Marching back in time

From the archive, first published Monday 26th Sep 2005.

A BATTLE of Worcester history trail to put the city firmly on the tourist map could soon get off the ground with civic support.

The battle stook place on September 3, 1651. And now, 354 years later, the Worcester News can reveal a vision to commemorate the historic conflict. This includes marking out an exploration trail with sculpted relief panels depicting key events such as the building of a bridge of boats, redeveloping the Powick toposcope, establishing a memorial in the city centre and commissioning an accurate painting of the battle to hang in the Commandery.

"The Battle of Worcester devastated the city and marked the end of the Royalist cause. The future Charles II had to flee and it took the people years to recover from the sacking of the city," said Dilip Sarkar, a founder member of the Battle of Worcester Trust.

"It's a disgrace that we have so little to commemorate it. Other major battlegrounds in this country are well defined and marketed from a tourist perspective."

Ideas were first put to city and county council officers more than two years ago and outlined in more detail last year, when the trust was formed at a meeting in The Commandery.

Besides Mr Sarkar, those present included county archaeologist Malcolm Atk-in and sculptor Kenneth Potts, creator of the Elgar statue in the High Street and the bull and pear tree relief panels in CrownGate.

It was hoped that with the backing of civic leaders, grants could be attracted from bodies such as the Heritage Lottery Fund, but the initial response was disappointing.

Now Worcester Mayor Aubrey Tarbuck has put his weight behind the venture and promised to call a meeting with representatives of Worcestershire County Coun- cil and Malvern Hills District Council to discuss the plans.

"I am keen to support this project, but we need everyone on board. There is a question of who is going to maintain the sites once they are established," he said.

In the meantime, the Commandery, famed as the Royalist headquarters during the Civil War, has closed for a refurbishment.

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