Situated only one train stop away from Malvern Link is the city of Worcester, which is the closest city to Malvern. With many attractions such as the Cathedral, the River Severn and a busy high street, Worcester has begun to thrive, with many renovations to the city centre being undertaken.

But for Worcester to become as prosperous as it is today, it has been involved in its fair share of history.

Throughout Worcester’s history it has been home to many different settlers including Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Norman and more. Worcester’s river-crossing and its roads were a key part of network that connected other areas of the country. Such as being able to go from London to mid-Wales, towards the north-west to Kidderminster, Coventry and Derby, and southwards to Gloucester, all were accessible by going through Worcester. This meant that a lot of trade would go through the city and onto other areas of the country.

During the English Civil War, Worcester had sided with Parliament in 1642 before being occupied by the Royalists. This was before briefly being taken back by Parliament until they had to retreat from the city, allowing Royalist reign to resume. In May 1646, the city was under siege from Parliaments New Model Army force and eventually surrendered in July. In 1651 a Scottish army of 16,000 men marched south in support of Charles II. Worcester’s Council voted to surrender, fearing more destruction would fall upon the city. But, their reign only lasted until 3rd September 1651 where Cromwell’s forces at the Battle of Worcester won the final battle of the English Civil War, which saw the Parliamentarian New Model Army defeat King Charles II’s Royalists.

During the 18th century, Worcester had become a major area for glove-making and employed almost half of all the glove makers in England during the time. In 1832, The British Medical Association was founded in Worcester and from around 1837; Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce was made and bottled with a new factory being opened in 1897. Worcester opened its first train station in 1850, Shrub Hill was the first of three train stations to be built in Worcester but upon opening, you could only go from Shrub Hill to Birmingham. The other stations include Worcester Foregate Street, which opened in 1860 and Worcestershire Parkway, which opened in 2020.

During the 20th century and The Second World War it was intended that Worcester would be the chosen city for Parliament to evacuate to, in case there was a German Invasion of London. During the 1950’s and 60’s, large parts of medieval Worcester buildings were taken down so that new ones could be put up in their place, although going through Worcester today you can still see many medieval buildings around the city.