WHEN it comes to the present road system in and around Worcester - both the design and state of – those responsible get it in the neck fairly often these days.

From complaints about potholes to very legitimate questions about why dual tracking a three mile stretch of bypass on the southern side of the city has taken so long. 

How today’s road chiefs must long for the halcyon days of George H Williamson. Because George H did more for Worcester’s roads than the Romans and good old JC Bamford and his diggers combined.

For as well as running his huge engineering business at the Providence Works in the Blockhouse, he revolutionised the city’s roadways.

Williamson was mayor of Worcester in 1893, but it was during his stint as chairman of the Streets Committee he best made his mark.

With pioneering zeal he widened the central streets and turned them into modern thoroughfares.

High Street, St Swithin’s Street, Bank Street, St Nicholas Street and Pump Street were all improved beyond measure.

Indeed, some of the streets leading from The Cross and High Street were almost like tunnels before Williamson got to work. St Swithin’s Street was only 15ft wide and from the upper overhanging storeys it was almost possible to shake hands with people across the road.

In 1887 the creation of a paved footpath on the east side of the River Severn enabled the esplanade to be used at times of high water levels when previously that had been impossible.

Williamson also raised Hylton Road out of reach of all but the severest flood and improved the access to Shrub Hill Station.

He widened and fenced New Road, broadened Severn Street and paved Croft Road and a number of similar thoroughfares.

But his vision stretched beyond roads. Between 1886 and 1893, Williamson had forty nine courts (the warren-like groups of working class dwellings) paved and drained and otherwise improved and the worst areas of the overcrowded “rookeries” were cleared and drained.

Not only that, he improved the look of the city by planting many trees and providing public seating. He was also one of the innovators of public lighting by electricity and chairman of the committee which built the country’s first municipal power station at Powick on the River Teme.

Oh and by the way, George Williamson also found time to fight in the American Civil War. Something the current local road experts needn’t much worry about.