Worcester drips with more than 2,000 years of history written in blood. It was built by conquering battle scarred Roman legions 2,000 years ago; the 17th century English Civil War drenched its streets with blood and one of its first freemen was naval war hero Lord Horatio Nelson.

Yet, the airy streets of this conservative and mercifully graffiti-free city couldn’t be more peaceful in the 21st century. The fragments of the past remain. Just the other day, archaeologists uncovered a
pristine 2,000-year-old Roman road near the city. Imagine, in this era of potholes. The archaeologists are keeping its location secret for fear of souvenir hunters. All roads have led to Worcester — the county town and administrative capital of Worcestershire — pretty much since Roman times.

According to tourism body visitworcestershire.org, 17.3 million people visited the county in 2022, bringing £939 mn (R21 bn) with them. I can’t understand why more people — especially anyone with an interest in history — do not make the journey to a city set in lush English countryside. It is just south of Birmingham and a two-hour direct train journey from London.

Watching mighty swans, their wings beating like drums, take-off from the River Severn, on a blue-sky summer evening, is heavenly. Then again, I am biased. I kicked my first ball, drank my first pint and had my first kiss in Worcestershire, where my family has lived more for than 500 years. When I left Africa, after nearly 30 years of work there was nowhere else that felt like home…

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