Cherry Orchard/Diglis boundary

[christopher]

Does anyone know geographically where Diglis and Cherry Orchard start and end?

 

[Admin]

I've looked at various maps and I can't say either way. On one map Cherry Orchard shows as being over the Bath Road.

It has long been thought that the name Diglis is derived from the French "d'eglise", but research into early records also suggests the Anglo-Saxon meaning, Dydda's meadow.

d'eglise,"of the Church", would be my guess with Worcester Cathedral owning all the land around it including the meadows.

[christopher]

I have just discovered an old map and a more recent one. It would appear that Cherry Orchard basically starts at Berwick Street and goes up as far as St. Mark's Close, obviously including the nature reserve. With the exception of perhaps Cherry Street I had imagined the Bath Road to be the natural boundary, but this now seems in question?

There was also a bowling green in Diglis in 1754 adjacent to Castle Hill. A building named The Riding House stood close by. This was used for public entertainments and by John Wesley as a preaching place on one of his visits to the city. 

[Claire E]

I noticed in Berrow's Journal a few weeks ago that Diglis used to be called Digley around 250 years ago - seems to fit the d'eglise theory as they sound quite similar.

[RichWorcs]

I grew up on Cavendish Street and my Mum always used to put 'Cheery Orchard' on our address whilst my friend's Mum used to put Diglis on theirs and they were only a few doors down so I'm guessing somewhere between 28 and 20 Cavendish Street 

As far as I am aware the Actual Cheery Orchard stood on the land in between Cavendish Street and Orchard Street. And.... Yes Diglis was Anglicised from the Norman French 'd'eglise' as the land which is now the fields was owned by the Cathedral.