Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 3.djvu/882

Rh WORCESTER. 670 WORCESTER. merits in the cathedral, the most remarkable of which are the tomb of King John, whoso remains are deposited in front of the altar, and the monumental chapel of Prince Arthur, eldest son of Henry VII. ; the taber- nacle work and groined roof of this chapel are beautiful ; its stands at the S. side of the altar, and beneuth it, in the Dean's chapel, are the tombs and monuments of Bishop Giffard and Lndy de Clifford. There are many other monuments of bishops, abbots, lady abbesses, and Templars, all in good preservation. There is a modern monument, by Chuntrcy, in the Bishop's chapel, of Lady Digby. In the Lady chapel is a tablet, with quaint in- scription, to the memory of the wife of Izaac Walton. The whole of the interior of the cathedral has been restored, and the exterior, which -was mucli weather- worn, has been re laced at an immense outlay. The chief restorations now in hand are the tower and the cloisters. The X. porch is nearly restored. A set of ten bells is to be placed in the tower, the former set of seven (originally eight) having been taken down. The cathedral establishment consists of the dean (Very Rev. John Peel), four canons, and four minor canons. The present bishop is the Right Rev. Henry Philpot, late Master of St. Catherine's College, Cambridge : the value of the see is 5,000 per annum. The episcopal palace is Hartlebury Castle, near Kidderminster. The old bishop's palace near the cathedral is now the deanery. The see is in the province of Canterbury, and extends over the counties of Worcester and Warwick, has a po- pulation of 857,775, the number of benefices being about 450. The number of benefices in the archdeaconry is about 270. The bishop has 61 livings in his gift, and the dean and chapter 38. In the College Green, near the cathedral, stands Edgar's tower, erected in the year 970, ornamented on the eastern front by statues of Edgar and his two queens, Elfleda and Elfreda. There are several public buildings in Worcester. The guildhall in High-street is of the Italian style, erected in 1723; over the doorway is the motto, " Floreat semper fidelis civitas," and a statue of Queen Anne, and on each side statues of Charles I. and II. ; five statues, representing Justice, Peace, Plenty, Chastisement, and Hercules, adorn the top of the building. The shire hall, or assize court, ia in Foregate-street ; it is a stone building of the Ionic order, was built in 1835, and cost upwards of 35,000 ; a portico 100 foet long adorns the front. The county hall is 90 feet by 40. The different courts are well adapted for their purposes. The judge's lodge is at the back of the hall in Sansome-walk. The county gaol is in Castle-street ; it was originally constructed in 1809 at a cost of 19,000, but nearly treble that amount has since been expended on its enlargement and repairs. The city prison was built in 1821, on the site of the Grey Friars House, in Friar-street and Union-street. The Natural History Society's museum is in Foregate- street. In the corn market is the music hall. The corn exchange, in Angel-street, was erected in 1849 ; the interior is 70 feet by 60J feet. Opposite to the guildhall, in the High- street, is the market house, erected in 1804 ; behind it, in Friar-street, is the meat and fish market. The cattle market is in the Butts. The hop market is in the Foregate. The city library, with 13,000 volumes, is in Pierpont-strcct. The infirmary, which was erected by public subscription at a cost of upwards of 6,000, in 1770, is in Castle-street. The city possesses, in addition, a dispensary, Bank-street ; an ophthalmic institution, Castle-street ; and a homoeo- pathic dispensary in Taylor's-lano. Besides the city library, there is a county library, a Friends' library, and a law society and reading-room. The theatre is in Angel-street. An extensive arboretum and plea- sure-ground, erected in 1850 by a company, are situ- ated in Sansome-walk. The workhouse is on Tallow Hill. The union embraces an area of 16 square miles. The temperance hall is in Silver-street. The city police-station is at Lowesmoor, and the county police- station is in Castle-place. The Society of Arts and the School of Design are in Pierpont-street. The grain- mar school is in Church-street. The trade of Worcester is considerable, arising not only from the surplus pro- ducts of the county and its own manufactures, but from the great conveniencies of its extended rail and watiT carriage. The principal manufactures are gloves and porcelain; in connection with the glove-manufacture are leather dyeries and glove machine works. For its porcelain, Worcester has long been celebrated ; in the manufacture of common pottery it has been superseded by Staffordshire ; for the finer porcelain it still holds its place. Porcelain manufacture was first introduced in 1751 ; the porcelain works aro objects of great interest to strangers ; there aro two of them, belonging to Messrs Grainger and Co., and to the Worcester Royal Porcelain Co., limited (late Kerr and Co.). Worcester being in the midst of a hop-growing country, an ex- tensive trade is carried on in hops, the anr.ual sale realising upwards of 20,000 pockets, or nearly 40,000 cwt. After the gathering, the Shire Hull, Guildhall, and other public buildings, as well as the hop market, are devoted to their storage. Connected with the trade of Worcester are a large vinegar manufactory, an iron foundry, and engineering establishments, coach-works, British wine manufactory, organ works, &c. There aro boat and barge building-yards. Extensive engine- works are being erected by a limited company at Shrub Hill. Worcester possesses eleven parish churches. St. Alban's, an old building, supposed to have been first erected in the 8th century, is in Fish-street; in the interior are some old monuments ; val. 75, and patron the bishop. All Saints', in All Hallow's, in the gift of the lord chancellor, val. 150, has a peal of ten bells. St. Andrew's, in Copenhagen-street, has a spire rising to the height of 245 J feet ; it is in the gift of the dean and chapter, and is worth 106. St. Clement's, on the W. side of the river, was erected in 1823, in the Xorman style, and is in the gift of the dean and chapter, and is valued at 150. St. Helen's, in High-street, was the first church established in the city; its value is 120, and is in the bishop's gift. St. Martin's, val. 178, patrons the dean and chapter, is a brick building, with six bells, in the Corn Market. St. Peter's, Church- street, Sidbury, is valued at 233, and in the patron, of the dean and chapter. St. Xicholas', in the bishop's gift, and val. 264, in the Cross, has a Doric front ; the tower has an illuminated clock, and six bolls. St. Swithin's, in St. Swithin's-street, has a set of chimes and six bells ; the pulpit is curious ; it is in the gift of the dean and chapter, and is worth 170. St. John's Bedwardine is of the value of 635, and in the gift of the dean and chapter. St. Michael's Bedwardine, val. 90, patrons the dean and chapter, is near the Ca- thedral ; it was originally erected as early as 826 ; the present edifice is in the Decorated style. There are besides, connected with the Establishment, St. Paul's, in St. Paul's-street, a perpet. cur., val. .150, in tho gift of the bishop ; St. George's chapel, a chapel-of ease for the parish of Claines ; St. Oswald's chapel, in the Tything; and Holy Trinity, in the bishop's gift, at Shrub Hill, erected in 1865, in the Decorated style ; in the interior is some handsome stone carving about the altar, font, and pulpit. There are two chapels belonging to Lady Huntingdon's Connexion, one in Bridport, the other recently erected in Lowesmoor. The Independent chapel in Angel-place is a handsome building ; the for- mation of tho congregation dates from 1662. The new Baptist chapel in Sansome-walk is an elegant specimen, of the Decorated style of architecture, and has a short, light spire. The Koman Catholic chapel in Sansome- walk was rebuilt in 1828 ; in 1687 James II. attended mass in the old building. A Presbyterian chapel is being erected in Castle-street. There are also Wesleyan chapels, a Friends' meeting-house, a Free Church chapel, and Plymouth Brethren and Methodist chapels. In addition to the grammar school (founded by Queen Elizabeth) are the College school, founded by Henry VIII., and Bishop Lloyd's school. There are a Roman Catholic school and several Xational and British schools. The charities of Worcester are numerous, their income exceeding 4,000. They are mostly in the