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The Battle of Worcester, the last battle of the inaccurately named English Civil Wars, took place on 3 September 1651 in and around the city.  It was a decisive engagement; Parliament's New Model Army outnumbered and outclassed the Royalist, mainly Scottish, troops and Charles II went into exile.

Much of the battlefield is now covered by later development, though Perry Wood, where Cromwell and his army camped before the battle, is still relatively unspoilt.  Within the city are several buildings and monuments associated with the battle.  Charles II got the best view of the battlefield from the top of the tower of Worcester Cathedral, there is a museum in the Commandery (used as a Royalist HQ and scene of some of the fighting nearby) and the adjacent Fort Royal Park was a Royalist earthwork, stormed by Parliament.  Powick Bridge just outside the city is accessible and Powick Church still bears the scars of battle.

Address and post code is for the tourist information centre. See separate listings for the Cathedral, Powick Bridge, the Commandery and Fort Royal.

Edward Elgar was one of England’s greatest musical composers; his works include the Enigma Variations and Land of Hope and Glory.  He was born on 2 June 1857 in Lower Broadheath, about three miles from Worcester, and died at his home, Marl Bank, in Worcester on 23 February 1934.  He is said to have been inspired by the countryside around Worcester and the Malvern Hills.  Elgar's birthplace, a cottage called the Firs, is now a museum with a garden and visitor centre owned by the National Trust.  Elgar's father William had an established music business in Worcester, some three miles from Broadheath and only spent weekends at the cottage. Apparently, the cottage in the countryside was his mother’s choice, rather than his father’s.  However, they later moved to 10 High Street in the city, living above the music business. The shop is no longer there, but a plaque on the Gifford Hotel marks the approximate location.  Sadly, and inexplicably, his house at Marl Bank was demolished in 1969.  Next to Cathedral Square is a bronze statue of Elgar, situated so that he is looking at the Cathedral he loved.  The statue was the work of Kenneth Potts and was unveiled by HRH Prince of Wales on 2 June 1981.

It may come as a surprise that one of - if not the - finest Baroque churches in Britain is not in London, but in rural Worcestershire. It dates from 1735, replacing an earlier medieval parish church which stood a little way to the west. It was built by the then owners of neighbouring Witley Court, the Foleys, possibly for their convenience, but not as a private chapel; it has always been a parish church. In 1747, the interior was transformed by the installation of internal decoration from the chapel at Canons, Lord Chandos' Edgware palace - and the impact is astonishing. Dedicated to St Michael and All Angels, Great Witley Church also boasts the Foley Monument, at 26 feet (8 metres) reputed to be the tallest funerary monument in the country.

Ironbridge, named for the world's first cast-iron bridge, built in 1779, that spans the River Severn and its beautiful gorge, is a charming, colourful and now relatively peaceful Shropshire town.  You would hardly know that it had been at the heart of the Industrial Revolution, century iron bridge. Part of a World Heritage Site, there are many museums in the town and nearby, as well as walks.

The National Memorial Arboretum is a centre of remembrance for the fallen - members of the armed forces, civilian services and ordinary people.  It is set in 150 acres of reclaimed gravel pits between the rivers Trent and Tarne.  There is an astonishing variety of memorials - 320 of them at the last count - to every conceivable group you can imagine - surrounded by 30,000 trees.  It is both impressive and humbling.

The NMA is managed by the Royal British Legion.