CASSETTE tapes could guide people around Worcester's Civil War battlefields if a plan comes to fruition to put Worcester's 17th Century history firmly on the map.

A meeting today in the Mayor's Parlour will be the 'start of the big push' for a string of monuments in the city and Powick to mark the sites of the key 17th Century battles which began and ended the conflict.

If agreed, booklets, tapes and information could be sold to guide visitors to each monument on the route, providing the history behind it.

Although the Battle of Worcester Memorial Campaign was set up years ago, this is the group's first official meeting with Mayor Aubrey Tarbuck, who is firmly behind them.

Coun Tarbuck said: "They want the battles of Worcester and Powick to have monuments set up and maintained, and then put in a tourist guide and possibly on tapes.

"It could start at the Commandery, or wherever is deemed best, and move around the various sites with descriptions and information all about them.

"To my mind, about 20,000 people from that time were buried in and around Powick and it has never been specifically marked out."

He was first contacted by the group a few months ago and then wrote to other relevant authorities to get the ball rolling.

Meeting the mayor today will be city historian Dilip Sarkar and fellow campaigner Bob Jenkins, archaeologists and representatives from Malvern Hills and the county councils.

"It is only a preliminary meeting but we are trying to drive it forward and it will hopefully start the big push," said Coun Tarbuck.

He added that the landowners are "quite happy" for monuments to be put up at the sites - Powick Bridge and Powick Hams, and in the city - though flooding issues would have to be addressed before work went ahead.

Where they fought

Although referred to as the English Civil War, there were actually three

The first and bloodiest, from 1642 to 1646, began with the Royalist victory at the Battle of Powick Bridge in September 1642 and also included the Battle of Ripple.

The second, from 1647 to 1648, ended in the execution of Charles 1 in January 1649.

The third and final conflict, from 1649 to 1651, included the Battle of Upton-upon-Severn and the Battle of Worcester, in September 1651 - both of which were Parliamentarian victories.

The 1642 skirmish at Powick Bridge saw the Royalists surprise the Parliamentarian troops on the bridge itself, with the fighting spreading to Powick Hams and the Wick fields.

The Battle of Worcester, nine years later, saw the Royalists routed and Charles II flee to France, leaving England without a monarch for nine years.

The fighting raged across the city and, on nearby fields, taking in Perry Wood, Sidbury, Fort Royal Hill, the fields and the village of Powick itself.