A TOP selling author promises that eyebrows will be raised when he lifts the lid off the wild and wicked ways of the city’s old "dark-side" and its 59 pubs, inns and beer-houses.

Bob Blandford will be bringing his lavishly-illustrated historical talk on St John's pubs and their often outrageous customers to St John's Library, Glebe Close, on Monday.

Mr Blandford said there were times that Dodge City had nothing on Worcester’s own wild west.

“For years the area was known as "the dark side" which was possibly because the streets weren’t lit for at least 25 years after gas lighting first came to Worcester although I’m edging towards the opinion that the name could have stuck because of the waywardness of some of its wilder inhabitants."

The former journalist and ex-city council press officer added that the two-hour talk will paint a colourful image of the so-called "Village in the City" that will come as a surprise to many.

“St John's was dragged kicking and screaming into the wider Worcester in the first year of Victoria’s reign – a move that didn’t go down at all well with most locals who had always pretty much done their own thing up to then.

“As a result, St John's pubs were often lawless and never less than lively."

In his illustrated presentation between 2pm and 4pm, the author of two volumes of top-selling books Bob Backenforth’s Worcester Pubs Then and Now will be outlining often incredible tales from St John's pubs.

He will also look at the dodgy characters that frequented them – the con-men, the hard-cases and the good-time girls as well as tales of the heroic police force who took on all-comers and regularly came off worst.

“Just one of the stories involves a hard-case police inspector specially drafted-in from the London police force to tame Worcester and its wild and wicked ways.

"After three months and at least one severe going-over in one of the St John's pubs, he was hardly ever seen again and quit not long after. That’s typical, really.”

Admission is free.