Town Tour - Walk the Walk or Ride the Ride

Royal Worcestershire
Brine Baths Hotel

If you want to continue your tour from St. Richard’s House go right along St. Andrew’s Road and immediately on your right is where the Royal Worcestershire Brine Baths Hotel stood until recently. John Corbett erected this magnificent hotel in about 1891 for people visiting the town and the brine baths.

People came from all over Britain and even America with the wealthy staying in the hotels and the less wealthy in boarding houses. The site has now been redeveloped with flats on the site where it stood. Opposite is a photograph of how it used to look.

Carry on to the Worcester Road and turn left. You will soon see the Lido Park on the right. Enter the park past the bowling green and over to the outdoor salt water Lido Pool. The brine was diluted to the level of sea water The pool was popular throughout the 20th century as a place to visit.

The Bandstand

The pool has recently been remodelled as a 21st Century leisure pool for all the family and is open in the Spring and Summer months.

Bands still play on the bandstand on Sundays in the summer months.

Now another choice can be made, either carry on across the park to St. Peter’s Fields and St. Peter’s Church or return to the Worcester Road. Carry on down Worcester Road and Queen Street to the Hanbury Road & Saltway lights.

This time turn right into Hanbury Road and again right into The Holloway.

Just up The Holloway on your right is the Coventry Hospital and Almshouses.

The hospital was founded by Henry Coventry the son of Thomas Lord Coventry who was the keeper of the Great Seal of England in the reign of Charles 1.

The Almshouses today

The Almshouses in the 17th century

The Almshouses were built as the result of a bet between Sir John Packington of Westwood Park and Sir Henry Coventry of Croome Court. Each was convinced he had the fastest horse and a race was arranged with the loser to build almshouses for the needy in the town named after the winner. Sir John lost the bet but could not honour the debt until on his death in his will he bequeathed £1,000 and the houses were built at the end of the 17th century. A school for boys and girls living in the borough was originally part of the establishment.

Continue up The Holloway to St. Peter’s Church Lane.

St. Peter's Manor and St. Peter's Church

At the end of the lane are St. Peter’s Manor and St. Peter’s Church.

The timber-framed manor house was built in the early 17th century. It was the home of Dr Treadway Nash, a well-known historian. He wrote two volumes of the “History of Worcestershire” published in 1781 &1782.

The Nash family held the living at St. Peter’s from 1688 to 1810. The original house had a dovecote with 750 openings.

St. Peter's Church gateway
(From a drawing by Brian Amor © 2000)

The church has a nave dating from the 12th century and the south transept from the early 13th century.

The church has a monument to George Wylde who was Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer under Cromwell. Edward Wilmslow was baptised here in 1595.He was a Pilgrim Father and the first governor of the new colony of New Plymouth. His son Peregrine was the first settler’s child born there.

On returning to England Edward Winslow also held several posts under Cromwell.

In the graveyard is the grave of John Courtney Lord. He instigated separate courts for children the first of which opened in Birmingham in 1905. He was Known as the “children’s friend”.

Cross the road and car park and you can look out over the Droitwich Spa Arboretum towards St Augustine’s in the distance. The modern day cricket club field is adjacent to the church and the tennis club is off St. Peter’s Church Lane. From the church take the path on the right running along the church grounds out into Tagwell Road. Turn right and follow the road to the Worcester Road.

Turn left and after about a quarter of a mile you will see on the right the Sacred Heart (RC) church, which was consecrated in 1932.It was built in the style of a Roman court of justice and inside is wonderfully decorated in Venetian glass mosaics.

Sacred Heart Church

Sacred Heart Church interior

There are seven panels on the life of St Richard including the blessing of the salt well.

Leaving the church turn left along Worcester Road to return to town.

Your tour is over but there may be time to stop at the Castle Public House, along the road, for final celebratory refreshments.

Westwood House

If you would like to see Westwood House take a ride to Ombersley village and you will see Westwood House on the way.