A HISTORY OF WORCESTERSHIRE 



to the north-eastern extremity of the county the boundary sweeps round 

 over New Red Sandstone in a wide semicircle, between the points of 

 which, on Warwickshire soil, stands the city of Birmingham. From 

 the north-eastern corner the boundary turns suddenly in a nearly southerly 

 direction over the Red Marl, until in the neighbourhood of Inkberrow it 

 passes on to the Lias formation, having enclosed the Bromsgrove Lickey, 

 with all its curious variety of geological structure, where the Beacon Hill 

 rises to a height of 956 feet. Below Inkberrow the boundary meets the 

 Avon, and, crossing the river, plunges into the hilly district of the 

 Cotswolds, becoming extremely irregular, and stretching down to the 

 south-east, where a number of isolated portions of the county reach 

 to within some fifteen miles of Oxford. Here a section of the Oolitic 

 system is brought within the limits of Worcestershire. The south- 

 eastern promontory of the mainland of the county is Broadway, which 

 rises at the Beacon to 1,024 ^^^t. The southern boundary of the county 

 is perhaps the most irregular of all, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire 

 penetrating each other in great lobes ; it crosses Bredon Hill, 848 feet 

 high, and, sinking down to the level of the Severn at Tewkesbury, bends 

 sharply back to leave the parish of Twyning to Gloucestershire ; and 

 after more irregularities, having crossed the Severn, turns to the north at 

 Redmarley d'Abitot, and meets again the Malvern Hills. 



The surface of Worcestershire generally is undulating and diversified, 

 the only portion of comparatively flat land being that known as the Vale 

 of Evesham, largely occupied at the present time with market gardens. 

 In the south and west of the county hops are largely cultivated, a few 

 hopyards only being found to the east of Worcester. Apple and pear 

 orchards are a feature of the same districts ; and these trees grow not 

 only in orchards, but are scattered thickly in the hedgerows. No 

 orchards, however, occur in the north and east of the county, and with 

 them disappear also hedgerow trees of the same kind. Here also the 

 mistletoe, so plentiful in the orchards of the west, and on poplars and 

 other kinds of trees, is quite unknown. The feature of the hedgerow 

 timber of Worcestershire is the small-leaved elm, Ulmus campestris, which 

 flourishes to such an extent in the red marl and sandstone that it has 

 gained the name of the ' Worcestershire weed.' 



In the north-east of the county the general level rises considerably, 

 and encloses the Lickey Hills, which are an island of altered Cambrian 

 rock rising out of Red Sandstone and Permian formations. The aspect of 

 this part of the county, with that of the Permian and coal measures 

 further to the north, is markedly bleaker and colder than that of the 

 valley of the Severn. On the Lickey the bilberry flourishes, and the 

 hills are clothed with ling and heather, all plants that are unknown in 

 south-east Worcestershire. The holly grows extensively on the lower 

 slopes of these hills, and the hedgerows sometimes for considerable 

 distances are formed exclusively of this plant. XJlex Gallii flourishes 

 abundantly on this high land, as it does throughout the county where the 

 height is some 500 feet above the sea, except in the Cotswold district. 



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