The part of Worcester we call St John’s was originally an independent township, with the Prior and Convent of Worcester (i.e. the Cathedral today) as Lord of the Manor. It has only been part of Worcester since 1837. It was allowed its own Fayre, and served the nearby city by providing lodging houses for Welsh people (who were not allowed to sleep in the city at one time) and a bullring (so that cattle could be enraged before being slaughtered, which was believed to improve the meat -- but the city preferred this dirty work done outside its walls).

The slight sense of independent pride, and of separation from the rest of the city, no doubt has its roots in St John’s individual and distinctive history.