Worcester's most famous products, Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce is made and bottled in the Midland Road factory in Worcester, which has been the home of Lea & Perrins since 16 October 1897. Mr Lea and Mr Perrins originally met in a chemist's shop on the site of the now Debenhams store in the Crowngate Shopping Centre.

The surprising foundry heritage of the city is represented by Morganite Crucible^[22] at Norton which produces graphitic shaped products and cements for use in the modern industry.

The Kays^[23] mail order business was founded in Worcester in the 1880s and operated from numerous premises in the city^[24] until 2007. It was then bought out by Reality, owner of the Grattan catalogue. Kays' former warehouse building was knocked down in 2008. Worcester is the home of what is claimed to be the oldest newspaper in the world, Berrow's Worcester Journal, which traces its descent from a news-sheet that started publication in 1690. The city is also a major retail centre with several covered shopping centres that has most major chains represented as well as a host of independent shops and restaurants, particularly in Friar Street and New Street.

Retail trade[link]

Worcester’s main shopping centre is the High Street, home to the stores of major retail chains such as Marks & Spencer, Pandora (jewelry), House of Fraser, TK Maxx, Primark, Next, and Debenhams. Part of the High Street was modernised in 2005 amid much controversy, many comments were reported in the Worcester News. Many of the issues focussing on the felling of long-standing trees, the duration of the works (caused by the weather and an archaeological find) and the removal of flagstones outside the city’s eighteenth century Guildhall. The other main thoroughfares are The Shambles and Broad Street, while The Cross (and its immediate surrounding area) is the city’s financial centre and location of the majority of Worcester’s main bank branches.

There are three main covered shopping centres in the City Centre, the CrownGate Shopping Centre, Cathedral Plaza and Reindeer Court. There are three retail parks, the Elgar and Blackpole Retail Parks, which are located in the Blackpole area of the city, and the Shrub Hill Retail Park which is located immediately outside the city centre.

Landmarks[link]

Worcester Cathedral at night.

Probably the most famous landmark in Worcester is its imposing Worcester Cathedral. The current building, formally named The Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, was begun in 1084 while its crypt dates from the tenth century. The chapter house is the only circular one in the country while the cathedral also has the distinction of having the tomb of King John. Limited parts of the city wall still remain.

There are three main parks in Worcester, Cripplegate Park, Gheluvelt Park and Fort Royal Park, the latter being on one of the battles sites of the English Civil War. In addition, there is a large open area known as Pitchcroft to the North of the city centre on the east bank of the River Severn, which, apart from those days when it is being used for horse racing, is a public space.

Gheluvelt Park was opened as a memorial to commemorate the Worcestershire Regiment's 2nd Battalion after their part in the Battle of Gheluvelt, during World War I.

There are also two large woodlands in the city, Perry Wood, at twelve hectares, and Nunnery Wood, covering twenty-one hectares. Perry Wood is often said to be the place where Oliver Cromwell met and made a pact with the devil.^[25] Nunnery Wood is an integral part of the adjacent and popular Worcester Woods Country Park, itself next door to County Hall on the east side of the city.

Destinations from Worcester[link]

	Tenbury Wells, Ludlow	Droitwich, Kidderminster, Dudley, Wolverhampton	Bromsgrove, Redditch, Birmingham
	Leominster, Bromyard		Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick
		Worcester    East
	Hereford, Malvern	Tewkesbury, Upton-Upon-Severn, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Bristol	Banbury, Pershore, Evesham, Oxford

Transport[link]

Road[link]

Worcester Shrub Hill station.

The M5 Motorway runs north-south immediately to the east of the City, and is accessed by Junction 6 (Worcester North) and Junction 7 (Worcester South). This makes the city easily accessible by car to most parts of the country, including London which is only 120 miles (190 km) away (via the M5, M42 and M40).

Several A roads pass through the city. The A449 road runs south-west to Malvern and north to Kidderminster. The A44 runs south-east to Evesham and west to Leominster and Aberystwyth and crosses Worcester Bridge. The A38 trunk road runs south to Tewkesbury and Gloucester and north-north-east to Droitwich and Birmingham. The A4103 goes west-south-west to Hereford. The A422 heads east to Alcester, branching from the A44 a mile east of the M5. The city is encompassed by a partial ring road (A4440) which is formed, rather inconsistently, by single and dual carriageways. The A4440 road provides a second road bridge across the Severn (Carrington Bridge) just west of the A4440-A38 junction. Carrington Bridge links the A38 from Worcester towards Gloucester with the A449 linking Worcester with Malvern.

Rail[link]

Worcester locomotive depot 14 April 1959

Worcester has two stations, Worcester Foregate Street and Worcester Shrub Hill.

Worcester Foregate Street is located in the city centre, on Foregate Street. Although featuring two tracks Foregate Street consists of two bi-directional single working lines, one of which is the Birmingham to Worcester line while the other is the Cotswold Line, which Shrub Hill also serves.

Worcester Shrub Hill is located just outside the city centre on Shrub Hill Road. The station is on the Cotswold Line as well being a spur off the Birmingham to Worcester line. Unlike Foregate Street, Shrub Hill does not have single working lines. Being the much bigger of Worcester's stations, due to a large number of tracks and sidings, Shrub Hill is often used as a stabling point and a through route for freight trains.

Both stations frequently serve Birmingham via Droitwich Spa, then either lines being firstly via Kidderminster and Stourbridge mostly Birmingham Snow Hill (with some going this way to Birmingham New Street) and Birmingham Moor Street then onwards perhaps to Warwick or secondly via Bromsgrove and University and Birmingham New Street which trains are run by London Midland.

London is also served frequently by both stations via the Cotswold Line and, infrequently, via the Birmingham-Bristol/Gloucester-Swindon/Bristol-London lines. Train services to Oxford and London Paddington are operated by First Great Western.

Although connected to the Birmingham-Bristol 'Cross Country' mainline only two miles away, Worcester is not served by Inter City Cross Country services therefore making Worcestershire the only county in England where Inter City Cross Country services pass through but do not stop in during normal scheduled timetables. The proposed station, Worcestershire Parkway is expected to end this.^{[citation needed]}

Bus[link]

The main operator of bus services in and around the city is First Midlands, while Diamond Bus Company, trading as Red Diamond, and Worcestershire County Council, trading as Woosh, operate many other services. A few other smaller operators provide services in Worcester, most notably Astons (Veolia Transport) and Bromyard Omnibus Company. The terminus and interchange for many bus services in Worcester is Crowngate Bus Station located in the city centre.

Park and ride[link]

There are two park and ride sites serving Worcester, one located off the A38 in the Perdiswell area of the city and the other located at Worcester Rugby Football Club's Sixways Stadium next to junction 6 of the M5 motorway.

Perdiswell site[link]

A direct and limited stop bus service (W1), operated by Worcestershire County Council under the Woosh name, runs every ten minutes between the Perdiswell site and the cityity centre and vice versa, between 7am and 6:45pm Monday to Saturday.

The stops on the W1 service are at: • Perdiswell Park & Ride • St Stephen’s Church (Barbourne area) • St George’s Square (Barbourne area) • Little London for Royal Grammar School (Barbourne area) • Foregate Street Rail Station (city centre) • Worcester Bus Station (city centre)

Sixways Stadium site[link]

Two circular bus services (W2 and W3), operated by Worcestershire County Council under the Woosh name, link the Sixways site to the Worcestershire Royal Hospital and the government offices on Whittington Road, Monday to Friday.

Air[link]

Worcester's nearest major airport is Birmingham International which by train is via Birmingham New Street and then on a London Euston train for 10 minutes non-stop or a stopping train slightly longer.

Assumed to be approximately 45 minutes by road via the M5 and M42 motorways.

Education[link]

Worcester is home to the University of Worcester, which was awarded university status in 2005 by HM Privy Council. From 1997 to 2005 it was known as University College Worcester (UCW) and prior to 1997 it was known as Worcester College of Higher Education. From 2005 to 2010 it was the fastest growing university in the UK, more than doubling its student population. The University is also home to the independent Worcester Students Union institution. The city is also home to two colleges, Worcester Sixth Form College and Worcester College of Technology.

High schools[link]

The High schools located in the city are Bishop Perowne CofE College, Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College, Christopher Whitehead Language College, Tudor Grange Academy Worcester (on the site of the defunct Elgar High School), Nunnery Wood High School and New College Worcester which caters for blind and partially sighted students from the ages of 11 to 18.

Independent schools[link]

Worcester is also the seat of three independent schools. The Royal Grammar School, founded in 1291, and Alice Ottley School merged in 2007. The King's School, Worcester was re-founded in 1541 under King Henry VIII. Saint Mary's Convent School, now the only all-girls school in the city, is the third private school in the city. Other independent schools include the Independent Christian school, the River School in Fernhill Heath.

Sport[link]

Entrance to the Worcester King George's Field.

• Worcester Warriors, an Aviva Premiership Rugby Union team who play at Sixways Stadium.
• Worcestershire County Cricket Club whose home ground is New Road.
• Blue Square Conference South side Worcester City F.C. who play at St George's Lane.
• Worcester St Johns Cycling Club
• Worcester Wolves, a professional basketball team in the British Basketball League.
• Worcester Racecourse is on an open area known as "Pitchcroft" on the east bank of the River Severn.
• Worcester has King George's Field in memorial to King George V.
• Worcester Rowing Club which is situated near the city centre on the River Severn.
• University of Worcester Rowing Club which shares accommodation with Worcester Rowing Club.
• University of Birmingham Rowing Club
• Worcester Athletics Club who meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Nunnery Wood Sports Centre
• Worcester University Climbing and Mountaineering Club

Culture[link]

Festivals and shows[link]

Every three years Worcester becomes home to the Three Choirs Festival, which dates from the eighteenth century and is credited with being the oldest music festival in Europe. The location of the festival rotates each year between the Cathedral Cities of the Three Counties, Gloucester, Hereford and Worcester. Famous for its championing of English music, especially that of Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Gustav Holst, Worcester last hosted the festival in August 2011.

The Worcester Festival is a relatively new venture established in 2003. Held in late August, the festival consists of a variety of music, theatre, cinema and workshops, as well as the already established Beer Festival, which runs as an event within the Worcester Festival.

For one weekend the city plays host to the Worcester Music Festival. Now in its 4th year (2011) the festival comprises a weekend original music by predominantly local bands and musicians. All performances are free, and take place throughout the city centre in bars, clubs, community buildings, churches and the library. In 2010 the festival comprised 230 unique acts.

Worcester Festival ends with a spectacular firework display on the banks of the River Severn on the Monday of the August bank holiday.

The Victorian-themed Christmas Fayre is a major source of tourism every December. Elton John came to the Worcestershire Cricket Ground, New Road on Saturday 9 June 2006. Status Quo came to Sixways Stadium (Worcester Warriors) on Saturday 28 July 2007.

The twelfth CAMRA Worcester Beer and Cider festival took place for three days from the 17 August 2010^[26] and was held as usual on Pitchcroft Race Course.

The Worcester Beer, Cider and Perry festival is the largest beer festival within the West Midlands with the 2009 event being attended by 11,000 people.

Arts and cinema[link]

Famous 18th century actress Sarah Siddons made her acting début here at the Theatre Royal in Angel Street. Her sister, the novelist Ann Julia Kemble Hatton,^[27] otherwise known as Ann of Swansea, was born in the city. Matilda Alice Powles, better known as Vesta Tilley, a leading male impersonator and music hall artiste was born in Worcester.

In present-day Worcester the Swan Theatre^[28] stages a mixture of professional touring and local amateur productions. The Countess of Huntingdon's Hall^[28] is a historic church now used as venue for an eclectic range of musical performances, while the Marrs Bar^[29] is a venue for gigs and stand-up comedy. Worcester has two multi-screen cinemas; a Vue Cinema complex located on Friar Street, and an Odeon Cinema on Foregate Street – both of which were 3D-equipped by March 2010.

In the northern suburb of Northwick is the Art Deco Northwick Cinema. Built in 1938 it contains one of the only two remaining interiors in Britain designed by John Alexander (the original perspective drawings are still held by RIBA). It was a bingo hall from 1966 to 1982 and then empty until 1991; it was then run as a music venue until 1996, and was empty again until autumn 2006 when it became an antiques and lifestyle centre, owned by Grey's Interiors, who were previously located in the Tything.^{[citation needed]}

There are a number of other arts organisations in Worcester. Based at the university and also at Bishop Perowne C of E Performing Arts College is C&T (formerly Collar & Tie), an educational theatre company that specialises in theatre for young people tackling topical issues using a blend of drama and new media technologies.^[30]

Media[link]

Worcester is home to Worcester News, Worcester Standard and Berrow's Worcester Journal newspapers and radio stations Free Radio & BBC Hereford & Worcester.

Twinning and planned twinning[link]

Worcester is twinned with the German city of Kleve, the Parisian commune of Le Vésinet, and its larger American namesake Worcester, Massachusetts.^[31]

In February 2009 Worcester City Council's Twinning Association began deliberating an application to twin Worcester with the Palestinian city of Gaza. Councillor Alan Amos introduced the application, which was passed at its first stage by a majority of 35-6.^[32] The proposal was later rejected by the Executive Committee of the City of Worcester Twinning Association for lack of funding due to its present commitment to existing twinning projects.^[33]

Notable people[link]

Edward Elgar

• Composer Sir Edward Elgar's father ran a music shop at the end of High Street; a statue of Elgar stands near the original location of that shop. His birthplace is a short way outside Worcester in the village of Broadheath.
• Hannah Snell, famous for impersonating a man and being enlisted in the Royal Marines in the 18th century was born and brought up here.
• Sir Charles Hastings, founder of the British Medical Association lived in Worcester for most of his life. The newly built Worcestershire Royal Hospital stands in a road named in his honour.
• William Stephenson 2007 British streetluge and buttboard champion and 2009 world number three streetluger and number two buttboarder was born and lives in Worcester.
• Philip Henry Gosse, naturalist, was born in the city in 1810.
• Sir Thomas Brock, sculptor most famous for the Imperial Victoria Memorial in London was born here in 1847.
• Edward Leader Williams, designer of the Manchester Ship Canal, was born and brought up in Worcester, living at Diglis House (now the Diglis House Hotel) with his brother, noted landscape artist Benjamin Williams Leader.
• William Morris, Lord Nuffield, (founder of Morris Motors Limited and philanthropist), spent the first three years of his life in the city.
• Geoffrey Anketell Studdert Kennedy, poet and author, famously known as "Woodbine Willy", was for some time the Vicar of St. Paul's Church in the city. He rose to fame during World War I when he became an army chaplain, his sermons and poetry helping boost morale to the troops. He acquired his nickname from his habit of handing out "Woodbine" cigarettes to the men in the trenches.
• Mrs. Henry Wood writer, was born in Worcester.
• Fay Weldon writer, was born in Worcester.
• Revd Thomas Davis, hymn-writer, was born in Worcester in 1804. He is an ancestor of the Duchess of Cambridge.
• Worcester was home to electronic music producer and collaborator Mike Paradinas and his record label Planet Mu, until the label moved to London in 2007.
• Dave Mason musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist, was born in Worcester.
• Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power of experimental music group Fuck Buttons were both brought up in Worcester.
• Ernest Payne was born in Worcester and rode for the local Worcester St Johns Cycling Club. He won a gold medal in the team pursuit at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.
• Sheila Scott, aviatrix
• James White (1775–1820), founder of the first advertising agency in 1800 in London, was born in Worcester.
• Ann Hatton, writer of the Kemble family was born in Worcester.

See also People from Worcester.

See also[link]

• List of Bishops of Worcester
• Worcester Cathedral
• Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum
• Worcester Porcelain Museum

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikisource has the text of a 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article about Worcester.

• Worcester City Council
• Worcester at the Open Directory Project

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