Rory Walsh visits a walled city and discovers how it has been shaped by the UK’s longest river, the River Severn
View • Urban • West Midlands • Web Guide
Below the spire of Worcester Cathedral, an arched gate in the city walls leads directly to the River Severn. The Watergate was built in 1378, when the river at Worcester was tidal. The gate would flood twice a day, creating a small dock for boats.
Today, it reveals how Worcester’s location beside the Severn is a strength and weakness, an opportunity and a risk. Past the portcullis, flood markers line the wall. Dozens of dates, back to 1672, span the stones, recording high-water marks.
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Many of the marks are from winter months, when river levels are higher due to increased rain. Recent examples include February 2014, January 2016 and October 2019. In March 1947, Worcester flooded heavily after a severe storm met thawing winter snow. Sixty years later, however, floods came in the summer. June 2007 was one of the UK’s wettest months, with double the average rainfall. The deluge continued until, on 20 July, the Severn burst its banks, with devastating results.
Worcester floods so often partly because of the Severn’s properties. Spanning 354 kilometres, it’s the UK’s longest river. Worcester is roughly halfway along its course. From the Cambrian Mountains in mid-Wales, the Severn flows in a crescent through Powys, Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, before entering the Bristol Channel. The river runs through one of Britain’s wettest regions, plus its banks are lined with steep valleys of hard, impermeable rock. Excess water has few places to escape.
An example regularly appears opposite the Watergate. Across the river is New Road, the picturesque home of Worcester County Cricket Club. New Road is part of the Severn’s flood plain. The cricket ground has flooded irregularly since it opened in 1896. In recent years, however, these incidents have increased in regularity and severity. During winter 2023-24, New Road was submerged seven times. In the first week of 2025, it was underwater again.
Flooding is complex. It can occur differently at different times in different places, through a combination of factors. Weather, tides, geology, topography, built environment and climate change all have an impact.
Over the centuries, the Severn has provided Worcester with trade routes, military defences and industrial resources. The river helped the city develop – from a Roman town to medieval market, frontline in the English Civil Wars and a hub of Britain’s canal network. Time will tell how the Severn shapes Worcester’s future.
Go to the Discovering Britain website to find more hikes, short walks, or viewing points. Every landscape has a story to tell!
