Pershore

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Map sources for Pershore at grid reference SO945455

Pershore is a small market town in Worcestershire, England on the banks of the River Avon. Pershore is in the Wychavon district and is part of the West Worcestershire parliamentary constituency. At the 2001 census the population of Pershore was 7,304. The town is best known for Pershore Abbey, and is also known for the plums grown locally.

Pershore is 6 miles west of Evesham and 6 miles east of Upton-upon-Severn. The town lies on the A44 nearly midway from Worcester to Evesham. The nearest motorway junctions are junction 7 of the M5 (South Worcester) or junction 1 of the M50. There is a railway station on the Cotswold Line, enabling direct travel to Paddington station, London, via Evesham, Moreton-in-Marsh, Oxford, Didcot and Reading, although Pershore station is more than a mile from the centre of the town.

Pershore is famous for its elegant Georgian architecture and important as the centre of a district rich in fruit and vegetable production (it is in the vale of Evesham). Pershore has been designated as a town of major architectural importance by the Council for British Archaeology, and listed as an outstanding conservation area.This is because it contains - in Bridge Street- the first row of houses built entirely of brick in Britain.

The River Avon runs through Pershore and is a popular stop off for boat traffic and fishermen alike.

Pershore's crowning glory is its Abbey, an architectural gem, parts of which date back to the 11th century. The current structure is far smaller than the original building, which was damaged when the Abbey was plundered during the reign of Henry VIII, when the original nave was destroyed (the north transept collapsed later). The present nave occupies the western part of what would originally have been the choir. The Abbey stands in a large expanse of public grassland close to the centre of the town.

The community arts centre, Number 8, stands on the High Street.

Pershore has its own morris dance tradition. [1]

Pershore's soccer club, Pershore Town F.C., belongs to the Midland Football Combination league.

Pershore is twinned with Bad Neustadt in Germany and Plouay in France.