The Changing Landscape of Worcestershire

The County of Worcestershire is littered with quaint little hamlets, picturesque Black and White villages and rolling countryside. Fields of swaying corn, apple orchards buzzing with bees and ripening pears waiting to be picked. All nestled between woodland and cool meandering rivers.

Today it is hard for us to imagine a landscape where herds of Mammoth, Steppe Bison and Deer moved majestically across a landscape of wild tundra. The sound of Wolves, Willow Ptarmigan and Hyenas also filling the air. About 20,000 years ago a Great Glacier towered above what is now Wolverhampton and Bridgnorth! Worcestershire was the most northern hunting grounds used by our nomadic ancestors.

The landscape of Worcestershire is a direct result of these Glaciers. The weight of moving Ice scoured the landscape we have today. As the Glaciers retreated north, fast moving melt water washed tons of gravel, sand and in some cases large boulders from the North of England into our River Valleys. Two large, smooth Boulders can be seen on display at the County Museum at Hartlebury Castle.

These valuable deposits have been extracted over the years for construction work and have helped us understand the environment thousands of years ago. Clifton, Ripple, Kemerton, Beckford and Broadway have all seen gravel and sand extraction over the years. Antiquarians from the 19th Century and Archaeologists from the 1960s to the present day have discovered many wonderful finds from this work. These have included precious Stone Axes, polished by Stone Age people and Mammoth Tusks.

In the period of the Old Stone Age, or the Paleolithic period (600,000 - 10,000BC), hunter gatherers were enticed into what would become Worcestershire by the rich animal life in the area. Animals would provide food, cordage, clothing and much more, in what is often seen as a primitive existence.

Stone Hand Axes, used for Butchering meat and making other tools have been found over the years by Archaeologists and even walkers and workmen! A fine Hand Axe was pulled from a Gravel Pit by a workman in Henwick Road, in Worcester in 1915. Another example was found in Hallow by a walker in the 1970s.

The landscape changed in the Mesolithic period (10,000 - 4,000BC), whereby open tundra became heavily wooded River Valleys. The Middle Stone Age, as it is often called, was a time when our ancestor’s tools evolved to allow an improved form of living and hunting. Finds from across the County, include delicate Microliths, sharp slithers of stone flaked from a piece of flint using antler and bone tools.

In the Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age that followed (4,000-1,500BC), our ancestors realised they could alter the landscape for their specific needs. Burning and felling the trees using axes allowed the clearance of woodland and the timber worked to construct hut like houses. Crops, including cereals and beans changed our diet and some animal were domesticated such as Pigs, Sheep and cows. Clifton Quarry several years ago, and found evidence for this period. Flint artefacts and also simple pottery, used to store the food they were now harvesting throughout the year, were found.

In 2017 the Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service, in partnership with Museums Worcestershire was awarded money from the Heritage Lottery Fund to create the ‘Lost Landscape’ project and exhibition. The most important part of the project was bringing together and conserving the many artefacts collected or found across the County from this early historical period. One piece of conservation work was a badly damaged and fragmented Bison Skull discovered in Bricklehampton in the 1830’s. This was restored by Nigel Larkin of Natural History Conservation.

Worcestershire may be known as the County where Sir Edward Elgar composed fine pieces of work, such as Land of Hope and Glory. Some people would say the County is known for its fruit, such as its Pears and Apples. A great many will mention the English Civil Wars fought between King and Parliament in the 1640s and 50s.

However, we need to embrace the evidence that people have lived and worked in our landscape for thousands of years. If you stand on the Malvern Hills or Bredon Hill, just imagine how many people have looked at that same landscape. Worcestershire has seen all the great Chapters in British History and we should celebrate this. n

By Paul Harding Discover History Facebook and YouTube - Discover History Instagram and Twitter -DiscoverHISTPH www.discover-history.co.uk

Discover History is an award winning education and Living History Performance Company based in Worcester. They specialise in the local history of Worcestershire and deliver school workshops and history days, living history performances and talks across Britain.