Borchester
Encyclopedia
Borchester is a fictional town in the BBC Radio 4
radio series The Archers
. It is the county town
of the fictional county of Borsetshire
. According to series tradition it is located 6 miles north-east of Ambridge in the Am Vale and is an historic market and wool town. These typically English country-town features are complemented by more modern additions, such as Underwoods (an upmarket department store) Jaxx bar, which was previously a cafe both managed by Kenton Archer and Ambridge Organics, the shop run by Helen Archer, who also makes the Borsetshire Blue cheese sold in Underwoods.
As the Archers is usually taken to "exist" in a region centred on Evesham
and somewhere not too far from the Malvern Hills
and the edge of the Cotswolds
, Borchester could be connected to Broadway
, Tewkesbury
or Pershore
. Hints in the series about the range of shops, local features and road layout, as well as distances sometimes given between Borchester, Felpersham and Ambridge, tend to point to Pershore as the most likely analogy, if we assume that Felpersham = Evesham. Another school of thought has Felpersham as Worcester
and Borchester as Droitwich Spa
. This view is supported by the existence of a Bishop at Felpersham - Evesham does not have a Bishopric whereas Worcester does.
Although it is a county town, it is not a city. The nearby Felpersham
, which might be based on Evesham, is the seat of a Church of England
diocese and does have the city status
that that usually implies. Borchester has a by-pass
, built with much controversy during the 1980s. Evesham and Droitwich Spa both have by-passes but not Pershore.
The BBC published a map of Borchester in the 1990s, which, across a north-south axis common to both towns, was a 'cut and paste
' of Evesham
west of the axis and Great Malvern
to the east.
Borchester is the location of the magistrates court in the area. Phil Archer
served as a magistrate there for many years. In 1968, Nelson Gabriel
, one of the most famous characters in The Archers, and a notorious rogue, was committed for trial and remanded in Gloucester prison
at the Borchester magistrates. He returned many years later to run a wine bar in the town from 1980 to 84.
Borchester is the scene of frequent shopping trips and social encounters in the series. It has a mixture of trendy, "southern England" features such as wine bars and upmarket delis combined with some working class neighbourhoods. The Grundy family lived for a while in a substandard council flat in Borchester after being evicted from Grange Farm in 2000.
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
radio series The Archers
The Archers
The Archers is a long-running British soap opera broadcast on the BBC's main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. It was originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk", but is now described on its Radio 4 web site as "contemporary drama in a rural setting"...
. It is the county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of the fictional county of Borsetshire
Borsetshire
Borsetshire is a fictional county in the BBC Radio 4 series The Archers. Its county town is the equally fictional Borchester.Other places in the county include Ambridge, where The Archers is mainly set, Lower Loxley, a nearby village and Felpersham, a cathedral city which appears to be larger than...
. According to series tradition it is located 6 miles north-east of Ambridge in the Am Vale and is an historic market and wool town. These typically English country-town features are complemented by more modern additions, such as Underwoods (an upmarket department store) Jaxx bar, which was previously a cafe both managed by Kenton Archer and Ambridge Organics, the shop run by Helen Archer, who also makes the Borsetshire Blue cheese sold in Underwoods.
As the Archers is usually taken to "exist" in a region centred on Evesham
Evesham
Evesham is a market town and a civil parish in the Local Authority District of Wychavon in the county of Worcestershire, England with a population of 22,000. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon...
and somewhere not too far from the Malvern Hills
Malvern Hills
The Malvern Hills are a range of hills in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern...
and the edge of the Cotswolds
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
, Borchester could be connected to Broadway
Broadway, Worcestershire
Broadway is a village and civil parish in the Worcestershire part of the Cotswolds in England.Often referred to as the "Jewel of the Cotswolds", Broadway village lies beneath Fish Hill on the western Cotswold escarpment...
, Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury is a town in Gloucestershire, England. It stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon, and also minor tributaries the Swilgate and Carrant Brook...
or Pershore
Pershore
Pershore is a 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 was 7,304...
. Hints in the series about the range of shops, local features and road layout, as well as distances sometimes given between Borchester, Felpersham and Ambridge, tend to point to Pershore as the most likely analogy, if we assume that Felpersham = Evesham. Another school of thought has Felpersham as Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
and Borchester as Droitwich Spa
Droitwich Spa
Droitwich Spa is a town in northern Worcestershire, England, on the River Salwarpe.The town is situated on massive deposits of salt, and salt has been extracted there since ancient times. The natural Droitwich brine contains 2½ lbs...
. This view is supported by the existence of a Bishop at Felpersham - Evesham does not have a Bishopric whereas Worcester does.
Although it is a county town, it is not a city. The nearby Felpersham
Felpersham
Felpersham is a fictional city in the BBC Radio 4 radio series The Archers. It is probably the largest town in the fictional county of Borsetshire....
, which might be based on Evesham, is the seat of a Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
diocese and does have the city status
City status in the United Kingdom
City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
that that usually implies. Borchester has a by-pass
Bypass (road)
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....
, built with much controversy during the 1980s. Evesham and Droitwich Spa both have by-passes but not Pershore.
The BBC published a map of Borchester in the 1990s, which, across a north-south axis common to both towns, was a 'cut and paste
Cut and paste
In human-computer interaction, cut and paste and copy and paste offer user-interface interaction techniques for transferring text, data, files or objects from a source to a destination. Most ubiquitously, users require the ability to cut and paste sections of plain text...
' of Evesham
Evesham
Evesham is a market town and a civil parish in the Local Authority District of Wychavon in the county of Worcestershire, England with a population of 22,000. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon...
west of the axis and Great Malvern
Great Malvern
Great Malvern is an area of Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is the historical centre of the town, and the location of the headquarters buildings of the of Malvern Town Council, the governing body of the Malvern civil parish, and Malvern Hills District council of the county of...
to the east.
Borchester is the location of the magistrates court in the area. Phil Archer
Phil Archer
Philip Walter Archer is a fictional character from the British BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers, played by Norman Painting. He made his first appearance on 29 May 1950, the show's pilot episode. The character later became the longest serving male character in the series...
served as a magistrate there for many years. In 1968, Nelson Gabriel
Nelson Gabriel
Nelson Gabriel was a character in the long-running BBC Radio series The Archers. The son of Walter Gabriel, the village carrier and self-appointed "character," Nelson was for many years the most disreputable character in the village. He was charged with the Borchester mail-van robbery in 1967, but...
, one of the most famous characters in The Archers, and a notorious rogue, was committed for trial and remanded in Gloucester prison
Gloucester (HM Prison)
HM Prison Gloucester is a Category B men's prison, located in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
at the Borchester magistrates. He returned many years later to run a wine bar in the town from 1980 to 84.
Borchester is the scene of frequent shopping trips and social encounters in the series. It has a mixture of trendy, "southern England" features such as wine bars and upmarket delis combined with some working class neighbourhoods. The Grundy family lived for a while in a substandard council flat in Borchester after being evicted from Grange Farm in 2000.