Helen Thomson

Once again, I chose some pick and mix options from the full English breakfast. It was interesting to see that the items were presented differently by the chef of that morning.

We drove the short distance to Evesham hoping to visit St Lawrence’s Church. After picking up leaflets from the Tourist Information office, we arrived to find the church firmly shut despite the sign on the door clearly stating that is open in the mornings. Later we found out from the Tourist Information Office that opening times were flexible. It depended upon whether the grounds keeper was available to open up and it was likely to be open more often as we move into the spring and summer months.

Next Mr C browsed the military model shop. He was overwhelmed by what was on offer so he left without making a purchase. We started out on the river walk which was next on our list of things to do. However, we aborted the walk; I found the traffic noise from the nearby road unpleasant and Mr C wasn’t enjoying the views. It was lovely to get back to the tranquillity of the former Abbey grounds.

We drove to Worcester where we enjoyed lunch in the Cathedral’s Cloister Café. My brie and cranberry toastie didn’t disappoint. We had a look around the Cathedral before walking to the nearby Commandery museum which was used by King Charles II’s forces during the battle of Worcester.

The museum has displays on the building’s former uses dating from the Medieval period right through to the 1950’s. As we made our way there, the heavens opened making the walk rather unpleasant. Thankfully it was only a spring shower and the sun emerged so that we could enjoy the museum without getting wet.

We arrived back at the hotel to find that our room had not been fully serviced, in particular we were lacking in milk for our cup of tea. Mr C went to hotel reception to request some. It took some while for the milk to arrive leaving us no time for a pre-dinner aperitif. Instead, we arrived at our restaurant of the evening, Edward Moon, so that we could enjoy one whilst perusing the menu. I chose seabass with ratatouille and sautéed new potatoes followed by black cherry crème brulee. The food was every bit as good as I remembered it on our previous visit and the restaurant were kind enough to honour the deposit we had left for our cancelled Valentines Day visit.

Before returning to the hotel, we stopped off at the nearby Woodsman to have a nightcap in one of its cosy snugs.

On our recent visit to Worcester Cathedral we passed several elephants that are part of a current art trail.

Each sculpture has been sponsored by a business and individually designed by an artist – either well-known or just starting out, from the Worcestershire area or further afield. They marched into the city on Tuesday, 13th July and will leave again from 5pm on Sunday, 5th September 2021. After this, there will be the chance to say a final ‘goodbye’ at a Farewell Event, before each elephant is auctioned to raise funds for St Richard’s Hospice.

The sculptures are delightful, although due to their popularity proved difficult to photograph.

After breakfast we set off to Worcester to visit the Cathedral. The Three Choirs Festival was taking place so parts of the Cathedral were obscured by the temporary seating and stage area. We were however, treated to a wonderful practice session of Elgar’s Enigma Variations. The BBC were setting up for recording the performance for later in the day.

We walked back through the town to purchase some items we had seen on our walk to the Cathedral; Mr C purchased some items for the kitchen, mum picked bought a lovely Tilley hat that is just her style but sadly the Lilac Rohan jacket that I have had my eye on for a while (waiting for the sale) was completely sold out.

We decided to head towards Ledbury  to explore it further and have lunch on the way. As we travelled I spotted a cafe and farm shop sign where we decided to stop. The Fold turned out to be a vegetarian café with an interesting and varied menu. Our timing was off, we arrived just after a large party of 10 people which meant we had to wait a while for our lunch to arrive. The waitress came with apologies from the chef for our wait. When it arrived the food was delicious, I had opted for apple and cinnamon cake, one of my favourites which is not often on the menu.

On arrival at Ledbury, we found a more suitable place to park the car than on the previous day’s visit. The town was much quieter and I was able to enjoy unobstructed views of the Market House. Mr C spotted a lovely cobbled street with great photo opportunities. Walking along the cobbled passageway was like stepping back in time and it led us to the delightful Church of St Michael and All Angels. As we left the church the sky had become heavy and dark, threatening thunder. We beat a hasty retreat to the car and as we made our way in the general direction of the hotel the roads were awash with floodwater after a torrential downpour.

Ironically the sun came out as we arrived back at the hotel so Mr C and I headed into Malvern to visit a second hand bookshop before freshening up for dinner and more ‘Fine Dining’ in the Cotford Hotel.

The Moores were drapers and clothiers in this city at the time of Queen Elizabeth I.  Their fortunes were laid by “farming out” spinning and weaving with local farmers wives and cottagers, they then died the cloth and sold the finished article. Soon they had business connections in London and with the continent.

This splendid monument does not identify the figures. They are probably those of John Moore and his wife Anne, on the right, their son and daughter, John and Margaret in the centre and their son Thomas in his Aldermanic robes with his wife Mary. Thomas was the last to die in 1633 at the age of 79.*

*From an information board next to the sculpture

Coventry Cathedral was destroyed by fire in 1940. These 14th. century hand carved nails from its roof were formed into a cross which became a symbol of reconciliation in a divided world. When the diocese of Worcester its 1300th anniversary in  1980 this cross of nails was given to it by the Bishop and people of Coventry.

The Crypt is the most substantial remnant of St Wulfstan’s Cathedral. The semi-circular end of the crypt reflects the original shape of the main Cathedral above before it was extended in the thirteenth-century. Although the crypt is smaller than when it was built it is still an impressive work of late eleventh-century architecture.*

*Information source – The Worcester Cathedral guidebook