Worcester Reviews

Living in Worcester

Small enough to explore on foot, big enough to not feel claustrophobic, Worcester is a city with a small-town-feel surrounded by magnificent country landscapes.

The University of Worcester is here, and so is the birthplace of Worcester Sauce! Who would ever have guessed that Worcester Sauce came from Worcester? And Worcester sauce is popularly sprinkled on Welsh Rarebit (cheese on toast to you and me). And cheese on toast is one of the main staples of the student diet. Amazing! It’s obvious that Worcester and students were made for each other from the start.

Anyway, put that tasty snack down and come and have a look at the place. Worcester is a bit like that well-meaning character at a party who manages to be in all the different friendship groups at once, and just wants them to get along. Is it close enough to count as part of Greater Birmingham? No, not quite. Is it in the West Country then? No, it’s a little too far north and it don’t ‘ave that luverly accent. Worcester is just off the big M5 motorway that carries most of the traffic going down to Cornwall from the north, but then it’s also in the middle of the Malvern hills and has all those nice old buildings which make you look so classy and sophisticated in Facebook photos.

As cities go it’s not a big one so you can still have all the uptown perks of living in a city without the bother of smog, extortionate drinks prices and rent, or annoyingly long walking distances between everywhere interesting. In the city centre you’ll find the impressive cathedral and the Guildhall, but also a good amount of nightlife. Popular venues among the students include Sin, which is more of a pre-club bar but still counts, Tramps and Bushwhackers.

For getting outside in daylight hours, there are several parks, wooded areas and public sports fields in the city. Worcester does pretty well for sport with particularly good rowing and cricket, and also the rugby union team, the Worcester Warriors. After all, nothing says picturesque middle-English cathedral city like a team of guys built like military tanks, pounding up and down a field and trampling all over each other for our entertainment. Hooray for sport!

Worcester is pretty well known for having some of the best shopping in the Midlands. The high street shops and massive Cathedral Plaza make up the town centre but there are also some quirkier areas with boutiques and unusual independant shops scattered through Worcester. Last but not least, there’s a well-attended Beer Festival in the summer and a Victorian Christmas Fayre in the winter.

But I don’t like clubbing!

• There are not one, but two big cinemas in Worcester, as well as a number of theatres. Take your pick!
• Maybe you prefer pubs instead? Between Angel Place and the far end of Friar Street is a stretch of about 30 pubs. So gather your mates! Don your comedy drinking outfit! We’re going pubbing!
• Worcester has a glow-in-the-dark bowling alley. This raises some questions - Why does a bowling alley need to glow? Why doesn’t someone just fix the lights? Do people usually bowl in the dark in Worcester?  We’ve not been in person yet, so we can’t give you any answers. You go instead, and report back to us.

Good to know

• Taxi: Cathedral Cars
• Eating out: Although there’s a lot of choice in Worcester, it’s worth noting that some eateries offer student discounts or deals. In Worcester this includes Peri Peri (Mexican takeaway), Little India (Indian, we presume!), and several pizza places.