TODAY it might be Faliraki, Nikki Beach Ibiza or the Cote d’Azur, in the 1920s it was Grimley.

Just north of Worcester is a stretch of the River Severn where the bank drops away and, when the tide is right, reveals a long, flat expanse of riverbed that gives a passable imitation of a beach.

Mostly it’s mud not sand but when needs must, etc.

Grimley Lido they used to call it. Although that rather flattered the location.

Nevertheless in those simple days of restricted travel it became a holiday haven for Worcester people eager to get away from their work-a-day life.

Many flocked there on sunny summer weekends to enjoy a dip in the river or sunbathe and picnic.

They arrived by bus, bike or walked. Not many households in those days owned a car.

But had they known what had historically gone on in the vicinity they might not have been so keen.

Because just along the river lies Bevere Island and it was to there that Worcester citizens fled in 1637 to escape the Black Death.

In that year Bubonic plague swept through the city for a second time claiming the lives of at least 1,500 people, a fifth of the population.

The first plague had hit in 1610 and those that didn’t leave the confines of the dirty, narrow streets suffered terribly.

The plague did not discriminate. It killed the vicar of St John’s and seven of his children, all within 48 days.

So in 1637 the perceived wisdom was to get into the fresh air and Bevere Island was deemed the place to go.

But of course with that solution came problems, for there were no shops nor accommodation.

Fortunately, the people of nearby Ombersley came to the rescue of the Bevere Islanders by providing them with regular supplies of food, left at strategic points a healthy distance from Bevere.

But this was not totally beneficent and the villagers also left what have become known as the 'plague troughs' alongside the food.

It was into these sturdy stone containers the refugees were required to throw their coins in payment.

In a bid to prevent any spread of the plague, the money troughs were filled with a mixture of vinegar and water which was hoped would act as sufficient disinfectant.

The two troughs remained for many years near Bevere but later had to be removed to Ombersley, near the modern-day traffic island, to prevent vandalism.

Incidentally, Bevere Island was originally a wildlife haven for otters and derives its name from 'Beavers’ Ait' or Isle and has served as a refuge for many Worcester people throughout history.

The Saxons might have been the first when they fled there to shelter from the Vikings in the early 11th century.

The invaders raped and pillaged their way through Worcester, burning down the city and sacking the monastery around the cathedral.

Among the monks who escaped to Bevere Island was Wulstan, later Saint Wulstan, who set in motion the construction of Worcester’s present cathedral.

Whether he and his fellow brothers also took time out for a bit of sunbathing at Grimley Lido is not recorded.