Discover History

Discover History Offering you a hands on learning experience of over two thousand years of history, suitable for all ages and abilities

We had an enjoyable afternoon with St Gabriels WI. The topic for today's talk was the history of toilets. From the outdo...
09/09/2025

We had an enjoyable afternoon with St Gabriels WI. The topic for today's talk was the history of toilets. From the outdoor Privy and handfuls of moss, to flushing toilets, sewers and Izal medicated toilet tissue.

The 'Worcester Story' begins with Mesolithic hunter gatherers, around 10,000BCE. It ends with the University City of the...
09/09/2025

The 'Worcester Story' begins with Mesolithic hunter gatherers, around 10,000BCE. It ends with the University City of the modern day. Book your place on tonights popular 6pm walking tour. Email discoverhistory@aol.com.

We still have spaces on tomorrow's 6pm Worcester Story walk. Learn about our beautiful City from local historian Paul. T...
08/09/2025

We still have spaces on tomorrow's 6pm Worcester Story walk. Learn about our beautiful City from local historian Paul. Tickets cost £7.50 per person. To book a place email discoverhistory@aol.com.

Our popular local history talks at St Johns Church starts again next Thursday. We still cant believe we only have 4 more...
07/09/2025

Our popular local history talks at St Johns Church starts again next Thursday. We still cant believe we only have 4 more talks before Christmas!

Paul's most recent article in the Worcester News, looked at the history of the County Regimental Museums.
06/09/2025

Paul's most recent article in the Worcester News, looked at the history of the County Regimental Museums.

Did you know the famous painting of the Battle of Gheluvelt can now be seen on the top floor of Worcester Guildhall. Thi...
06/09/2025

Did you know the famous painting of the Battle of Gheluvelt can now be seen on the top floor of Worcester Guildhall. This oil painting was produced by JP Beadle in 1920. It was originally housed in the Regimental Museum which closed last month.

Running walking tours all year round, we see the seasons change. We still have spaces on the Worcester Story next Tuesda...
05/09/2025

Running walking tours all year round, we see the seasons change. We still have spaces on the Worcester Story next Tuesday at 6pm. To reserve your space email discoverhistory@aol.com.

- We are big fans of the flavoursome plant, Fennel. The plant originates from the Mediterranean and grows in well drai...
05/09/2025

- We are big fans of the flavoursome plant, Fennel. The plant originates from the Mediterranean and grows in well drained soil in coastal areas. As a hardy plant it soon spread across much of the World and can be found growing wild in the UK and in ornate gardens. A Greek legend says Prometheus stole fire from Zeus on Mount Olympus and gifted it to Earth using the hollow, woody stalk of Fennel to transport it. The stalk was often used to hold smouldering embers if you had to move fire from one place to another. The Greeks and Romans both used Fennel for Medicinal and Culinary uses and even as an Insecticide for hundreds of years. Fennel Infusions were drank by Greek Warriors, to provide them with courage before battle. Throughout history Fennel has been a popular plant. Chewing on the tiny Fennel seeds helps cleanse the mouth and freshen the breath. Many parts of the Fennel Plant can be used, including the feathery foliage, the seeds, and especially the bulb, used in the same way as root vegetables like Carrots, Parsnips and Potatoes. We often use the Bulb when we roast vegetables for a Mediterranean dish. The Greeks used the word Marathon for what we call Fennel. The Battle of Marathon was fought in an area covered in these plants. The Latin word was Faeniculum or Faenum meaning Hay. This morphed into old French, Fenoil, and old English, Fennel. Its strong liquorice flavour is used to create tasty dishes and is also used in the creation of Absinthe. How or what parts of Fennel do you use?

It's been a busy start to the new term. To avoid disappointment, book your award winning school workshop or history day ...
05/09/2025

It's been a busy start to the new term. To avoid disappointment, book your award winning school workshop or history day today. We have some spaces in the run up to half term, so drop us an email - discoverhistory@aol.com.

We have spaces available for the 6pm 'Worcester Story' walk on Tuesday 9th September. This popular 90 minute walk looks ...
04/09/2025

We have spaces available for the 6pm 'Worcester Story' walk on Tuesday 9th September. This popular 90 minute walk looks at the history of our great City, from the Bronze Age settlement to the modern day. Email - discoverhistory@aol.com

Tonight we visited Rushwick WI. Women of Worcester was the theme, and this allowed us to talk about Hannah Snell, Vesta ...
03/09/2025

Tonight we visited Rushwick WI. Women of Worcester was the theme, and this allowed us to talk about Hannah Snell, Vesta Tilley, Ellen Wood, Diana Ogilvy, Kate Philips and many more.

- The Battle of Worcester was fought 374 years ago today. The gunpowder smoke has drifted away, the dead are buried, a...
03/09/2025

- The Battle of Worcester was fought 374 years ago today. The gunpowder smoke has drifted away, the dead are buried, and many of the damaged buildings have been rebuilt. However, history and past events can never be eradicated completely. Battle damage is still visible from this 1651 battle. Bullet marks, impact marks, or even pockmarks, as they are often called, can be found across Worcester on the Sandstone walls. Marks can also be found on the South facing tower and walls of St Peter's Church in Powick. The church sits on a ridge overlooking the flood plain. The church was used in the early hours of the 3rd as a lookout post or outstation for the Royalists. Sir William Keith was tasked with holding this area for Charles. As the Parliament Army moved North along the River Severn, from Upton Upon Severn, they would have seen soldiers in the tower and grounds of the church. Both sides would have skirmished in this area, until the Royalists withdrew back across Powick Bridge, with its dismantled arches. They would have then prepared to receive the Parliament assault, led by Major General Deane, which approached this important Teme crossing. The impact marks are most likely from Parliament weapons due to the direction the shots came from. It is most likely that they happened during this opening engagement of the Battle. Further impact marks can also be seen along the length of the Castle or Cathedral boundary wall that runs through the King's School. These were most likely to have happened late on the 3rd. This was where the Royalists finally surrendered to Oliver Cromwell's men. At the time it was not the site of the King's School, but the site of the old Norman Castle. By the 17th Century the Castle site consisted of a large Motte or Mound, a few stone buildings in a poor state of repair, and sections of old wall. The Castle was long gone by the time of the Civil War. However, the Mound had been re-fortified with a simple earthwork, timber stakes and a few cannon. The area was held by Rothes' Foot and Drummond's Foot. The men on and around Castle Mound finally surrendered at around 10pm, after fierce hand to hand fighting. These impact marks were caused by Pistols, Carbines, Muskets and small Cannons in these closing stages of the Battle. Over the years people have questioned whether they are 'conflict damage'. Some holes in stone can be caused by animals such as Solitary Bees or Miner Bees. Holes can also appear as a result of nails being hammered into stone, or even people rubbing the soft sandstone with their finger or hand. However, many people have carefully studied the marks and identify them as being caused by fi****ms. Impact marks from low velocity weapons usually leave a round bottomed crater, to a standard size of Civil War shot. They usually have fractures and jagged chips missing from around the outside of the crater too. They are quite different when you view other causes for holes in stone. Do visit Powick Church on this anniversary day. However, the marks on the Castle wall are located on school property with no public access. This battle damage provides us with a direct link to the Battle of Worcester. It's a sobering thought that we can view these today without the air being filled with bullets, choking smoke, the deafening roar of guns, and the cries of the wounded.

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