The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
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7 Towns
Worcestershire's historic towns: a heritage at risk from 1960s progress.
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Overview
This lengthy travelogue was produced by Worcestershire County Council to highlight the architectural and historical features of seven towns in the county. The leisurely tour during the summer of 1967 takes us from Malvern to Tenbury Wells and Bewdley in part one and then on to Stourport on Severn, Pershore, Evesham and Upton upon Severn in part two. The theme is the preservation of the heart of these towns, which, in the face of 1960s 'progress', felt very fragile indeed.
The towns chosen for this study combine reminders of the proud industrial past with names like Thomas Telford and James Brindley mingling with earlier memories of monasteries and timber framed merchant buildings. Water is never far away with the mighty Severn and Avon rivers and their less well known neighbour the Teme flowing through the county. Traffic is a regular theme of the commentary as larger and larger lorries made their way through the historic streets. How much more punishment could these ancient towns take? Many thanks to Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Servive.
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