HISTORY lovers will be spoiled for choice at a heritage weekend which promises to bring Worcester's rich, vibrant and sometimes bloody past to life.

Organised by Worcester Civic Society, the free Worcester Heritage Weekend will illuminate a broad span of the city's illustrious history from the Middle Ages to last battle of the English Civil War and from Elgar's favourite haunts to the birth of Worcester Porcelain.

Organisers seek to bring together under a single umbrella the various groups and individuals with a shared passion for the city’s rich heritage and bring it to life through tours and talks.

The weekend is designed to be fun, informative but, above all, accessible so people can delve deeper into Worcester's history, free of charge.

The heritage weekend includes a series events between Thursday, September 8 and Sunday, September 11.

Phil Douce, chairman of the Worcester Civic Society, together with vice-chairman David Saunders, helped co-ordinate the various elements of the weekend.

He said: “The idea is that everything is free. Having organised it, we’re going to see what happens. I’m hoping we get a good attendance. The way things are going we’re going to lose our heritage. It’s vanishing. We need people to come along and get interested in history.”

Events include a lecture about the history of St Helen’s Church on the corner of Fish Street and High Street at 7pm on Friday, September 9.

A tour of Worcester’s medieval defences with city archaeologist James Dinn takes place on Sunday, September 11 at 2.30pm. The tour begins at the Edgar Tower at 2.30pm and lasts around two hours.

A talk by experts on the Battle of Worcester in 1651 will take place over two days at the Commandery in Sidbury in Worcester.

The first talk will be by Vaughan Wiltshire on Saturday, September 10 at 10am and the second by Richard Shaw at 3pm on Sunday, September 11.

There will be several talks at the St Oswald’s Alms Houses in Upper Tything which were linked to the 13th century Hospital of St Oswald.

The talks take place on Saturday, September 10 at 11.30am and 2.30pm and on Sunday, September 11 at 11.30am and 2.30pm. The talks will be conducted by the Reverend Canon Grenville Cross and Steward Les West.

The Civic Society is already putting out flyers to promote the weekend which also seeks to introduce people to the gems of the city, including the Mercian Regimental Museum, Greyfrairs House and Garden, Laslett’s Alms Houses, St Albans Chapel at King’s School (open on Saturday, September 10 with a guide to provide information), Green Badge Tours of ‘Elgar’s Homes and Haunts’ (Saturday, September 10 at 2pm at the Elgar Statue), a tour of the Guildhall on Sunday, September 11 at 2pm and Worcester’s Cathedral with its crypt and cloisters and historic ties to the Magna Carta and King John whose funeral effigy lies within.

Mr Douce is also keen to see younger members become involved in the work of Worcester Civic Society. To find out more contact Mr Douce by email at phildouce68@gmail.com