Droitwich
Droitwich

Droitwich is a large town of over 25,000 inhabitants about 5 miles from the county town of Worcester. Droitwich stands on rich deposits of salt, and salt has been mined here for thousands of years. The Romans certainly valued Droitwich salt - four Roman roads converged on the town.

In the Victorian period Droitwich gained popularity as a spa town (indeed the proper full name of the town is 'Droitwich Spa'). Unlike spas like Buxton and Bath, people did not come to Droitwich to drink the natural brine waters, but to bathe in them.

The most famous native of the town was St Richard (also known as Richard of Chichester or Richard de Wych) who was born here in 1197. Richard rose to become Archbishop of Chichester and was canonised in 1262. Richard was probably baptised in the Norman church of St Andrews at Droitwich.

A little further afield stands Salwarpe Court, a Tudor timber-framed manor that was home to the Talbot family (see Bromsgrove). A few miles further on is Huddington Court, a moated Elizabethan manor.

Most impressive of all is Hanbury Hall, a charming William and Mary house of brick that was the seat of the Vernon family for over 300 years. Now run by the National Trust, Hanbury is set in 400 acres of gardens and parkland. The 18th century garden has been lovingly restored, and the interior boasts an exceptional staircase and collections of fine porcelain and Dutch flower paintings.

About Droitwich
Address: Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, England
Attraction Type: Town
Location map
OS: SO894 628
Photo Credit: Roy Hughes, licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Licence


HERITAGE

HeritageWe've 'tagged' this attraction information to help you find related historic attractions and learn more about major time periods mentioned.

Historic Time Periods:

Roman
Tudor
Victorian

Find other attractions tagged with:

18th century (Time Period) - Norman (Architecture) - Roman (Time Period) - Tudor (Time Period) - Victorian (Time Period) - William and Mary (Person) -


NEARBY HISTORIC ATTRACTIONS

Heritage Rated from 1- 5 (low to exceptional) on historic interest

Hanbury Hall - 3.1 miles (Historic House) Heritage Rating

Hawford Dovecote - 3.3 miles (Historic Building) Heritage Rating

Hanbury, St Mary's Church - 3.8 miles (Historic Church) Heritage Rating

Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings - 5 miles (Museum) Heritage Rating

George Marshall Medical Museum - 5.1 miles (Museum) Heritage Rating

Worcester City Museum and Art Gallery - 5.4 miles (Museum) Heritage Rating

Spetchley Gardens - 5.5 miles (Garden) Heritage Rating

Spetchley, All Saints Church - 5.5 miles (Historic Church) Heritage Rating



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