Worcester is one of England's leading historic cities and has a rich heritage of historic buildings and archaeological remains. The city site has been occupied since prehistoric times and the town was an important Roman industrial centre. The medieval city was surrounded by stone walls and had a dozen churches as well as the magnificent cathedral.
The historic core has one of the largest concentrations of listed buildings in the country (there are over 1000 listed buildings in Worcester) and is one of 19 conservation areas in Worcester. The city centre and its medieval suburbs include many timber-framed and Georgian brick buildings. Other conservation areas cover Regency suburban developments, historic villages and hamlets, the river meadows and the Worcester and Birmingham Canal.
pdf Scheduled monuments (101 KB) include the city walls as well as moated sites and earthworks dating from the Civil War. The sites of the first and last Battles of the Civil War in 1642 and 1651 are on the register of historic battlefields. Gheluvelt Park, a memorial park opened after the First World War, has recently been added to the register of historic parks and gardens. Scheduled monuments, listed buildings, registered parks and gardens, registered battlefields and conservation areas are known as designated heritage assets.
Other heritage assets are undesignated. Some of these are included in the city's pdf ‘local list'. (541 KB)
Worcester City Council also maintains a 'Heritage at Risk' register which identifies those buildings or structures whose condition has given rise to concern. The City Council aims to work with owners and funding bodies to identify solutions for these assets, including repair and new uses.
Further information on archaeology in the planning process can be found on a separate page.
Information on Worcester's archaeological remains and historic buildings is held on the Worcester City Historic Environment Record (WCHER). A full enquiry service is available for both planning and research purposes and details are included via the WCHER page. The National Heritage List for England contains information on nationally designated heritage assets (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, parks and gardens and historic battlefields).