Worcestershire
| Worcestershire
| |
|---|---|
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | England |
| Borders | Gloucestershire Herefordshire Shropshire Staffordshire Warwickshire |
Worcestershire, abbreviated Worcs. and occasionally Wigorn, is a county in south west-central England.
Despite lying directly to the south and west of Birmingham, England's industrial heartland, it is largely rural in character, with rolling countryside characterised by black and white timber framed cottages. However, part of the heavily urbanised and historically industrial Black Country lies within the county proper, as do a few suburbs of south-western Birmingham such as Sparkhill. The cathedral city of Worcester lies at the heart of the county. The Malvern Hills are an attractive area of the county, popular with walkers and they boast extensive views across the Midlands and as far as the Black Mountains in Wales.
Principal towns and cities in the county include, Worcester, Redditch, Kidderminster, Bromsgrove and Great Malvern.
Worcestershire borders Shropshire and Staffordshire to the north, Warwickshire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south and Herefordshire to the west. The county is known for having complex borders and numerous detached parts.
Worcestershire sauce is a traditional vinegar-based British condiment manufactured by Lea & Perrin in the city of Worcester,[1] and the city is also associated with the composer Sir Edward Elgar.
Geography
Hundreds
Worcestershire consists of five hundreds, whose borders are complex and in some cases consist of various detached areas of land scattered across the county; with of their parts being detached from the main body entirely. The hundreds are:
- Blackenhurst
- Doddingtree
- Halfshire
- Oswaldslow
- Pershore
Administration
As of 2024, a geographically large area of the county Worcestershire is administered by Worcestershire County Council. However, this excludes more than half of the population of the geographic county Worcestershire, and also covers parts of the five counties surrounding it. Much of the urbanised north of the county is administered by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council and Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (both of which also cover parts of Staffordshire). Birmingham City Council incorporates the parts of Worcestershire that form the south-western suburbs of Birmingham, such as King's Heath and Northfield. A few areas in the far south of Worcestershire are under Gloucestershire County Council.
Statistical
Most of the council areas that cover the county Worcestershire form part of the West Midlands statistical region. However, the parts under Gloucestershire County Council are part of South West England for statistical purposes.
