Discover History

The English Civil Wars effected women, as much as the combatants. We have devised a new walking tour looking at this. 'Women at War' is funded by , and is therefore free of charge. Spaces are limited, so booking is essential. Visit Worcestershire Visit Worcester Worcester News BBC Hereford & Worcester Worcester

The Women at War Tour at 10:30am (Monday 24th August 2026) A chance to find out how the Women of Worcester were affected by the English Civil Wars taking place. Did they do anything to either help or hinder the War? Find out more on this tour. This tour has received funding as part of and has limited spaces available. All we ask at the end of i...

375 Years ago - Charles moves into Kidderminster! The army has entered the Severn Valley and is following the River Severn South. A Council of War meets at Worcester Guildhall to discuss how Worcester will react. The Mayor wants the Scots to pass through peacefully. The local Militia wants to fight them off. Some gates are blocked with earth and rubble, ditches hastily dug.

- Next Thursday is . We have looked at burgers before, however we have not looked at the powerhouse that is McDonalds. McDonald's is based around burgers but have since branched into many areas including milkshakes, chicken nuggets, ice cream and even coffee. This American fast food restaurant chain can be found in most towns and cities across the World. It was founded on the 15th May 1940 in San Bernardino, California, by Richard and Maurice 'Mac' McDonald. It began as a simple BBQ restaurant with drive through. Ray Kroc, a milkshake mixer salesman liked what he saw in the 1950s and became a big player in the business. He always pushed for the opening of franchises, and expanding across America. Today there are 45,356 restaurants, with 95% being franchises. Richard and Maurice created a fast system to cook and turn out food. This was known as the 'Speedee Service System'. This removed standard cutlery that needed washing, for disposable paper and cardboard items. It also created a simple, slimline menu of food that could be produced easily. In fact the menu had only 9 items with the Hamburger costing just 15 cents. Speed, low price and volume were key words. The original mascot was a chef with a hamburger head called Speedee. The famous golden arches were not introduced until 1962. A year later Ronald McDonald made an appearance. At this time a power struggle erupted leading to the McDonald brothers selling out to Ray Kroc. He saw McDonald's become a global business. He purchased the business for 2.7 million dollars. The first McDonald's to open in Britain was in Woolwich in 1974. A Hamburger cost 15p and a Cheeseburger 21p. In 1979 the Happy Meal was introduced aimed purely at children. This is still a very popular item purchased. In more recent times the McDonald Corporation have made major changes. They have included fruit bags, healthy ingredients and created plant based items. They also work with Charities and help the local community around the McDonald's restaurant. In 2016 a film called 'The Founder' hit the Cinemas telling the story of McDonald's. Michael Keaton played Ray Kroc, with Nick Hofferman and John Caroll Lynch playing Richard and Maurice. Love or hate their food, they are a success story that began with one idea and one humble restaurant.

We have lots of scheduled walks
coming up. Follow the link and see what's on offer. Please book ahead because the Worcester Festival starts today too.

https://discover-history.co.uk/tours

When we founded Discover History in 2003, we knew the English Civil Wars would play a central role. We offer talks, walks, school workshops and living history in this period. We have helped many local schools and organisations learn about the Battle of Worcester.

Paul delivered the 'Severn Story' walk this morning. This took a look at the City and how it made use of the longest river in Britain. Walks are avaliable all year round, but please book ahead to avoid disappointment.

375 Years ago - Charles continues to move South through Shropshire. It becomes apparent that he will pass through Worcestershire on his way to London. Worcester officials look at the City defences. Most earthworks were filled in after the siege in 1646!

- The Royalists were in high spirits following their successful skirmish at Warrington. As they headed towards the Midlands, Worcestershire prepared for the possibility of seeing war again! Worcester had surrendered in 1646 and the citizens had been enjoying the peace and the return of trade. When the Scots approached Kidderminster and Hartlebury on August 21st, a Council of War met in Worcester to decide on how the county militia and the City of Worcester were to receive this invasion. The heated debate took place at the Guildhall and went on into the evening. The Mayor wanted to let the Royalists in and hoped they would continue their advance on London in a day or two. Meanwhile, Andrew Yarranton wanted his Parliamentarian militia to hold the Scots up and refuse them entry.The following day, men from Worcestershire began to skirmish with the advance party of Royalists, around and through the main street in Ombersley. By nightfall this running fight had reached Worcester’s wall. The militia closed the gates and immediately began to dismantle some of the city defences. They also loaded gunpowder onto wagons and fled to join the Parliament army, massing nearby. Some even fired onto the Royalists! Not quite the actions of loyal and faithful men! Charles was finally allowed into the city on August 23 and set himself up in the comfortable house located on the corner of New Street and the Corn Market. The Commander of the Army, the Duke of Hamilton chose the family home of the Wylde Family, the old medieval hospital called the Commandery. In the days that followed, the Mayor was disheartened to see the Scots restoring the city defences, forcing the citizens to do manual work, and ordering cordwainers and seamstresses to produce shoes and hose for this occupying force! Memories would have flooded back to when the city was occupied in 1646. One description of Worcester at this time says the city had an ‘old broken wall and a fort in a manner, part slighted’. Another account described how Richard Cardwardine had his house burnt down in St John’s because he was one of many who supported the Parliament army. This is another example of how the city was not as ‘faithful’ as it says it is. Charles even tried to recruit Worcester men into his ranks, but was disheartened again to see only a few men come forward. The gaol, located at the old castle, was also opened and men forced to serve. Clarendon’s History of the Civil Wars says ‘many simply chose to remain at home!’. Parliament scouts were spotted around Worcester in the days that followed. This was a bad sign, as this showed that Cromwell was beginning to encircle the city, and this would mean the Royalists would have to prepare for another siege or do the brave thing and go out and fight. It was at this time that Charles received news that the Earl of Derby, with the English Royalists who had landed in Lancashire from the Isle of Man, had been beaten at Wigan Lane on the 25th. Charles had hoped the Earl would recruit thousands of loyal Englishmen for his cause. In fact when he reached Worcester, badly wounded, he had just 30 Cavalry with him. This meant the Royalist army was only around 12,000 strong. Cromwell was still massing troops, and could reach 30,000 men at least.
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On , we want to launch . The restoration of Powick Bridge is planned to start in 2027. As we wait, let's highlight how much we love our Medieval bridge. A bridge that saw the first and last battles of the English Civil Wars. Please use the hashtag and feel free to add your picture in the comments. BBC Hereford & Worcester Worcester News Worcester Visit Worcestershire Visit Worcester

Our is in fact an anti strafing, aerial recognition scarf. They were worn tied around the neck, over equipment to ensure friendly aircraft would identify the unit as Allied Forces on the ground. The yellow celanese acetate triangle was also placed over slit trenches and tied to vehicles. The Universal Carrier, in the first photograph shows the Worcestershire Regiment near Nijmegen in 1944. It clearly shows an identification triangle.