Saturday 11th May
2019
Took the dog for a long walk around Diglis Basins. The transformation
here, like so many locations on the canals, is remarkable. 20 or 30 years ago
nobody would have considered living beside a canal, whereas nowadays, it is all
des-res. The apartment blocks around Diglis consist of renovated mills,
factories and warehouses, and new build blocks, all in keeping. Apparently the
area has been known to flood up to lock 3 and all the new blocks have car
parking on the ground floors and the accommodation above, and older buildings
have flood proofing on doorways and windows.
Old and the New around Diglis Basin
and Flood Prevention Measures
After breakfast we visited the Commandery. The Commandery is a
fascinating place. Believed to have been constructed as early as the 11th
century, it has been variously used as a Monastic Hospital, almshouses and a
place of hospitality for pilgrims, the private home of the Wylde family, a
school for the blind and a printing factory until 1977 when it was bought by
Worcester City Council and became a museum. It is most associated with the Civil
War when it was used by King Charles II as his headquarters prior to and during
the 1651 Battle of Worcester. Funny to think, you are treading on the same
floors as King Charles II and Oliver Cromwell.
Medieval wall paintings depicting
religious scenes,
whitewashed over at the time of the
Dissolution and not discovered until 1937
We then went on to visit the Cathedral. The sheer scale of the
cathedral is awesome and it just takes your breath away. The present building
was begun in 1084 although it sits on the site of the first cathedral founded
in 680 and a later one built in 983. The cathedral served as a Monastery until
1540 when Henry VIII dissolved it. Being badly damaged during the Civil Wars,
it underwent a major rebuilding after the restoration of King Charles II. The
interior is quite stunning and contains many artefacts and monuments. The tomb
of King John, died 1216 (of the Magna Carta), the tomb of Prince Arthur, died
1502, son of King Henry VII, first husband of Catherine of Aragon, St.
Wulfstan’s crypt, Bishop of Worcester 1062-1095, medieval cloisters, very old
tombs and effigies of persons unknown and forgotten, a monument to Edward Elgar
and so very much more.
Worcester Cathedral and King John’s
Tomb
Of interest was the memorial to Geoffrey Anketell Studdert-Kennedy MC
(Woodbine Willie) in St. Georges Military Chapel, a distant relative of our
Sarah. A Poet, a Prophet, a Seeker After Truth, an Ardent Advocate of Christian
Fellowship, Chaplain to King George V, Chaplain to the Forces, Rector of St.
Edmond King and Martyr in the City of London and Vicar of St. Paul’s,
Worcester.
While in the cathedral we were treated to singing from individuals and
choirs practicing for an evening recital. It was a moving ecperience.
In the afternoon we took the dog and further explored Worcester and
it’s shops. We then spent the rest of a hot sunny day in the front cratch. A
guy just in front of the boat caught a big pike that measured a metre in
length.
For dinner we had takeaway pizza’s, very unusual for us.
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