I find myself in the middle of The Great Hall, deep inside the Royalist headquarters of King Charles II—and, wow, it’s intense. The straw-covered floor squelches beneath my boots… and the smell? Let’s just say it’s not for the faint-hearted. This place is less regal banquet, more A & E, 17th-century style.
Wounded soldiers are being hauled in left and right—some barely conscious, others groaning through the pain. It’s triage chaos, with nurses flying into action, bandages in hand and nerves of steel. Some are performing full-blown surgeries and even amputations right there in the open. I try to keep my cool, but honestly, I must turn away— battlefield gore is not my thing.
Outside, just up the hill at Fort Royal, the fight still rages on. But in here, it’s another kind of battle — the fight to get the wounded patched up so at least some of them can be sent back into the fray.
While we do so, there is a commotion outside next to the cannon. Primary school children are engaged in pike drill, holding mini versions of those terrifying 18-foot spears in hand, learning how to protect musketeers and charge the enemy. They are also shown how to fire a (safely simulated) cannon. The result? A hands-on, unforgettable experience that makes the Battle of Worcester way more than just a page in a textbook.
‘If you want them to get them interested in history, you must immerse them in it. Pictures can help but when they come to the building, they get to see how old it is, the changes in floor tiles which show them the different eras. We have re-enactors here too, so they get to hear how loud a musket is when they fire it. It helps with remembering,’ explains Megan Keary, Learning Coordinator.
‘The Commandery is where Charles escaped from, and it is where the Duke of Hamilton died. The room over there is called the Hamilton room because he was buried under the floor before his body was moved to Worcester Cathedral,’ says Megan.
‘On the day of the battle, cannons were fired over into the city. If you stood in the garden here, you would have seen cannon balls going over your head.’
‘The Battle of Worcester was a turning point in the history with the monarchy having less power and Parliament starting to have more. Even though we did get the monarchy back it fundamentally changed how the country was run,’ adds Megan.
It was indeed a defining moment in the evolution of modern-day democracy.
Scattered across the city are landmarks that tell the story of this historic event — such as King Charles House, where the terrified King, dressed as a servant, slipped out the back door and began a daring six-week journey on horseback to find safety in France.
Now a pub, this is considered one of the most beautiful and historic buildings in Worcester. Built in 1577 by wealthy brewer Richard Durant, it still maintains its original infrastructure – including the famous ‘eubliette’, otherwise known as the dungeon.
Although it was a devastating defeat for the king, support for him never waned and when Oliver Cromwell died, exactly seven years after his victory at Worcester, Charles II was restored to the throne on May 29, 1660 on his 30th birthday, a date which became a public holiday known as Oak Apple Day, which is still celebrated at the Commandery.
As Learning Coordinator Megan Keary, Learning points out, the city was a scary place to live at this time.
‘Lead was stripped from the cathedral and coffins to make the ammunition. When I talk to the children, it’s good to help them understand the impact it had on Worcester. The population expanded by the Royalists arriving here and they were getting ready for battle. So, I tell the children, imagine that you are sitting down and having your breakfast, and you look up and your roof has gone because they needed the lead. You look down and your food has gone because they needed to feed the soldiers,’ she says.
‘The children also enjoy learning about the musket balls. To make sure they were round as possible, the army would pop it in their mouths and because it was lead, they had bad teeth as they were chewing on lead. The children also like the fact that to soften the leather it had to be soaked in wee.’
Fort Royal Park, which used to be home to a four-pointed star-shaped fort, is a great place to view the city and imagine how it looked in the 17th century. Re-enactments often happen at this key spot, where the battle took place, with information boards explaining what took place before and after.
Such was the political and historical importance of Fort Royal in the Civil Wars that two famous senators, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, who went on to become the second and third presidents of America visited the city in 1786 – more than a century later. They regarded it as the place where democracy was effectively born.
Standing on nearby Fort Royal Hill, John Adams announced that Worcester was the very ground ‘where liberty was fought for and won,’ and he encouraged local people to ‘tell your neighbours and your children that this is holy ground, much holier than that on which your churches stand. All England should come in Pilgrimage to this Hill, once a year.’
As forementioned, the place where the English Civil War began is also Worcester’s territory. The battle of Powick Bridge occurred in 1642 and while described by historians as a skirmish, its wider military impact far outweighed its scale and direct strategic importance. Built in 1447, the Old Powick Bridge, is currently being restored after collapsing in part last year. It was here at Powick, across the river Teme, that the well-led, well-trained and highly committed royalist cavalry of Prince Rupert gained a major propaganda victory, providing a serious warning for the parliamentarians. However, nine years later it was a very different story at Royal Fort. At Powick church shot impact scars can be seen on the tower and just south of Worcester, between the historic Powick Bridge and meeting point of the rivers Severn and Teme, is the most unspoiled stretch of the battlefield. This open, rolling farmland has changed little since 1651—making it the perfect place to imagine the clash of armies, thunder of hooves, and the tense manoeuvres that unfolded between the bridge and the pontoon crossings. But if you do want to ‘see’ something physical rather than rely on imagination, then a two-day event next month will really bring the English Civil War and Worcester’s role in it to life.
The UK’s oldest and Europe’s single biggest re-enactment society, The Sealed Knot, will bring the spectacle of a Civil War battlefield to life on Sunday, 24 August and Monday, 25 August (main battle at 2pm). Called Worcester under Siege, the event, which takes place at Manor Farm, Malvern Road, Worcester provides an insight into what it was like to live and fight in the city during the English Civil War. Visitors will get chance to explore civilian life in a living history encampment, get hands-on with historical activities, meet 17th century characters, see displays of weapons and tactics, and feel the ground shake as actors recreate the spectacle of a Civil War battlefield—complete with roaring cannons, charging cavalry, and determined infantry.
This feature focusses on Worcester, the city which stayed loyal to their King, and its important part in the English Civil War. It does have other amazing treasures and historic gems – but that is for another time. To end I turn to the Guildhall, a stunning building which dates to 1721, and yet celebrates King Charles I and King Charles II in all their royal splendour, with a rather pointy-ear comical caricature of Cromwell between them. Based in this magnificent place is Worcester Tourist Information Centre, where I find manager Ruth Smith, who has guided walks on the Battle of Worcester for those who want them. She believes telling the English Civil War through the city’s eyes is important.
‘There is so much you can learn about the city and its history. I love the vibrancy of Worcester, the people and the history, it is a very easy place to sell.’
Standing in the glorious sun in Worcester 2025, I realise I am missing something, so I quickly dash back to the 17th century and into the former royalist HQ at the Commandery to grab my sunglasses, ducking flying musket balls as I go.
museumsworcestershire.org.uk
thesealedknot.org.uk
worcestertouristinformation.co.uk
