Worcester, England

Worcester
City and non-metropolitan district
Panoramic view from the river Friar Street The Hive Glover's Needle Shire Hall
Coat of arms
Worcester shown within Worcestershire
Coordinates: 52°11′28″N 02°13′14″W / 52.19111°N 2.22056°W / 52.19111; -2.22056
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Country	England
Region	West Midlands
County	Worcestershire
Areas of the city	List Claines Diglis Dines Green Henwick Lower Wick Northwick Red Hill Ronkswood St John's St Peter the Great Warndon
Government
• Local authority	Worcester City Council
• MPs	Tom Collins (Labour)
Area
• Total	12.85 sq mi (33.28 km2)
• Rank	275th (of 296)
Population  (2021 Census[1])
• Total	103,872
• Rank	229th (of 296)
• Density	8,100/sq mi (3,100/km2)
Ethnicity (2021) [2]
• Ethnic groups	List 90% White 5.6% Asian 2.2% Mixed 1.2% Black 1% other
Religion (2021) [2]
• Religion	List 48.9% Christianity 39.6% no religion 4.1% Islam 0.4% Hinduism 0.1% Judaism 0.2% Sikhism 0.4% Buddhism 0.4% other 6.1% not stated
Time zone	UTC0 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (BST)
Postcodes	WR1-5
Area code	01905
ONS code	47UE (ONS) E07000237 (GSS)
OS grid reference	SO849548
Website	worcester.gov.uk

Worcester (/ˈwʊstər/ ^ⓘ WUUST-ər) is a cathedral city in Worcestershire, England, of which it is the county town. It is 30 mi (48 km) south-west of Birmingham, 27 mi (43 km) north of Gloucester and 23 mi (37 km) north-east of Hereford. The population was 103,872 in the 2021 census.^[3]

The River Severn flanks the western side of the city centre, overlooked by Worcester Cathedral. Worcester is the home of Royal Worcester Porcelain, Lea & Perrins (makers of traditional Worcestershire sauce), the University of Worcester, and Berrow's Worcester Journal, claimed as the world's oldest newspaper. By the early 19th century glove making in Worcester had become a significant industry with a large export trade employing up to 30,000 people in the area. The composer Edward Elgar (1857–1934) grew up in the city and spent much of his life in nearby Malvern, Worcestershire. Worcester was selected as the location for the evacuation of the entire British government if required during the Second World War, with a large stately home in nearby Madresfield reserved for the Royal Family.

The Battle of Worcester in 1651 was the final battle of the English Civil War, during which Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army defeated King Charles II's Royalists.