WORCESTER has taken another step towards becoming the Civil War centre of England after a leading historical tours company added the Faithful City to its schedule.

 Richard Shaw, chairman of the Battle of Worcester Society, contacted the Cultural Experience Battlefield Tours company and as a result a party of 15 English Civil War tourists, together with their tour guide and tour manager, paid a visit

to the city.

 Mr Shaw said: "This company do battlefield tours all over the world. I have been on tours with them five times, so I wrote to the managing director pointing out that they did not do any tours of the English Civil War."

 The approach led to Cultural Experience devising three tours.  T

his year’s party covered the early years of the Civil War, next year a tour will cover the middle years and in 2020 the final years, which will include the site of the Battle

of Worcester fought on September 3, 1651.

The early years tour included Powick Bridge, the site of the first action of the Civil War on September 23, 1642.  The touring party also visited the Commandery where Mr Shaw gave them a tour and also took them to Fort Royal Park.  They

then visited Worcester Cathedral which was vandalised by the Parliamentary army after the battle of Powick Bridge.

 Mr Shaw gave a talk on the attack on Worcester between 28th and 31st May 1643 when Sir William Waller with 3,000 Parliamentarians and eight cannons laid siege to the city which was defended by 1,700 Royalists under Colonel William Sandys,

the acting governor. 

 After numerous attacks on the Sidbury gate the Parliamentarians left having lost "five or six captains, at least 160 slain and a barge full of maimed soldiers was carried down the river Severn to Gloucester."  The loss to the city was just

two men and three women.  Sir William Waller later wrote a letter to the city commending the courage of the women of Worcester, 400 of whom helped to maintain the cities fortifications during the siege.

 Mr Shaw added: “It is hoped the Cultural Experience Tour Company will visit Worcester again next year to learn of the four month siege of 1646, but it will definitely be here in 2020 to visit the sites of the final and decisive battle on

the streets of Worcester which ended the English Civil War.”